and it's a practical point. I remember something a friend told me, witnessing a debate where one hardcore creationist was talking to a hardcore evolutionist. They of course only talked AT each other, no chance of ever getting through. Part of that was owing to the horrible tendency to answer not what the other person said, but to your stereotype of what "people like this" always say, which leads you to misinterpret (by not really listening anymore) to what the other person says. In any case, my friend was watching this, more like watching a train wreck, and picked up that the creationist was catholic. At which point he interjected, "you know the pope disagrees with you, right?" instant curveball. Not the expected argument. Of course it didn't change minds on the spot; the usually doesn't happen much. But at least it got the discussion into a lane where people actually listened to one another.