But in the video below the speaker makes the argument that ridicule and insult, while comforting to those who style themselves sober empiricists, don't really do anything else than to stroke the speaker's vanity and make the target of the insults hold on even tighter to the bad ideas.
So it may well be counterproductive to tell someone in detail just how dumb they are IF you are going to need their future assistance, lack power over them, or care about what they think of you. And if you dig deep enough in most people's most cherished viewpoints and ideas, you may well find some beliefs that are also not necessarily upheld 100% by the empirical data.
It was an interesting argument. Check it out below.