An example of what I’m talking about - I was over at a relative’s house, and just trying to work out the TV and the remote, and just surfing around, with the sound down, trying to find something for kids to possibly watch. I don’t watch too much cable or very much linear television. Anyway, I flipped to CNN and the family’s resident Fauxboy, who up until then, although it was not his house either, had offered no suggestions on the figuring-out-the-remote-front, walked over and stood behind the couch I was sitting in, leaned in, and said, “oh, CNN!!! We’re going to get some real fake news now!”

I didn’t overreact - I don’t have a past of arguing with this guy and he doesn’t really know my politics per se. I’m sure the guy assumes I’m a “liberal” because I went to university and graduated. I just innocently asked him - “and what is wrong with CNN?” and just waited for an answer. Like I was asking what’s wrong with Coke or Pepsi. I’m not going to be able to get the entire context of what I think about MSNBC or CNN and how I don’t think they are really “liberal” in any left/right sense that people such as him believe they are. Nor do I care to; I am not going to be able to convince this guy of anything. And I certainly have zero brand loyalty to corporate news outlets, so it’s quite easy to not overreact to such claims.

But also, since I’m just asking something open-ended like that, with no team affiliation being broadcast, deep down, he knows he has no real hand-holds here. So he also has no assumed context which he thinks I’ll assume the framing of, meaning, “CNN/MSBNC liberal”.

It took all the wind out of his sails. He wanted either an argument or an atta-boy, and got…a question. Someone asked them to explain what they mean, without assuming any shortcut path to argumentation (and thus, “owning the libs” by getting a rise out of one) or validation. Maybe it was just viewed as a buzzkill by him, but…if people start asking more questions like that instead of immediately dropping into a fighting stance, I think it might reach some people.