A while back, when I was more involved in libertarian politics, I was attending conventions left and right, and frankly wasn’t in my best state emotionally. Without going into too much detail on that, there was one convention that I helped volunteer for in Nashville, and it was fancy. The reception was at a somewhat fancy hotel, and you could meet a lot of different factions in the small l libertarian space. Here’s the YT link.
Interestingly, one of my friends was sort of into internet debate bros. When I was taking the elevator up to my room, I ran into Destiny, a prominent youtube debater. He kind of snubbed me and came across as unfriendly. I later ran into Vaush, and while certainly autistic, he was somewhat charismatic and nice to talk to. I chatted with him for like 30-40 minutes off-the-cuff and asked him about his beliefs. He pivoted a little bit towards the libertarian socialist perspective, and came off as a nice guy. When I talked to him later on in the convention, he offered to host me on his platform to argue with him.
I spent 2 hours talking to him, and got a bunch of hate, but also some appreciation. Left-tube is significantly more distrustful to perspectives I have, in terms of the viewers and the commentary that went on throughout it. But, I think there were a couple things that won me a couple friends and let me influence other people.
First, I wasn’t coming to shill anything in particular. I wasn’t going to win any brownie points by getting a clip that would make him look bad. I realized he was a lot more experienced as a debater than me, and I had little credibility on his show. To that end, it informed how I communicated with him.
First, I tried to actively listen to Vaush’s perspective. In doing this, I often asked clarifying, not leading, questions to make sure I understood what he was saying. Doing this was helpful because it allowed me to better understand where he was coming from. This was also useful because when we had a disagreement in perspective, it was easy to hone in on it, and understand where we weren’t seeing eye to eye.
Second, I remained calm when he disagreed with me, and didn’t try to cut him off, or otherwise dunk on him. This is good, because a large part of influence is a two way street. No one likes to change their minds when they feel pressure or under attack. Having self-confidence in what you’re thinking means being comfortable that others won’t share. I think if more people took a perspective of ‘your thoughts are interesting, here are my thoughts’, it can really turn down tension.
Third, I learned it helps to be a pretty boy. Never underestimate being a cutie. When I later went through the debate, I saw a couple people comment on how I was dreamy and Matt-Patt-Esque. I’m flattered by that comparison and I think that because of MP’s retirement, I may get some brand equity by looking similar.
Isadore Johnson's Website 