Ask the Right Question
For years in innumerable talks with people with leftist views I have been looking for a simple way to lay down my position to spare myself lagging discussions doomed from the start with neither side having a slightest chance of convincing each other. Such a cut if found would put an end to the endless arguing and more so would leave the ball in their court (not that the latter is of much an importance as liberals normally avoid arguing in support of their position). Incidentally I have bumped into the idea. It was so simple that I was astonished how I could have not possibly thought of it earlier.
To find out whether the person is liberal all you have to do is ask the question:
“If you believe something is right should it be implemented in the society?”
If you receive the answer “yes” you are talking with a liberal. The argument is simple. Any person who believes in Constitution, freedom, and law instead of answering right away would start asking questions such as “Who decides what’s right?” “On what basis does somebody impose the decision on others?” while straight unequivocal “yes” implies that all other questions have been answer beforehand: “I (government) decide”, “I (government) have the right”, etc.
I have tried asking the question. It works 100%. A liberal starts answering and (unless it’s an absolute lunatic) immediately becomes confused as the conflict between his beliefs and the outcome looks ridiculous. Not that I have ever succeeded in changing their position – it would take ages and probably personal impact. But it saved time. And that alone was good enough.