Kirk, political discourse and the old rhetorical bait-and-switch

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Kirk's "prove me wrong" was, as so often happens, pompous, fake macho bluster.

MOST opinions can never be rigorously proven right or wrong; they are opinions, not facts, and hence usually cannot be disproven. It's one of the lamest, most immature arguments to say "you can't disprove X, therefore X is true" -- a favorite argument of all too many religionists, who then argue their god(s) have chosen to hide the overwhelming evidence of their existence, because, well, they're god(s), and who are we to question their ways ? Now extend that to their awesome Orange Overload, who is really beating you at seven-dimensional chess, but you're too ignorant, slow-witted, and/or brainwashed by the Left to admit it.

Kirk wasn't really trying to persuade anyone in any single statement, just trying to keep up the pressure so that far-right opinions are forced into mainstream thought by social pressure, giving them the maximum opportunity to seep into the minds of those ill-equipped to practice good judgement. Call it "stochastic brainwashing", or just propaganda; it's an old, old technique. You don't need most people to believe it; it only takes a minority of converts to bring disruptive social change. And people like Kirk are the type to burn down an apartment building full of people, and justify it by a need to get rid of roaches.