Ask Lemmygrad

Yes we should never stop explaining, but people will only listen if the material conditions provide the incentive.

That's why I said this:

applying theory to give succinct explanations to real-world phenomenons in the neoliberal world anyone would understand

If said material conditions were not present, this would be not only pointless but also nearly impossible. Especially because the contradictions are already sharpening in the West now.

A point I intentionally glossed over because it was largely meant to generalize and apply not only to Westerners, is the labour aristocracy and similar class dynamics. The portion of the working class still far from disillusioned, who have been bought off by working class concesssions from the bourgeoisie derived from imperialist superprofits.

Look at the pension situation in Europe, and France's latest austerity measures, as an example. What happens is that most of them, once this affects them, are captured by reaction instead of revolution, the default under the imperialist capitalist superstructure. This is giving rise to a majority of fascist sympathies once the last liberal has been scratched, which you implied. The tiny organized left in the imperial core, where this happens, is a drop in the ocean as far as "reversing" this entire phenomenon is concerned.

..it is not in my opinion- not a good use of time to debate with reactionaries. Those that can be convinced will sooner be convinced by reality as they have been so far. Those that cannot be convinced will serve to make reality worse (which works in our favor) and ultimately be destroyed as a consequence.

This I won't disagree with, because "debating" with them means to speak on their terms which should be avoided in favour of simply turning the script in your favor if you're forced to be around them in a given situation. Secondly, the good side of this is absolutely that they will accelerate the utter exhaustion of every single attempt at "saving" and "reforming" capitalism until they eventually discover that there's nothing to lose from the current system. Imperialist capitalism has leveraged world wars to "salvage" itself, though, which we shouldn't forget.

That's an interesting approach, efficient way to flip the script and shut down all the propaganda which is exactly meant to DISTRACT from what happens at home.

..and progressive politicians are shot down during takeoff

Indeed, which serves as material proof that achieving socialism within bourgeois electoralism (or "democracy" as it labels itself) is not sustainable because it does not overthrow the ruling class (bourgeoisie) in favor of a new one (proletariat), and instead leverages the tools of the existing ruling class. Makes you think of a certain Allende.. Or those who simply sell out.

When they start doing "enemy country bad" stuff, it's so easy to clown on them for being a dorkass sheep who trusts the government all of a sudden

Nice to hear your perspective and recent journey! The priority, in the end, is not dwelling on "losing" a "debate" with a smug lib, but learning more and more about why they're wrong, from observing world or domestic societal affairs whose class characteristics can put into perspective moving forward, to simply reading theory.

There mere existence triggers me sometimes and their smugness makes my skin crawl.

Exactly what bourgeois media trains them to. Those acquaintances won't be so smug anymore once their beloved Western "democracy" crumbles further, they'll be faced with a choice. And you could impact that if they're people you know well / are close to - even if it won't magically make all libs becomes leftists, obviously.