I was STUNNED to see A PSYCHIATRIST recommend such lunacy. That makes me embarrassed to be a head shrinker by trade. No surprise it’s coming out of Yale. Yale has produced some real dingalings. I have several family members who had a bit of TDS last time; this election I absolutely will not gloat, and in fact am being open so they will feel ok to vent. I have checked on friends who really flipped out. Politics has no place beyond my own room. Shame on Yale if they keep this lunatic on staff.
Amen! This happened in 2016 and it's sad to see it happening again. Politics is important but it isn't EVERYTHING. Life goes on, and we're stronger and healthier as a society when we maintain relationships across lines of difference...the alternative is that every single person becomes an ideologically pure island unto themselves.
To be fair, nothing is EVERYTHING. If it is important to an individual who are we to tell them they cannot break up a relationship based on that. My vote is an expression of my values. How I see the world. I'm a leftist and have close Trumpists friends but I can't tell people how to run their relationship.
"A blueprint for losers, by losers" should have been a Dem bumper sticker!
Isolating from family members isn't going to change their minds; you've got to engage from a position of genuine curiosity and understand their decisions with an open mind. Only then can you not only give them facts they might have been missing, you might learn a thing or two about problems your own side has.
It is amazing how far this "PROGRESSIVE" lunacy has gone. I am conservative, retired senior military officer who was opposed to President Obama and President Biden. Yet i did not cut off family members who supported them. These people are really pushing for a new civil war and it is sad.
For what it's worth, most progressives are normal people, just like most conservatives are normal people. We just keep seeing all the craziest ones in traditional and social media because that's apparently what sells.
"But let’s not pretend that all Trump voters are vicious and cruel."
In fact, the vast majority of them are normal people. Just Americans who love their family and friends and want to do the right thing in general. This divisive approach to relations impoverishes anyone who practices it.
I can't help but see catastrophizing as the core of this issue. I despise Trump for what he tried to do in 2020, but his election is not the end of the world. My feelings for the people I love who voted for him have not changed one iota: I still love them all. I don't punish the people I love for doing what they think is best for their communities and country. I'm significantly more like to talk with them about it -- sometimes even argue -- but when the argument is over, it's over, and we're still friends, still family.
I will not be sorry for drawing the line at sexual assault, he's been convicted of it with almost a dozen other women with similar claims. Trump is an unapologetic and spiteful about it, and those willing to overlook this really bother me. I have friends who have been assaulted and abused and I did not hesitate to cut out those who tried to make excuses for their perpetrator. Why do I have to be the considerate and caring one, working to psychologically unravel why someone is ok supporting and voting for someone like this? Please explain.
He was never convicted of sexual assault. He’d be in jail if he were. He was charged with defamation. Whatever that means. You are being propagandized. So are many of my relatives. Yet we all get along anyway.
You're right he hasn't been convicted, but he is on tape admitting such and the findings of the court case are that he did in fact commit sexual assault. It's just wasn't a criminal conviction.
He never said anything on tape and sexual assault is always criminal, so this idea that he raped her but it wasn't criminal is bunk. What Dems probably did was rename an insult as "sexual assault" and then say it wasn't criminally charged because actual sexual assault is a criminal act in all 50 states. You are being lied to. Please open your eyes. Nothing you say is based in reality or even makes sense.
He said how he kisses women without asking for permission (that counts as sexual assault). He grabs women by the p*ssy and though he claims they let you, others have confirmed they did not LET him.
Trump was also found liable of sexual abuse, having to pay 5 million dollars. But to be fair, the jury did not find him guilty of the more serious charge of rape.
Now, given all this evidence and his own words, I think it is very likely that the man is a rapist. You think it is more likely that all these women are lying or something even though false accusations, as best we know, are actually a rarity.
This is my issue. These men would rather cover their ears and eyes to the obvious evidence. I'm tired of being told I'm overreacting. I have friends who haven't come forward in cases of rape/assault because we know of others who went through the criminal justice system and were embarrassed, ridiculed and spit out the other side for men like these to tell them if they were actually assaulted why was the guy not charged? So atp they've forced me to draw a line. Thank you for sharing the obvious under my post but I think we both come to realize this is a waste of time.
He was never even charged with sexual assault as far as I know. I speculate, based on various accounts and his own statements that he has committed sexual assault, and on that basis alone I'd be very unlikely to vote for him in any circumstance.
I did, however, vote for Bill Clinton, who also appears to have a pretty shady history with his treatment of women. If I'd known about all of this history, I wouldn't have.
I'm not trying to make excuses, but if you want to get technical, he settled a civil trial, wasn't convicted in a criminal trial. And you know, anti war was a more important reason to me. My point was, if i would've known i was going to lose a friend, a great one in fact, i would've voted for Taylor swift. But how was i to know she was going to freak out? We were fine the day before
There is definitely a male vs female thing going on here. Many have pointed out the clear male vs female divide in the democrat vs republican party, but not enough people have really studied it. At first i was going to just comment and say these hateful women just need hugs and kisses and someone to tell them they love them, that is part of the solution, but this really is about women beginning to reckon with how they deal with the new powers theyve achieved. Women now hold positions of power in government and on news media channels, but in order for them to keep that power they need men. When men are not part of that equation, they start sounding like these women on The View. This is not a show for a male audience. Its a show for single elderly women sitting at home. I could try and psychoanalyze them but i dont think thats necessary. The only thing we need to prove its a male vs female problem is the demographics about the shows viewership which ive posted below. They hate men because we arent their audience. And the democratic party also attacked men on a regular basis in the same way as these women. Very similar outcomes. In summary, theyre sexist towards men. Here are Pew Research numbers showing MSNBC is 62% female, but i have suspicions that the number is much larger than that. Also, it shows elderly women watching daytime shows like The View. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2012/09/27/section-4-demographics-and-political-views-of-news-audiences/
I like the way you pointed out how both sides have done the fear mongering and how we need not to alienate families or friends just for voting one way or another. I think there is so much more to unpack regarding that. For example divorce. For example, in Texas there’s a big push to end no fault divorces. And while yes divorce is here to stay but states like Texas are pushing this issue further right rather than it staying as is or more progressive, if that could be possible. There is concern to what extent this might go.
I think people have a right to stand on their own ground, if voting for Trump is the line, you feel personally, that shouldn’t be crossed and people knew that then go on. Both parties need to deal with their own consequences that come with that. There is also the conversation that is being had where the people that voted for Trump that are being cut off are now saying “let’s work together, there’s no need for this” when all the while they been hooting and hollering the shit Trump spews.
It is a very difficult situation, I am a lesbian and I am married. My wife and I been together for 15 years. We weren’t able to get married for about half the time we been together and in those years we have had to hide and play down our relationship. Then when we had marriage equality and felt like we could finally see the progress & breath a bit and then now we see things backsliding . We wonder how much ?
So I understand why people would cut fam off.
It isn’t easy, I for one, have not done this.. but If u make one side or the other ur whole personality, which is what I see here a lot in Texas with MAGA then see urself out from my presence if that is ur whole personality I have no room for bots. That’s goes whether u r in either camp
I think in certain circumstances it was probably fat that needed trimming any way .. which it was probably heading to have them being cut off either way … the election was just icing on the cake .. 🤷🏻♀️ that’s how I see it .
The there’s this aspect of it: how are you supposed to win people over to your side if you refuge to engage peacefully? It’s the same way so many on the Far Left are now abandoning X for their own BlueSky echo chamber. That gets people about as far as name-calling does: that is, nowhere.
All this will do to the Democratic Party is guarantee them another L, and another L, and another L. As someone who leans Right…hey, I guess we’ll stack up those W’s. But it’s a sad way to do debate, and it’s a loser’s mentality. If anyone on the Right had suggested this during the Obama or Biden years, the Left would have mocked them relentlessly. It’s another example of political hypocrisy and “team sports.”
I hope the Democrats get their act together. Even being right of center, I acknowledge there are more than a few things they do better than us. But we’ll sadly never unify on those things if all we do is cut off differing opinions.
Everyone has to do what's best for them. I mean, why does someone have to be immediately open and understanding for another who voted for Trump, but we don't have to be open and understanding for people who are not yet ready to engage? While there may be some people who voted for Trump and are unaware that he's an unapologetic rapist (who surrounds himself with unapologetic perpetrators and enablers of rapes, pedophilia, sexual assaults, and sexual abuse), he believes immigrants are poisoning the blood of America, and that he has asserted plans to weaken protections for the LGBTQIA2S+ community; I tend to think most are aware. Am I cutting off family or loved ones? Not right now. Am I extraordinarily hurt and triggered? Fuck yes, I am, so I plan to lay low for a while; not talk about politics with people I care about who likely voted for Trump; give myself time to address these concerns with people I hold dear; and try my hardest to even step out of my front door with the previously diagnosed Complex-PTSD from over three decades of all manners of rapes, pedophilia, sexual assaults, and sexual abuse I have survived and the paralyzing fear (not just for myself) that Trump's win will likely encourage others to follow his and his cronies lead. All I'm trying to say is you never know what someone else is going through, or why people are having the reactions they're having. My story is, unfortunately, not necessarily unique, so coming from a place lacking empathy and resorting to name-calling might not be the best choice for any of us to make.
I had said several years ago that the LGBT community was being used as pawns by both parties to further a divide and that THEY would suffer terribly as time goes by. When a marginalized community is suddenly propped up there’s often another agenda. I saw it with addicts during my career in addiction. I do feel like I know why “they” want us at odds and use fear mongering tactics; it makes “us” easier to control. And sadly the kind of rhetoric I’ve seen from both “sides” has been damaging. I hope you continue to heal from the things you have endured. I like what you wrote about the reminder that we don’t know what others have dealt with, and I add being kind to each other is a great antidote.
I disagree. I don't think they purposely want to divide us especially since I see people on the streets AND people on TV talk similarly about this stuff. If we are treating people as autonomous human beings with their own minds, it's dehumanizing to chalk it up to them being brainwashed. People sincerely have these beliefs about identity, LGBTQ issues and the like. The problem is HOW they talk about it. We should be able to express our opinions on these issues, but in a better way.
Appreciate that viewpoint. There is purpose to elitists and globalists to divide, however. As long as the “common folk” are fighting and confused they (as in the ruling class) will have the smoke and mirrors needed to preserve their status quo. I think - in general, all of us would get along pretty well without the fear mongering. And frankly I think about 98% of us do. Social media relies on time and attention; the most basic human emotion that maximizes that is anger. I’ve often repeated what a dear friend states often; humans are not evolved for social media.
Can you name the elites and the globalists? As far as I know, it's Russian and Elon who have been caught expressly doing this. In the 2016 election, for instance, it was proved that Russian actors set up BLM Facebook pages to divide the left.
Doesn't independent media mislead also? I think having a comprehensive plan to divide the public would require more than just being misleading. Obviously, some news stations have a bias one way and the other stations have it another. For instance, FOX News is obviously right wing and the dominion case against them revealed deliberate deception on their part to push a narrative. However, there was no evidence that they were just trying to "divide" for the heck of it. They were pushing a narrative to keep Republicans in power.
It’s astonishing how much of this attitude is coming out on social media. It’s a wrong headed supremacy stance that is frankly, psycho. Another way to keep us fighting amongst ourselves. We’ve forgotten the simple golden rule of treating others as we would like to be treated. Respect rather than rejection.
Family is sometimes the only ones we can rely on. Life is hard. Breaking relationships so flippantly won’t bode well for our collective future.Differences are worth investigating and tolerating as long as they’re supporting progress in society. If we lose our empathy we’re doomed.
I gather from some of the election result facts that Republicans are experts at effective political gaslighting and Democrats just suck at it. The result being that I’ve never once heard anyone give a reason for voting for Trump that wasn’t lame. I have no problem talking to and being cordial with anyone even if I think they have lost their minds.
But wouldn't you agree that I have a right to be upset that people in my life know he has been convicted of sexual assault, with almost a dozen other women with similar claims? Ignoring 'politics' or 'policy'. I feel like I have to draw a line, and it can still be done in love. I have friends who were assaulted/abused and I would never argue on behalf of their perpetrator and continue relationships with anyone defending them. Why do I have to also be the caring and considerate one on this when Trump, and in extension those who continue to deny and not care about our humanity?
DogLover, that's not your call. People are allowed to judge you by your actions. ALL of your actions. Why should voting be the ONLY action that doesn't get judged?
If a 13-16yo kid ‘consented’ to a sexual relationship with an adult 10-20 years their senior, we would all agree that is sexual abuse and the kid is not old enough to consent to that. Yet a huge portion of the country believes that same kid can legally give informed consent to life altering medicine and surgery that will sterilize them and take away any chance of future sexual pleasure.
But somehow, the narrative has been created that to be against such things you’re a bigot. And if you were to vote for someone who is against that, you’re supporting actual rape. Let’s not even get into the number of incarcerated women who have been sexually assaulted because they were forced to share a cell with a biological man.
What does it say about our country that the candidate who is a sexual abuser is the only one standing up for two of the most vulnerable populations…who coincidentally enough can not vote themselves due to age and felony status.
I am quite active in the abuse advocate world and find myself quite lonely. Too liberal for the conservative Christians who don’t believe abuse happens and that Trump can do no wrong….and too conservative for the left wing groups who think Trump can do no right and the only people who would vote for Trump are abusive mini hitlers themselves.
I can understand why people would vote for Harris, 3rd party, or for Trump even if I wouldn’t make that choice. What I don’t understand is the demonizing of those who make different choices.
I think the issue is that these people think he's Hitler. Many conservatives have postulated that if you really think Trump is Hitler, it's perfectly logical to try to assassinate him (IT ISN'T!). However, if you truly think your significant other VOTED for Hitler, OF COURSE, you would divorce him. OF COURSE, you would prepare for the Third Reich rising from the ashes of Western Suburbia by sterilizing yourself. And OF COURSE, you wouldn't date because, according to voting demographics, you'd be a coin flip away from dating Joseph Stalin. You're not going to be like "Oh, yeah, I'm dating a guy who voted the concentration camps, but he says it was just to lower the marginal tax rate, so it's all good." Nah, if you think someone voted for Hitler, the Marcotte lady sounds pretty logical. So, anyone in that frame of mind probably won't listen to your advice.
But back in the real world, what if a Trump supporter is dating someone whose best friend is an undocumented immigrant? Yes, I know the meme about Obama being Deporter in Chief, but his followers weren't gleefully waving an ocean of signs that said "Mass Deportation". I can realistically see that breaking up a friendship or even a marriage. As for me, I have a couple of friends who voted Trump. It didn't change anything.
I was STUNNED to see A PSYCHIATRIST recommend such lunacy. That makes me embarrassed to be a head shrinker by trade. No surprise it’s coming out of Yale. Yale has produced some real dingalings. I have several family members who had a bit of TDS last time; this election I absolutely will not gloat, and in fact am being open so they will feel ok to vent. I have checked on friends who really flipped out. Politics has no place beyond my own room. Shame on Yale if they keep this lunatic on staff.
Amen! This happened in 2016 and it's sad to see it happening again. Politics is important but it isn't EVERYTHING. Life goes on, and we're stronger and healthier as a society when we maintain relationships across lines of difference...the alternative is that every single person becomes an ideologically pure island unto themselves.
To be fair, nothing is EVERYTHING. If it is important to an individual who are we to tell them they cannot break up a relationship based on that. My vote is an expression of my values. How I see the world. I'm a leftist and have close Trumpists friends but I can't tell people how to run their relationship.
"A blueprint for losers, by losers" should have been a Dem bumper sticker!
Isolating from family members isn't going to change their minds; you've got to engage from a position of genuine curiosity and understand their decisions with an open mind. Only then can you not only give them facts they might have been missing, you might learn a thing or two about problems your own side has.
Friends come and go, but family is for life.
It is amazing how far this "PROGRESSIVE" lunacy has gone. I am conservative, retired senior military officer who was opposed to President Obama and President Biden. Yet i did not cut off family members who supported them. These people are really pushing for a new civil war and it is sad.
For what it's worth, most progressives are normal people, just like most conservatives are normal people. We just keep seeing all the craziest ones in traditional and social media because that's apparently what sells.
Agree
Wokeness is a mind virus!
"But let’s not pretend that all Trump voters are vicious and cruel."
In fact, the vast majority of them are normal people. Just Americans who love their family and friends and want to do the right thing in general. This divisive approach to relations impoverishes anyone who practices it.
I can't help but see catastrophizing as the core of this issue. I despise Trump for what he tried to do in 2020, but his election is not the end of the world. My feelings for the people I love who voted for him have not changed one iota: I still love them all. I don't punish the people I love for doing what they think is best for their communities and country. I'm significantly more like to talk with them about it -- sometimes even argue -- but when the argument is over, it's over, and we're still friends, still family.
PS / new subscriber and glad to be here
I will not be sorry for drawing the line at sexual assault, he's been convicted of it with almost a dozen other women with similar claims. Trump is an unapologetic and spiteful about it, and those willing to overlook this really bother me. I have friends who have been assaulted and abused and I did not hesitate to cut out those who tried to make excuses for their perpetrator. Why do I have to be the considerate and caring one, working to psychologically unravel why someone is ok supporting and voting for someone like this? Please explain.
He was never convicted of sexual assault. He’d be in jail if he were. He was charged with defamation. Whatever that means. You are being propagandized. So are many of my relatives. Yet we all get along anyway.
You're right he hasn't been convicted, but he is on tape admitting such and the findings of the court case are that he did in fact commit sexual assault. It's just wasn't a criminal conviction.
He never said anything on tape and sexual assault is always criminal, so this idea that he raped her but it wasn't criminal is bunk. What Dems probably did was rename an insult as "sexual assault" and then say it wasn't criminally charged because actual sexual assault is a criminal act in all 50 states. You are being lied to. Please open your eyes. Nothing you say is based in reality or even makes sense.
He said how he kisses women without asking for permission (that counts as sexual assault). He grabs women by the p*ssy and though he claims they let you, others have confirmed they did not LET him.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/25/stacey-williams-trump-epstein
Trump was also found liable of sexual abuse, having to pay 5 million dollars. But to be fair, the jury did not find him guilty of the more serious charge of rape.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-rape-carroll-trial-fe68259a4b98bb3947d42af9ec83d7db
Furthermore, Trump has had more than a dozen accusers come forward.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/list-trumps-accusers-allegations-sexual-misconduct/story?id=51956410
Now, given all this evidence and his own words, I think it is very likely that the man is a rapist. You think it is more likely that all these women are lying or something even though false accusations, as best we know, are actually a rarity.
This is my issue. These men would rather cover their ears and eyes to the obvious evidence. I'm tired of being told I'm overreacting. I have friends who haven't come forward in cases of rape/assault because we know of others who went through the criminal justice system and were embarrassed, ridiculed and spit out the other side for men like these to tell them if they were actually assaulted why was the guy not charged? So atp they've forced me to draw a line. Thank you for sharing the obvious under my post but I think we both come to realize this is a waste of time.
He was never even charged with sexual assault as far as I know. I speculate, based on various accounts and his own statements that he has committed sexual assault, and on that basis alone I'd be very unlikely to vote for him in any circumstance.
I did, however, vote for Bill Clinton, who also appears to have a pretty shady history with his treatment of women. If I'd known about all of this history, I wouldn't have.
I'm not trying to make excuses, but if you want to get technical, he settled a civil trial, wasn't convicted in a criminal trial. And you know, anti war was a more important reason to me. My point was, if i would've known i was going to lose a friend, a great one in fact, i would've voted for Taylor swift. But how was i to know she was going to freak out? We were fine the day before
There is definitely a male vs female thing going on here. Many have pointed out the clear male vs female divide in the democrat vs republican party, but not enough people have really studied it. At first i was going to just comment and say these hateful women just need hugs and kisses and someone to tell them they love them, that is part of the solution, but this really is about women beginning to reckon with how they deal with the new powers theyve achieved. Women now hold positions of power in government and on news media channels, but in order for them to keep that power they need men. When men are not part of that equation, they start sounding like these women on The View. This is not a show for a male audience. Its a show for single elderly women sitting at home. I could try and psychoanalyze them but i dont think thats necessary. The only thing we need to prove its a male vs female problem is the demographics about the shows viewership which ive posted below. They hate men because we arent their audience. And the democratic party also attacked men on a regular basis in the same way as these women. Very similar outcomes. In summary, theyre sexist towards men. Here are Pew Research numbers showing MSNBC is 62% female, but i have suspicions that the number is much larger than that. Also, it shows elderly women watching daytime shows like The View. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2012/09/27/section-4-demographics-and-political-views-of-news-audiences/
I like the way you pointed out how both sides have done the fear mongering and how we need not to alienate families or friends just for voting one way or another. I think there is so much more to unpack regarding that. For example divorce. For example, in Texas there’s a big push to end no fault divorces. And while yes divorce is here to stay but states like Texas are pushing this issue further right rather than it staying as is or more progressive, if that could be possible. There is concern to what extent this might go.
I think people have a right to stand on their own ground, if voting for Trump is the line, you feel personally, that shouldn’t be crossed and people knew that then go on. Both parties need to deal with their own consequences that come with that. There is also the conversation that is being had where the people that voted for Trump that are being cut off are now saying “let’s work together, there’s no need for this” when all the while they been hooting and hollering the shit Trump spews.
It is a very difficult situation, I am a lesbian and I am married. My wife and I been together for 15 years. We weren’t able to get married for about half the time we been together and in those years we have had to hide and play down our relationship. Then when we had marriage equality and felt like we could finally see the progress & breath a bit and then now we see things backsliding . We wonder how much ?
So I understand why people would cut fam off.
It isn’t easy, I for one, have not done this.. but If u make one side or the other ur whole personality, which is what I see here a lot in Texas with MAGA then see urself out from my presence if that is ur whole personality I have no room for bots. That’s goes whether u r in either camp
I think in certain circumstances it was probably fat that needed trimming any way .. which it was probably heading to have them being cut off either way … the election was just icing on the cake .. 🤷🏻♀️ that’s how I see it .
The there’s this aspect of it: how are you supposed to win people over to your side if you refuge to engage peacefully? It’s the same way so many on the Far Left are now abandoning X for their own BlueSky echo chamber. That gets people about as far as name-calling does: that is, nowhere.
All this will do to the Democratic Party is guarantee them another L, and another L, and another L. As someone who leans Right…hey, I guess we’ll stack up those W’s. But it’s a sad way to do debate, and it’s a loser’s mentality. If anyone on the Right had suggested this during the Obama or Biden years, the Left would have mocked them relentlessly. It’s another example of political hypocrisy and “team sports.”
I hope the Democrats get their act together. Even being right of center, I acknowledge there are more than a few things they do better than us. But we’ll sadly never unify on those things if all we do is cut off differing opinions.
Everyone has to do what's best for them. I mean, why does someone have to be immediately open and understanding for another who voted for Trump, but we don't have to be open and understanding for people who are not yet ready to engage? While there may be some people who voted for Trump and are unaware that he's an unapologetic rapist (who surrounds himself with unapologetic perpetrators and enablers of rapes, pedophilia, sexual assaults, and sexual abuse), he believes immigrants are poisoning the blood of America, and that he has asserted plans to weaken protections for the LGBTQIA2S+ community; I tend to think most are aware. Am I cutting off family or loved ones? Not right now. Am I extraordinarily hurt and triggered? Fuck yes, I am, so I plan to lay low for a while; not talk about politics with people I care about who likely voted for Trump; give myself time to address these concerns with people I hold dear; and try my hardest to even step out of my front door with the previously diagnosed Complex-PTSD from over three decades of all manners of rapes, pedophilia, sexual assaults, and sexual abuse I have survived and the paralyzing fear (not just for myself) that Trump's win will likely encourage others to follow his and his cronies lead. All I'm trying to say is you never know what someone else is going through, or why people are having the reactions they're having. My story is, unfortunately, not necessarily unique, so coming from a place lacking empathy and resorting to name-calling might not be the best choice for any of us to make.
I had said several years ago that the LGBT community was being used as pawns by both parties to further a divide and that THEY would suffer terribly as time goes by. When a marginalized community is suddenly propped up there’s often another agenda. I saw it with addicts during my career in addiction. I do feel like I know why “they” want us at odds and use fear mongering tactics; it makes “us” easier to control. And sadly the kind of rhetoric I’ve seen from both “sides” has been damaging. I hope you continue to heal from the things you have endured. I like what you wrote about the reminder that we don’t know what others have dealt with, and I add being kind to each other is a great antidote.
I disagree. I don't think they purposely want to divide us especially since I see people on the streets AND people on TV talk similarly about this stuff. If we are treating people as autonomous human beings with their own minds, it's dehumanizing to chalk it up to them being brainwashed. People sincerely have these beliefs about identity, LGBTQ issues and the like. The problem is HOW they talk about it. We should be able to express our opinions on these issues, but in a better way.
Appreciate that viewpoint. There is purpose to elitists and globalists to divide, however. As long as the “common folk” are fighting and confused they (as in the ruling class) will have the smoke and mirrors needed to preserve their status quo. I think - in general, all of us would get along pretty well without the fear mongering. And frankly I think about 98% of us do. Social media relies on time and attention; the most basic human emotion that maximizes that is anger. I’ve often repeated what a dear friend states often; humans are not evolved for social media.
Can you name the elites and the globalists? As far as I know, it's Russian and Elon who have been caught expressly doing this. In the 2016 election, for instance, it was proved that Russian actors set up BLM Facebook pages to divide the left.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_2016_United_States_elections#:~:text=Watts%20found%20Russian%20propaganda%20to,trolls%2C%20botnets%2C%20and%20websites.
More recently, an Elon-linked PAC has been credibly accused of trying to divide the left over Gaza and other issues.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/04/election-musk-pac-michigan-ads-israel-gaza
Is this what you're talking about?
Mostly mainstream media. It’s very tough bc they ALL mislead.
Doesn't independent media mislead also? I think having a comprehensive plan to divide the public would require more than just being misleading. Obviously, some news stations have a bias one way and the other stations have it another. For instance, FOX News is obviously right wing and the dominion case against them revealed deliberate deception on their part to push a narrative. However, there was no evidence that they were just trying to "divide" for the heck of it. They were pushing a narrative to keep Republicans in power.
You are absolutely right that the rhetoric on both sides is purposefully damaging. Thank you. ♥️
It’s astonishing how much of this attitude is coming out on social media. It’s a wrong headed supremacy stance that is frankly, psycho. Another way to keep us fighting amongst ourselves. We’ve forgotten the simple golden rule of treating others as we would like to be treated. Respect rather than rejection.
Family is sometimes the only ones we can rely on. Life is hard. Breaking relationships so flippantly won’t bode well for our collective future.Differences are worth investigating and tolerating as long as they’re supporting progress in society. If we lose our empathy we’re doomed.
I gather from some of the election result facts that Republicans are experts at effective political gaslighting and Democrats just suck at it. The result being that I’ve never once heard anyone give a reason for voting for Trump that wasn’t lame. I have no problem talking to and being cordial with anyone even if I think they have lost their minds.
“it. The result being that I’ve never once heard anyone give a reason for voting for Trump that wasn’t lame.”
I’ll give you three. Ending wars, free speech and a secure border.
Yeah you sound like a very open minded individual. Lmao
But wouldn't you agree that I have a right to be upset that people in my life know he has been convicted of sexual assault, with almost a dozen other women with similar claims? Ignoring 'politics' or 'policy'. I feel like I have to draw a line, and it can still be done in love. I have friends who were assaulted/abused and I would never argue on behalf of their perpetrator and continue relationships with anyone defending them. Why do I have to also be the caring and considerate one on this when Trump, and in extension those who continue to deny and not care about our humanity?
Trump supporters do care about humanity and rights. That you can’t see that speaks volumes.
DogLover, that's not your call. People are allowed to judge you by your actions. ALL of your actions. Why should voting be the ONLY action that doesn't get judged?
What do you feel is gained when you cut them off? And what is potentially being lost?
If a 13-16yo kid ‘consented’ to a sexual relationship with an adult 10-20 years their senior, we would all agree that is sexual abuse and the kid is not old enough to consent to that. Yet a huge portion of the country believes that same kid can legally give informed consent to life altering medicine and surgery that will sterilize them and take away any chance of future sexual pleasure.
But somehow, the narrative has been created that to be against such things you’re a bigot. And if you were to vote for someone who is against that, you’re supporting actual rape. Let’s not even get into the number of incarcerated women who have been sexually assaulted because they were forced to share a cell with a biological man.
What does it say about our country that the candidate who is a sexual abuser is the only one standing up for two of the most vulnerable populations…who coincidentally enough can not vote themselves due to age and felony status.
I am quite active in the abuse advocate world and find myself quite lonely. Too liberal for the conservative Christians who don’t believe abuse happens and that Trump can do no wrong….and too conservative for the left wing groups who think Trump can do no right and the only people who would vote for Trump are abusive mini hitlers themselves.
I can understand why people would vote for Harris, 3rd party, or for Trump even if I wouldn’t make that choice. What I don’t understand is the demonizing of those who make different choices.
I think the issue is that these people think he's Hitler. Many conservatives have postulated that if you really think Trump is Hitler, it's perfectly logical to try to assassinate him (IT ISN'T!). However, if you truly think your significant other VOTED for Hitler, OF COURSE, you would divorce him. OF COURSE, you would prepare for the Third Reich rising from the ashes of Western Suburbia by sterilizing yourself. And OF COURSE, you wouldn't date because, according to voting demographics, you'd be a coin flip away from dating Joseph Stalin. You're not going to be like "Oh, yeah, I'm dating a guy who voted the concentration camps, but he says it was just to lower the marginal tax rate, so it's all good." Nah, if you think someone voted for Hitler, the Marcotte lady sounds pretty logical. So, anyone in that frame of mind probably won't listen to your advice.
But back in the real world, what if a Trump supporter is dating someone whose best friend is an undocumented immigrant? Yes, I know the meme about Obama being Deporter in Chief, but his followers weren't gleefully waving an ocean of signs that said "Mass Deportation". I can realistically see that breaking up a friendship or even a marriage. As for me, I have a couple of friends who voted Trump. It didn't change anything.