That's precisely what I thought after watching the above Adam Ruins Everything. That's what got me thinking: is there not a better way?
Maybe there is, but I can't think of one. The fact is "People Like You" are probably more intelligent than the average population. A cause doesn't need the top 10% to get done. It needs the average 51% of which many care more about what they feel than objective facts.
Yes, some climate change and evolution deniers have what seems like a very scientific approach, but that's because they're playing both sides. They want to appeal to you AND the people who react more to emotional appeal. If they have a method to convince someone more intelectual, why wouldn't they?
This is ultimately what I feel needs to happen too. Of course the hard facts need to be shown, but that doesn't negate the need for mass appeal. While my intelligent friends support climate change on the merits of the evidence, most of the people I know tend to repeat talking points about what we leave to our children. They only speak and listen to the level of their understanding, just as you do when you find a more fact-based argument.
That all said, I absolutely think we need to all fight the spread of misinformation. I don't condone lying, but I think this method of framing things more emotionally is the only way to get through to the majority of the population.