So, I was ranting about situations like what I've described in this story with a friend of mine, and something she asked me made me stop and think for a bit. "What can I do?" This chapter is my attempt to answer that question.

I don't know if many people are going to like or agree with this chapter, honestly. And that's okay! This whole book has just been me presenting my opinions and explaining and backing up my reasoning as thoroughly as possible while offering a little education on the side. And while I do my best, I'm much closer to a dumbass than an expert, so I'm bound to get stuff wrong. This is my view of things, and I welcome anyone who has a different perspective.

I would hope that it's pretty clear by now that I like calm and logical discussions. Don't get me wrong, I can be petty, sarcastic, and even a bit bitchy, but I try to have a clear argument. Unfortunately, even with that in mind, I don't think I will change these people's minds. More depressingly, I don't know if anything can.

I'm sure everyone is aware of cognitive and confirmation biases, to some extent, but I don't think many people realize just how strong it is on a biological level. So before I get into how I think we should handle writers who poorly tackle serious topics, I'm going to talk about some science.

A team of researchers from City University, University College London, Virginia Tech Carilion in Ronake, and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, IL, decided to look at what goes on in the brain during a debate that makes people so unwilling to change their opinions.

They paired up random participants and showed them real estate pictures, asking them to evaluate the property's value and what they would pay for it. While the pair discussed, a functional MRI was hooked up to their brains, and brain activity was monitored.

The brain area they focused the most on was the posterior medial prefrontal cortex (PMPC), which scientists think is the most used when evaluating and absorbing someone else's ideas. They observed that, when the participants agreed, the PMPC was active, and its levels fluctuated based on how confident the participants were with their ideas. However, when the participants disagreed, there was no change in brain activity in the PMPC.

This helps illustrate why people cling so strongly to their beliefs, even when presented with overwhelming contradictory evidence. Though, it's a pretty recent study, so, unfortunately, scientists are still figuring out the why behind this reaction in our brains. This means it's a lot harder to come up with ways to have discussions that end up changing other people's minds.

Which is the dilemma I find myself in now. What can we do when we come across media on platforms like Wattpad that we find harmful and offensive? What will make the situation worse?

The first big don't I have seems pretty obvious, but as this is the internet, I will state it anyway. I will never support threats of death, rape, or extreme violence under any circumstances. That's a pretty low bar that I think most people can get behind, but if for some reason you can't, then get off my profile and don't come back. Threats immediately put the other person on the defensive, and you're only going to make them cling to their beliefs and opinions. You're also going to inspire more people to defend them, even if they disagree, because threats are such an extreme response.

However, my more controversial opinion is that even mild insults and spamming of the person's profile are unhelpful and should be avoided. For one, it does the same things I listed above, like causing the person to dig their heels in while others come to their defense. But it also gives them attention, and I've noticed that's something a lot of these authors crave.

What clued me in the most to this was one of the writers that inspired my first rant. Another user on Wattpad opened up about being a victim of sexual assault and called their portrayal of it disgusting and shameful. In response, the writer said, "boo, you whore." Of all the insensitive, shitty responses, that has to be one of the worse ones.

That's not someone who cares about whether other people are hurt. That's not even someone with basic human decency. That's an entitled brat who clearly thrives off of the negative attention they get, and I, for one, want them to be ignored and starve instead of feeding off attention.

Now let's move on to what I think should happen. If you aren't prepared for a debate and just want them gone, I suggest reporting the books and account to Wattpad (yes, I know their reporting sucks, but it's all we have). Don't give them any interaction, just report, mute them, and warn your followers about them so they can do the same.

If you do want to debate, or think they might be more willing to listen to reason, then there are a few ways to approach the discussion that can help.

In 2016, researchers at Cornell University examined the best ways to change people's minds using the Reddit forum "ChangeMyView." In other words, they analyzed a forum that was created specifically for debates that changed minds and got some good info.

Comments that used different wording or were structured differently than the original post also seemed more successful because they signaled that the commenter was bringing new ideas to the table. Arguments that used specific examples were also found to be more effective.

Softening the language used in the reply also helped a lot. Responses that kept everything respectful, used phrases like "it may be the case" instead of "it is," and had a calm tone were better received and more effective than aggressive and confrontational replies. Longer and more professional-looking comments also led to better results.

The amount of back and forth also made a difference. If there were four or fewer interactions between the original poster and the person who replied, then there was a higher likelihood that someone would change their mind. However, too much back and forth (five or more replies) was a sign that the poster would not change their minds.

So, as you can see, the way you present your arguments are just as important as the arguments themselves. Unfortunately, even all of this will probably not change the person's mind. Humans are stubborn as fuck, so your best bet is not interacting with them and hoping Wattpad finally gets their shit together and creates a better reporting system.

Holy fuck, this was long and very wordy. Sorry about that! If you don't want to read my ramblings about this, then here's where I got my info:

Why is it so difficult to make people change their minds? - by Maria Cohut

Proven Ways to Change Someone's Mind - by The Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research