To me it is about gaslighting and arguing for the sake of arguing. We’ve long been in this realm of society now where nobody wants facts or truths, they just want you to be wrong. I have before, cited resources in arguments I’ve shamefully invested in, knowing that it will not matter in the end. Because I’m still going to be called a liar, I’m still going to be subjected to insults and be baited and gaslit.
And the same people still turn around and expect credible sources to be provided to them? Why ask when you don’t care?
It is one thing for someone to make outrageous, blatant and unclaimed arguments than it is another who talks of something and it has a resemblance of truth to it.
People want to feel morally righteous for condemning socially percieved evil, even if it isn’t real. People also generally “license” themselves to believe in that which they believe materially benefits them.
Essentially, people’s capacity for changing their mind on something is less about the facts at hand and more about their readiness to accept an alternative viewpoint, which is driven by reaction to external circumstances.