if you come in guns blazing and condescending people will shut you down no matter what facts you have

I love that approach, but then I'm not trying to change minds of those who lack the wisdom to prioritize the truth & objectivity over themselves and should know better. Merely trying to vindicate a neglected consideration for cooler minds. If someone's ready for it, then great, and if not, then we can admire & ridicule their folly: reality doesn't care. Defending truth & rationality is reward enough & those too foolish to appreciate it can find their own way there.

It's pretty much acknowledging

you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

It's good enough to point out the water & even be insolent about it: the horse only prolongs its dehydration by not drinking, & there are better horses. I'm not a horse trainer.