Are you putting all your friends through a political-purity test right now?

[Anonymous]

I absolutely hate MAGA.

But the inability of the sanctimonious anti-MAGA resistance that lives in their own echo chamber and can’t grasp how they’re a massive part of the problem is astounding and makes me very concerned about where things are headed. Because there’s no opposition that is actually pragmatic. You just scream nazi. Instead of nominating candidates at all level of government who are pragmatic and there to win elections and defend democracy, you still vote for social justice warriors who’s single issue is trans stuff.

Until the opposition actually wins elections, the rest of it is just an academic exercise.

Focus on winning not on what your friends think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not friends with Nazis so no.

DP.

Loathe Trump, but just don’t understand this POV.

Obviously, the vast majority of Trump supporters are neither Nazis nor anything approaching Naxis.

So what exactly do you hope to accomplish with your disdain and invective?

Seems to me it’s just emotive venting, and almost certainly counterproductive.

My advice to everyone who doesn’t like what’s happening: grow the eff up and have conversations with people.

You have to live with them one way or another.

They are enabling racism so…

The entirety of human history on every continent has involved tribalism, racism, and xenophobia. It was quasi-hidden away for 50 or so years and suddenly you’re so shocked that you can’t even be in the same company as someone who “enables” racism? There are plenty of black, white, Japanese, European, Australian, Indian, middle eastern racists - but for some reason you draw the line at the MAGA racists.

Racism exists, you have to learn how to navigate it not just put yourself in a bubble where you can pretend that part of society has evolved past it. Given the opportunity literally any group will use identity to coalesce one group against another - thousands of years of human history teaches us that.

Karen is feeling left out and is throwing all the mental gymnastics at the wall that she can think of to see what sticks. I think I'll take the advice of MLK Jr. over any white moderate:

I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of my relatives are liberals and have supported racist policies for years like affirmative action/DEI. I always viewed their allegiance to their party and liberal issues as some sort of deficiency, but never considered it a moral issue because I felt like they were all hoodwinked or bamboozled. It wasn't about morals because they honestly believed they were doing the right thing.

The difference with MAGA is that the intellectual laziness is VERY deep and it permeates every single issue. I mean, it's like eveything they talk about is a lie or gross exaggeration or massive over simplification of a complex issue. My co-workers, whom I've worked with for over 20 years, are 95% republican and a vast majority had honor and integrity. It's mind boggling to think that once Trump came on the scene, they started repeating lie after lie. Anyone who attempts to show that their comments aren't true is considered the enemy. I don't even know what to call it? Extremism? Brainwashing?

Seems like brainwashing.

Lessening the disparate impact for one group does not mean "racism" for another.

At the expense of others and based on race, absolutely. It's a fact, not opinion.

When the first 148 women enrolled at Princeton in 1964, was that sex discrimination against men?

Not interested in debating with you.

MAGA is kind of like politics (ignorant politics) on steroids. But dealing with anyone who is very partisan or ideological can be very challenging because they tend to be extremely rigid and lack the ability to think critically. They have basically shut down their brain. I really get along fine with liberals and MAGAs that are like this, but the problem is when they are very vocal. And people who are into politics always have a grievance and they feel they are moving things forward by running their big fat mouth.

So, for me, it's all about behavior. You can be dumb as a box of rox and believe in crazy stuff, and we can be friends as long as you know how to behave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely hate MAGA.

But the inability of the sanctimonious anti-MAGA resistance that lives in their own echo chamber and can’t grasp how they’re a massive part of the problem is astounding and makes me very concerned about where things are headed. Because there’s no opposition that is actually pragmatic. You just scream nazi. Instead of nominating candidates at all level of government who are pragmatic and there to win elections and defend democracy, you still vote for social justice warriors who’s single issue is trans stuff.

Until the opposition actually wins elections, the rest of it is just an academic exercise.

Focus on winning not on what your friends think.

This is such nonsense. There isn’t a single Dem candidate I’ve come across who’s single issue of trans stuff. The only ones who focus on trans stuff tonthe exclusion of everything else is RWNJs/MAGA.

So sick of people saying the key to stopping Trump is walking away from defending parents and kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still waiting to hear how the PP thinks we should all “compromise”.

Since this all, you know, our fault.

Gawd, you're insufferable (and I'm on YOUR SIDE).

How should you compromise?

1. Recognize that those with differing political beliefs are not the enemy.

2. Even if they are, recognize that screaming at them or ignoring them will not improve the situation.

3. Attempt to address their concerns in ways that you find reasonable. To take an easy example, race-based affirmative action could be replaced with affirmative action based on economic disadvantage (as many left-leaning scholars have long proposed).

I could give literally 100 more examples, but it's pretty straightforward across the board, with only a few truly irreconcilable positions.

No, you're not on "my side". You're a sht stirring troll who enjoys being a dick.

1. obviously - these are friends & family
2. no sht - we've spent years diplomatically trying to discuss
3. they aren't not interested in having a reasonable discussion based on facts or reason. it's impossible to compromise when we aren't working off the same fundamentals.

Let's hear more of these examples. Your idea that there are a hundred easy "compromises" is ridiculous.

Blaming Trump on the people trying to fight disinformation is ridiculous. Gaslighting, in fact. Trollish sht stirring.

You are 100% missing the point.

I'm not "blaming Trump" on the people trying to fight disinformation.

I'm saying that calling Trump voters "Nazis", cutting them out of your lives, and otherwise excoriating them will make things worse, not better.

And I'm suggesting that we focus on how to solve the problem, rather than on how the problem makes you feel.

You know, grown up stuff.

There is zero benefit to include MAGAs in our lives. Engaging with them is not the solution. Been there, done that. You cannot change people who don't want to change.

This poster is blaming Trump on them:
"A lot of people have never learned the art of compromise which is why we are in the situation we are in. It's all or nothing for them."

Still waiting to hear what are the "compromises" on fascism and bigotry.

Read the science on extremism posted above. Simply put, you're wrong.

As for compromises, pick a specific topic and I'll be very glad to provide a suggestion.

Again, been there, done that. You cannot change people who don't want to change. We literally tried for years.

How do you compromise on:
Blaming helicopter/plane crash on "DEI".
Removing transgender from passports.
Removing checks and balances in the government.
Destabilizing the government with DOGE/FORK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely hate MAGA.

But the inability of the sanctimonious anti-MAGA resistance that lives in their own echo chamber and can’t grasp how they’re a massive part of the problem is astounding and makes me very concerned about where things are headed. Because there’s no opposition that is actually pragmatic. You just scream nazi. Instead of nominating candidates at all level of government who are pragmatic and there to win elections and defend democracy, you still vote for social justice warriors who’s single issue is trans stuff.

Until the opposition actually wins elections, the rest of it is just an academic exercise.

Focus on winning not on what your friends think.

What has happened (unfortunately) in American politics is the rise of the cult political identity. This has happened to the right (MAGA) and the left (trans/Palestine). They are impervious to facts, they view anything who doesn’t strictly adhere to their cult beliefs as evil, and they are absolutely unable to compromise. Weirdly, the Republicans have been more flexible recently than a lot of the Democrats, whose purity test has become almost impossibly high, so the Republicans won. But it’s a failure on both sides.

In the cult progressive world, ideological purity on issues like trans rights is more important than winning elections. They’d rather lose than admit that perhaps it’s not right to have high school boys crushing girls on the track in state finals. That had crossed over into the category of religious belief, just like the MAGA weirdos who have pictures of Trump as Jesus or whatever.

Essentially, cultists control the major political parties now. And I don’t know how we recover from that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely hate MAGA.

But the inability of the sanctimonious anti-MAGA resistance that lives in their own echo chamber and can’t grasp how they’re a massive part of the problem is astounding and makes me very concerned about where things are headed. Because there’s no opposition that is actually pragmatic. You just scream nazi. Instead of nominating candidates at all level of government who are pragmatic and there to win elections and defend democracy, you still vote for social justice warriors who’s single issue is trans stuff.

Until the opposition actually wins elections, the rest of it is just an academic exercise.

Focus on winning not on what your friends think.

Congrats on pushing RWNJ propaganda.

It's hard to win with a-holes like you pushing misinformation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely hate MAGA.

But the inability of the sanctimonious anti-MAGA resistance that lives in their own echo chamber and can’t grasp how they’re a massive part of the problem is astounding and makes me very concerned about where things are headed. Because there’s no opposition that is actually pragmatic. You just scream nazi. Instead of nominating candidates at all level of government who are pragmatic and there to win elections and defend democracy, you still vote for social justice warriors who’s single issue is trans stuff.

Until the opposition actually wins elections, the rest of it is just an academic exercise.

Focus on winning not on what your friends think.

My friends and I volunteer. We phonebank and door knock and donate. We call our congressmen. We've been working our butts off for 9 years.

Despite this, the American people rejected our ideas. Don't put this on the left. The American people voted for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely hate MAGA.

But the inability of the sanctimonious anti-MAGA resistance that lives in their own echo chamber and can’t grasp how they’re a massive part of the problem is astounding and makes me very concerned about where things are headed. Because there’s no opposition that is actually pragmatic. You just scream nazi. Instead of nominating candidates at all level of government who are pragmatic and there to win elections and defend democracy, you still vote for social justice warriors who’s single issue is trans stuff.

Until the opposition actually wins elections, the rest of it is just an academic exercise.

Focus on winning not on what your friends think.

This is such nonsense. There isn’t a single Dem candidate I’ve come across who’s single issue of trans stuff. The only ones who focus on trans stuff tonthe exclusion of everything else is RWNJs/MAGA.

So sick of people saying the key to stopping Trump is walking away from defending parents and kids.

It was MAGA propaganda that claimed dems were about the “they/thems” and who got all in a tizzy over drag queen library hour or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of my relatives are liberals and have supported racist policies for years like affirmative action/DEI. I always viewed their allegiance to their party and liberal issues as some sort of deficiency, but never considered it a moral issue because I felt like they were all hoodwinked or bamboozled. It wasn't about morals because they honestly believed they were doing the right thing.

The difference with MAGA is that the intellectual laziness is VERY deep and it permeates every single issue. I mean, it's like eveything they talk about is a lie or gross exaggeration or massive over simplification of a complex issue. My co-workers, whom I've worked with for over 20 years, are 95% republican and a vast majority had honor and integrity. It's mind boggling to think that once Trump came on the scene, they started repeating lie after lie. Anyone who attempts to show that their comments aren't true is considered the enemy. I don't even know what to call it? Extremism? Brainwashing?

Seems like brainwashing.

Lessening the disparate impact for one group does not mean "racism" for another.

At the expense of others and based on race, absolutely. It's a fact, not opinion.

When the first 148 women enrolled at Princeton in 1964, was that sex discrimination against men?

Not interested in debating with you.

MAGA is kind of like politics (ignorant politics) on steroids. But dealing with anyone who is very partisan or ideological can be very challenging because they tend to be extremely rigid and lack the ability to think critically. They have basically shut down their brain. I really get along fine with liberals and MAGAs that are like this, but the problem is when they are very vocal. And people who are into politics always have a grievance and they feel they are moving things forward by running their big fat mouth.

So, for me, it's all about behavior. You can be dumb as a box of rox and believe in crazy stuff, and we can be friends as long as you know how to behave.

It's not a hard question:

When the first 148 women enrolled at Princeton in 1964, was that sex discrimination against men?

It was at the "expense" of men.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No need. I’ve never had friends who support fascists.

Same

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely hate MAGA.

But the inability of the sanctimonious anti-MAGA resistance that lives in their own echo chamber and can’t grasp how they’re a massive part of the problem is astounding and makes me very concerned about where things are headed. Because there’s no opposition that is actually pragmatic. You just scream nazi. Instead of nominating candidates at all level of government who are pragmatic and there to win elections and defend democracy, you still vote for social justice warriors who’s single issue is trans stuff.

Until the opposition actually wins elections, the rest of it is just an academic exercise.

Focus on winning not on what your friends think.

This is such nonsense. There isn’t a single Dem candidate I’ve come across who’s single issue of trans stuff. The only ones who focus on trans stuff tonthe exclusion of everything else is RWNJs/MAGA.

So sick of people saying the key to stopping Trump is walking away from defending parents and kids.

+1

It's gaslighting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely hate MAGA.

But the inability of the sanctimonious anti-MAGA resistance that lives in their own echo chamber and can’t grasp how they’re a massive part of the problem is astounding and makes me very concerned about where things are headed. Because there’s no opposition that is actually pragmatic. You just scream nazi. Instead of nominating candidates at all level of government who are pragmatic and there to win elections and defend democracy, you still vote for social justice warriors who’s single issue is trans stuff.

Until the opposition actually wins elections, the rest of it is just an academic exercise.

Focus on winning not on what your friends think.

What has happened (unfortunately) in American politics is the rise of the cult political identity. This has happened to the right (MAGA) and the left (trans/Palestine). They are impervious to facts, they view anything who doesn’t strictly adhere to their cult beliefs as evil, and they are absolutely unable to compromise. Weirdly, the Republicans have been more flexible recently than a lot of the Democrats, whose purity test has become almost impossibly high, so the Republicans won. But it’s a failure on both sides.

In the cult progressive world, ideological purity on issues like trans rights is more important than winning elections. They’d rather lose than admit that perhaps it’s not right to have high school boys crushing girls on the track in state finals. That had crossed over into the category of religious belief, just like the MAGA weirdos who have pictures of Trump as Jesus or whatever.

Essentially, cultists control the major political parties now. And I don’t know how we recover from that.

BoTh SiDeS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely hate MAGA.

But the inability of the sanctimonious anti-MAGA resistance that lives in their own echo chamber and can’t grasp how they’re a massive part of the problem is astounding and makes me very concerned about where things are headed. Because there’s no opposition that is actually pragmatic. You just scream nazi. Instead of nominating candidates at all level of government who are pragmatic and there to win elections and defend democracy, you still vote for social justice warriors who’s single issue is trans stuff.

Until the opposition actually wins elections, the rest of it is just an academic exercise.

Focus on winning not on what your friends think.

My friends and I volunteer. We phonebank and door knock and donate. We call our congressmen. We've been working our butts off for 9 years.

Despite this, the American people rejected our ideas. Don't put this on the left. The American people voted for this.

They voted for a fake narrative.

Misinformation is the enemy here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not friends with Nazis so no.

DP.

Loathe Trump, but just don’t understand this POV.

Obviously, the vast majority of Trump supporters are neither Nazis nor anything approaching Naxis.

So what exactly do you hope to accomplish with your disdain and invective?

Seems to me it’s just emotive venting, and almost certainly counterproductive.

My advice to everyone who doesn’t like what’s happening: grow the eff up and have conversations with people.

You have to live with them one way or another.

They are enabling racism so…

So…how are you/we going to stop them?

By ignoring them? By calling them Nazis?

The only path to making things better is to persuade/compromise.

It’s adulting 101.

Not arguing, seriously asking - how does one compromise on racism? And what I'm seeing here on this post, and what I certainly experience in real life, is that Trumpers really aren't that interested in having conversation. Right here we see people say they change the subject and call it being polite. They aren't interested in learning about the effect these racist policies and practices are having on real life human beings because, well, they're racist and they agree with it. So again, I just wonder, what would a compromise on racism look like, and are we going to run that by Black and Brown communities? Would it pass the sniff test, like could you look at them straight in the eye and tell them you support this so-called compromise on racism? That's my test - could I call up my Black friends and say hey, we have this solved. This is what we're going to do. And stand by it?

Exactly.

I’m originally from Detroit/Dearborn. I didn’t vote for Trump but several black/brown and several neighbors there around my parents did.