Why Facts Don't Work
Combating Tyranny on a Personal Level
We’ve all been there. You present cold, hard facts. You have the data, charts, receipts; and the person you’re talking to shrugs, dismisses, or even digs in harder. It’s infuriating. But the truth is, facts don’t change many minds—stories do.
People don’t absorb information the same way. There are three main groups, and if we don’t recognize how they think, we’ll keep wasting our energy yelling into the void. The Pittsburgh Banned Book Club recently read Let This Radicalize You by Kelly E. Hayes and Mariame Kaba, and it was incredibly enlightening in regard to how to engage people when facts don’t seem to be working, based on how they think and process the constant onslaught of horrifying information we’re subjected to daily. There are three main types of people":
#1 Monitors: The Doom-Scroll Army
These are the people who seek out information, constantly needing to be in the know. They stay up late scrolling and checking five different news sources. The problem? The sheer volume of bad news creates low-tolerance monitors—people who aren’t looking for truth, they’re looking for comfort. They want information that is going to validate what they already think or what they want to be true. Conspiracies thrive here because they offer certainty in an uncertain world.
🚨 What might work better: Instead of bombarding them with another news clip, connect with their emotions—share how policies have personally impacted you. They don’t need more chaos; they need clarity and connection.
#2 Blunters: The TLDR Crowd
Blunters don’t want to be overwhelmed. They see the headlines, skim the surface, and then actively disengage. It’s not that they don’t care, it’s that they feel powerless. If something seems too big, they check out. They’re the ones saying, “Okay, but what can I do?”
🚨 What might work better: Skip the doomsday tone. Give them one clear, practical action (a phone call, a donation, a single conversation). They’re more likely to act if it feels doable and attainable. Baby steps.
#3 The Unrealistically Optimistic (“It Won’t Happen to Me”)
This is the defining flaw of white liberal apathy. So many people genuinely believe that what’s happening won’t reach them. Even as reproductive rights disappear, book bans spread, and Elon openly peddles fascism, they convince themselves, that they will still be unaffected. Take a look at the white boomers’ facebook pages right now. They’re praising “efficient government” and job cuts until it’s them or their kid who gets kicked to the curb, because they never thought it would happen to them in the first place. It’s unfortunate that they can’t see beyond their own bubble, but that’s an entirely different topic for another day.
🚨 What might work better: They won’t budge until they feel it. That’s why storytelling matters. When they hear firsthand how someone like them (even better if it’s someone they know personally) has been affected—losing healthcare, getting doxxed, being targeted—they start to wake up. It has to be personal.
The Takeaway: Facts Aren’t Enough—Stories Are Everything
People don’t respond to data. They respond to people. That means (I’m so sorry to my fellow introverts) we have to talk to each other. And not just online. We need to engage in conversation with our neighbors, that magat on your softball team, the bartender that always turns on Fox News… Your story, how policies have impacted you, your family, your friends, is the most powerful weapon you have. Share it. Speak up. Connect. Loneliness and isolation are powerful motivators for fear and misinformation, and we can change the narrative by connecting (not preaching or regurgitating facts).
If we want people to finally listen when they won’t see with their eyes what is happening, we have to make them feel it.
Recommended Reading:
Let This Radicalize You by Kelly E. Hayes and Mariame Kaba
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (this one is so short and quick I promise!)