A friend I grew up with, like my best friend, is an alcoholic who's been pretty depressed and in the dumps since he spent a year in jail. His nihilism, substance abuse, and the internet have at times led him to lean into reactionary takes. I pretty much would call him out everytime some slur slipped or he alluded to some reactionary position. I could tell that he really didn't care if I would get angry and tell him to fuck off. Eventually I took up a different strategy. I would remind him of the things he does care about, and of how he cares about people. He's weird because on the one hand he would say some bigoted shit, on the other he would get viscerally angry if other people would do the same, especially in public and in a way to harm or alienate someone else. Like he would be comfortable with saying a slur used against gay people, but if he saw someone do that and in front of a gay person, he would flip. So I remind him of his heart, how he cares about the vulnerable and the socially junk-piled, how he roots for the underdog. This has taken years and many many conversations, but he has sincerely changed. He decided to make a better attempt at creating positive meaning, as far as others are concerned, in the face of his meaninglessness. He is still an intense alcoholic, but even in this state he was able to challenge his baser and uninterrogated instincts and make positive changes. But yeah, most people don't and it's much easier not to. I only didn't give up because we were so close and it really seemed like his time in jail figured do heavily in his behavior/disposition