Ask Lemmygrad

I definitely get it. In one argument I even said "do you want me to to First Reformed mode or what" (watch that film, by the way, highly recommend to any leftist) because I felt extremely frustrated at how people couldn't even follow a simple argument about how it was necessary to warn students about the role of military contractors before they signed up to work with them. It's really tiring to be the one crazy person saying something that feels obvious to you, but everyone else looks at you like you're a flat earther.

But I would also warn you about the sense of elitism that this position brings with it. It's really common that when you start reading Marx and everything about the world starts clicking together you'll feel like a high wizard, it's something "like a university degree in truth" (from Disco Elysium) that makes you feel very special. But those beliefs aren't useful unless they can be put to work by convincing sufficient numbers of people of their utility and getting them to enact a program. And the nice thing about Marxism is that it doesn't just explain how capital accumulates, it also explains how political power works on an ideological level, and why it's difficult to surpass false consciousness. I don't know if you read the essay, but I'll go ahead and recommend it again because right from the start it addresses this frustration but it offers a perspective that will help you.

And more concretely, I don't know how much I'd recommend being "likeable" as a tactic. It's nice to have good optics. But sometimes you'll have better optics and a better message if you come across as mature, measured, and considerate than just likeable or charismatic. Personally, I like to listen carefully and take time before replying if I'm in a good faith political conversation (if it's bad faith then I channel ) and I'm usually more concerned with offering the other person the same feeling of "wow everything makes sense now" that you get when you read theory, than I am trying to come across as likeable. But if you're doing outreach, mutual aid work, or similar then a more charismatic tone is obviously more appropriate.