RUSH: Lizzie in Reno, I’m glad you waited. You’re next on Open Line Friday. Hi.
CALLER: Hi.
RUSH: Hey.
CALLER: So I was just wondering, ’cause, like, I talk to my friends a lot about political stuff and I’m a fan of Trump. So they brought up, like, “Oh, Trump is out of the running. He can’t be president anymore.” I was like, “Wait a second, you know that’s not true, right?” They’re like, “Oh, no, it’s true, I found it on this website.” And so they bring up all these websites that they see. And they’re like, “Oh no, this is what’s true,” and I actually showed them the actual information. So I was just wondering if you could help me. I don’t know, it’s just hard to talk to them about it ’cause, like, they’re so, like —
RUSH: You know, Lizzie, there’s a very, very applicable philosophy here. I myself have had to learn this. And you can do with it what you want, any number of ways here, but essentially it is never get into an argument with a fool, because people will not be able to tell the difference. What that means is, when you get into an argument with a fool or a blithering idiot, you, by definition, have to lower yourself to their level to even hope to communicate with them. In this case, it sounds like your friends. Are they your friends?
CALLER: Yeah, they’re my friends. Like, I was talking to them at lunch, ’cause I’m 17, I’m still in high school.
RUSH: They sound like blithering — they’re telling you that Donald Trump can’t run for president, did I hear you right?
CALLER: Well, yeah, yeah. It was after his speech about the Muslims, like, he scripted it into, like, “I, Donald Trump,” and he started talking about the Muslims and stuff and a few of my friends are Muslims so they’re like, “Oh, so you want so-and-so to be deported?” I’m like, “They were born here. They’re not gonna be deported just because they’re Muslim. He’s talking about immigrants that are Muslim,” and so they’re just like — I don’t know. That’s what they were talking about, the speech where he was talking about Muslims.
RUSH: Well, I misunderstood then. They’re telling you that they think they will be deported?
CALLER: No, no. The first part was right. They were talking about how Trump isn’t in the running because of his speech —
RUSH: Oh, because he said that we need to have a moratorium on Muslims coming in the country, that he’s disqualified from running?
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: Well, I mean, what do you do with that? Lizzie, that’s idiocy.
CALLER: I know. And I tried to tell them, I was like, “This is his speech and this is exactly what he said,” and they’re like, “Well, that’s not what this site said.” And so it’s just hard because, like —
RUSH: I know.
CALLER: — the media is, like, influencing them to —
RUSH: Lizzie, let me tell you something. I encounter this I can’t tell you the number of times every day. People can read anything. It doesn’t matter what it is, and simply because they read it they think it’s true if it’s on the Internet.
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: All you can do Lizzie is be more informed than they are and be able to calmly explain to them how they are wrong, and if they refuse to believe you at that point, you’re gonna go crazy trying to persuade ’em.
CALLER: Well, yeah, and I’ll start talking to them about it, and, like, tell them what I read and the actual speeches. They will be, like, “Oh, why can’t you just be Democratic for once,” or, like, “Why can’t you just listen to me and be on my side.” I’m like, I’m not gonna be politically correct because this is what I believe and this is what I read and this is what I know is right.
RUSH: Yeah. I don’t know. There are as many different theories dealing with people like this as there are people like this. And what I’ve always done, if I can’t avoid them, is just try to have fun with them. If they think ridiculous things like that, then I just will come back, “Oh, yeah, did you hear about this?” and just make something up.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: Just make something up and see if they agree with it. Just put ’em on. Just satirize them or put ’em on. If you really care about them and you want to try to inform them how they’re wrong, it’s a noble thing. It would require a lot of time and effort.
CALLER: Mmm-hmm.
RUSH: But if you really value their friendship and you want them to not be idiots and recognize that they’re wrong about things, it’d be a very valorous thing to do. If you do it in a way that you can enjoy it and have fun. But what’s really more upsetting about it than anything, I bet, is that you can’t believe that they’re that shortsighted or easily manipulated or whatever.
CALLER: I know, and as I told you, I was like, “You guys are not educating yourself about what’s really happening. You’re just reading some stupid article that says, ‘Oh, Trump is out of the running because he said this one thing in his speech,’ or they’re taking one thing out of context of his speech and they’re saying, ‘This is what he said,’ but he actually didn’t say that.”
RUSH: I know. But, I mean, I’ve never even heard anybody say he’s now out of the running. I mean, I’m not even sure what they mean by that. Does it mean…? Do they think he has no chance or do they mean somebody’s officially pulled him off the campaign trail?
CALLER: They thought that he officially pulled them out.
RUSH: Oh, my God. You’re kidding me!
CALLER: No. Yes, I’m serious. And so they were like, “It was all over Facebook,” and my friend even posted it on Facebook and I said, “You know, this means he’s not out of the running?” They said, “Well, I hope he is.”
RUSH: Lizzie? Lizzie, how old are these friends? I assume they’re your female friends, right?
CALLER: Yeah. They’re 17, 18. I’m 17.
RUSH: Oh. You’re 17? Oh! Oh, oh, oh, oh. Well, then.
CALLER: I’ll be voting for the next election.
RUSH: Do they like the Kardashians?
CALLER: I’m not sure.
RUSH: Well, one thing you could do is whatever they like — pop culture people they like, movie stars, celebrities they like or whatever — tell ’em, “Are you sure? Because I heard so-and-so say that that’s not true.”
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: You know, counter with somebody who they think has authority, somebody they credit that they would believe. ‘Cause it’s crazy.
CALLER: It amuses me how much they believe that, and they don’t know the correct information about it.
RUSH: They’re just —
CALLER: It’s just weird.
RUSH: They’re just one year away from being able to vote.
CALLER: Well, I’ll be old enough to vote for the next election.
RUSH: Yeah. Well, that’s good, but you’re outnumbered in your friends.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: You know, I’m trying to think back when I was your age. I had political arguments with friends, but none of my friends were that goofy that I recall. (laughing) But it’s indicative of the kind of things you can find on the Internet. I don’t know. Lizzie, just hang in with ’em and try to help ’em as much as you can. As you do, you’ll find ways that are effective and ways that aren’t. But I can imagine how frustrating it is when you’re so-so far lightyears ahead of ’em. Anyway, I appreciate the call. (interruption) No. No. Telling them to listen to me? (laughing) Try that, Lizzie. See what they say to that.
Quick time-out, folks. Back after this.