True. But that route is often 1) intellectually dishonest (smear tactic) and encourages cognitive apathy. Which is the problem is begin with. Benefits: easy to manipulate people without thinking. Cons: easy to manipulate people without thinking. Challenging belief systems with facts forces people to consciously chose new belief systems and discard older ones. Much more difficult to change/dissuade when one is exposed to a logical/emotional truth! Also, thinking people serve as much more effective change agents who can challenge other peoples belief system for you = force multiplier. Cons: requires more upfront effort. IMO, its the only way.