Being poorly educated is a part of the problem. But if you want to convince the people, which are believing in such crap, you have to get and convince them on another level.
We as engineers are used to use logic, rationalism, physics etc. We have learned this and we can deal with it.
But try to understand hom people are thinking, which do not have these skills and/or education.
First, we have to admit, that all humans are very good at pattern recognition. this helped mankind to survive in a hostile enviroment.
Example: someone spotted an unusual movement of some grass, it could be, that the reason for this is a predator hiding in it,
therefore: run. This saved many lifes. So, people learnt over time to watch all kinds of patterns and are becoming very good in this skill.
And since the human brain is that powerful, this technique has been transferred to other parts of human life.
But the price for this are false positives. On the other hand, from an evolutionary point of view: better safe than sorry.
Second: humans are very bad at (statistical) probabilities.
Example: lots of people are gambling lottery.
Third: people tend to simplify things, even the complex ones which are ahrd to understand.
Example: all this sensational bullshit newspapers like "The Sun", "Bildzeitung" etc.
People like it, if somebody is explaining them the world in a black and white manner with big letters on the first page.
Today, we are living in a very complex world with lots of different requirements. The future is looking frightening and one as a person might feel overstrained and powerless.
If now somebody is coming like Mr. Steele and offers simple explanation and what one can do about this, this would be easily accepted.
My conclusion about all my scatterbrained statements
is:
We have to convince people on an emotional level. It is worthless to present mathematics, physics, diagrams whatever to this group. They would not listen, nor understand.
But if one is using pictures, easy to understand examples which may be ideally connected to their daily life experiences, then there is a chance, that they will listen to you and perhaps start kind of thinking.
I tried once to explain to some people, what it's all about the 1/r² law and the RF power per area. You know, the critic of all this mobile RF are using huge numbers, e.g. 10000µW/m² or so but all what would be recognized is the number of 10000.
I showed them a cube with a side length of 10cm and explained, that it containes 1 million mini cubes with a side length of 1mm. And then I said:
"Let's assume, that in 1m distance from the antenna we are having 1 million µW/m². This is our cube here and in 10m distance, we are having now 10000µW/m² which is now represented by these 10 cubes with a side length of 1cm.
I was nearly able to see how their brains worked on this and some persons I could see a "click".
What I'm trying to say, is: we as engineers are in responsibility to explain these things in a manner, which picks up the people from where they are, humble and with no attitudes of arrogance or elitism.
And of course we have to make it hard for people such as Mr. Steele to spread his misinformation.
P.S.
Sorry, if all this may come in a weird and disruptive manner, but I hope, that you'll catch the idea.