"I thought I could change minds."
Oh dude, it's a herculean effort, and it almost requires a masters in psychology and a doctorate in patience.
The amount of time it takes to unpack the load of horseshit that constantly spews from their mouths, is longer than it would take you to actually discuss the subject in question with a sane person.
So from the moment you even bring it up, you're being dragged away from what you actually wanted to say to them. They'll find these avenues constantly, with or without you acquiescing to their new tangent.
Wish more people realized this