Hi. Former Republican here. It may have been ten years ago, but I remember when I had these attitudes.
What changed my mind was finding out that the hateful rhetoric I had been spouting directly applied to me the day I found out I was gay.
To give you a walk through the very rapid shift in my psyche that happened, I went from being the quintessential trad-Christian material that Instagram chuds drool over to… well, me.
I want you to understand one thing, if nothing else; the person I am, the one talking to you right now, was always there. Finding who I was after having it–in some ways literally–beat out of me was a special kind of hell. In fact, from deconversion to decolonization to transitioning, it nearly drove me to kill myself. Because I finally found out how much the world actually hurt when I finally saw the scope of the system I had helped reinforce with the ignorance I had been indoctrinated into. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I would, however, wish it on my best friend.
The other person here was right. Dehumanizing them only drives hatred deeper down into ourselves.
Eventually, these assholes will fade away. Some of them might do some soul-searching and make some personal discoveries, like I did. A majority will probably just wrap up their bigotry and hide it on a shelf, and only take it down and pass it around when they’re around other bigoted ghouls. But never forget, the exact same weaknesses in their brain that led to their awful actions exists in your brain too. We like to think we’re immune to that shit. The fear. The anger. The hatred. That because we hate the haters, we’re better than them. That somehow it makes us morally superior, that we want to commit their own atrocities against them as a kind of poetic justice.
All conflict ends, eventually. It ebbs and it flows, the tide goes in, the tide goes out. Tectonic plates press, and then release the tension after the earthquake. The charge builds up in the cloud until the lightning bolt comes down. The human heart is just as incapable of sustaining so much violence over such a long period of time.
I’m not telling you that you’re wrong to be furious. To be vengeful. To be spiteful. After all, these are the kinds of atrocities that fill history books. They’re the kinds of atrocities that fuel divides that span centuries or more, and spawn more conflict after the water settles.
Just remember. Eventually, you will have to put the sword down. Eventually, whether you think you can or can’t, the violence and the fuel that drives it will disappear. The damage, however, will outlive you. And it will outlive me. And it keeps me up at night, knowing that while I never took part in it, I condoned it and promoted it, even though I’d been conditioned to embrace it since I was born. I was lucky to break out.
Speaking from experience here. They are wrong. They have no idea they’re wrong, because they’re feeling the exact same–and I do mean the exact same–emotion you’re feeling right now, using nearly the exact same moral justification. It’s one of the most bitter glitches in our human psyche. By all means, punch Nazis. But once they decide not to be a Nazi anymore, and actually turn over a new leaf, and disown their past, maybe consider treating them kindly again once they rekindle their humanity.
I get it, you’re burnt out. It’s exhausting fighting fascists and calling out the growth of extreme right wing views for years while no one listens. I’ve been there.
Remove yourself from whatever direct action groups or community organizations you’re a part of. You’ll be no help in changing anyone’s mind or gaining the support you need to get the change you actually want if you continue with your current attitude. Alienating potential allies is not the way to grow a movement.
Look at yourself. You’re saying that 231 million people aren’t people. Do you understand how that looks from a sane perspective? It looks a lot like the folks you’re claiming to not support.
I realize none of this is likely to change your mind, I just keep hearing shit like this and this time it set me off. Sorry about that, have a better day.
Sane? You assume your view is sane. To me, you’re not sane. So, we can toss around what is moral an immoral all day long, but you still only have YOUR OWN OPINION.
The view that evil people are still people? Yes that view is sane. Believing they are something other than human is at best delusional (not sane). At worst it’s an excuse for genocide (also not sane).
Hate who you want to hate, I can’t stop you, but don’t be surprised if you keep getting called out for it.
This is a place filled with leftists and liberals, and not moderate ones either, we are pretty extreme.
And you still got ratio’d by me ffs.
Riddle me this. You get your wish and you wipe out a couple of hundred million Americans. What happens when the next extreme leftist (which I am too) decides actually WhereIsTamara isn’t left enough so we should wipe out their bloodline you’d be down for that yeah?
Or the right wanting to wipe you outdo you support that too as if you don’t then you lack integrity and fuck you for that.
I genuinely try not to be abusive but you sound like a dick head that just needs a slap. So if you ever come to the Uk, hmu as I’d love to give you a slap for being such a dummy.
What room? What ratio? Go back to twitter, child. You’re telling me popular opinion is the right opinion?
The room is a bunch of CENTERs. You clowns think you’re “left,” you think you’re “extreme,” but you’re not willing to do fucking anything.
Come to the UK? Oh Jesus Christ you’re Not even is the US and you’re obsessing over US politics? Oh that’s hilarious. You people couldn’t even stay in the EU, I’m not taking YOUR advice, lmfao.
I would never step foot onto UK soil because it’s EVEN MORE AUTHORITARIAN than the US. Yall just have a few more centuries of mind control than we do.
Children don’t always end up like their parents. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you keep holding onto that viewpoint, you’re as much as a piece of shit as the Magats
often times they are more extreme right than thier parents if thier parents are conservative themselves. it probably depends on factors, like the child believes it at a young age,etc.
Republicans aren’t humans. They are sick disgusting animals.
They can choose another path.
Hi. Former Republican here. It may have been ten years ago, but I remember when I had these attitudes.
What changed my mind was finding out that the hateful rhetoric I had been spouting directly applied to me the day I found out I was gay.
To give you a walk through the very rapid shift in my psyche that happened, I went from being the quintessential trad-Christian material that Instagram chuds drool over to… well, me.
I want you to understand one thing, if nothing else; the person I am, the one talking to you right now, was always there. Finding who I was after having it–in some ways literally–beat out of me was a special kind of hell. In fact, from deconversion to decolonization to transitioning, it nearly drove me to kill myself. Because I finally found out how much the world actually hurt when I finally saw the scope of the system I had helped reinforce with the ignorance I had been indoctrinated into. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I would, however, wish it on my best friend.
The other person here was right. Dehumanizing them only drives hatred deeper down into ourselves.
Eventually, these assholes will fade away. Some of them might do some soul-searching and make some personal discoveries, like I did. A majority will probably just wrap up their bigotry and hide it on a shelf, and only take it down and pass it around when they’re around other bigoted ghouls. But never forget, the exact same weaknesses in their brain that led to their awful actions exists in your brain too. We like to think we’re immune to that shit. The fear. The anger. The hatred. That because we hate the haters, we’re better than them. That somehow it makes us morally superior, that we want to commit their own atrocities against them as a kind of poetic justice.
All conflict ends, eventually. It ebbs and it flows, the tide goes in, the tide goes out. Tectonic plates press, and then release the tension after the earthquake. The charge builds up in the cloud until the lightning bolt comes down. The human heart is just as incapable of sustaining so much violence over such a long period of time.
I’m not telling you that you’re wrong to be furious. To be vengeful. To be spiteful. After all, these are the kinds of atrocities that fill history books. They’re the kinds of atrocities that fuel divides that span centuries or more, and spawn more conflict after the water settles.
Just remember. Eventually, you will have to put the sword down. Eventually, whether you think you can or can’t, the violence and the fuel that drives it will disappear. The damage, however, will outlive you. And it will outlive me. And it keeps me up at night, knowing that while I never took part in it, I condoned it and promoted it, even though I’d been conditioned to embrace it since I was born. I was lucky to break out.
Speaking from experience here. They are wrong. They have no idea they’re wrong, because they’re feeling the exact same–and I do mean the exact same–emotion you’re feeling right now, using nearly the exact same moral justification. It’s one of the most bitter glitches in our human psyche. By all means, punch Nazis. But once they decide not to be a Nazi anymore, and actually turn over a new leaf, and disown their past, maybe consider treating them kindly again once they rekindle their humanity.
So it took you having it happen to you for you to change?
Trash.
Dehumanization is the tool of the enemy.
Republicans are human beings, they’re just ignorant, stupid, or evil. Sick and disgusting animals to be sure, but human nonetheless.
Don’t care anymore. Did you cast a vote in the 2024 presidential election?
If you didn’t, you’re on that list.
I get it, you’re burnt out. It’s exhausting fighting fascists and calling out the growth of extreme right wing views for years while no one listens. I’ve been there.
Remove yourself from whatever direct action groups or community organizations you’re a part of. You’ll be no help in changing anyone’s mind or gaining the support you need to get the change you actually want if you continue with your current attitude. Alienating potential allies is not the way to grow a movement.
Look at yourself. You’re saying that 231 million people aren’t people. Do you understand how that looks from a sane perspective? It looks a lot like the folks you’re claiming to not support.
I realize none of this is likely to change your mind, I just keep hearing shit like this and this time it set me off. Sorry about that, have a better day.
Let them all rot and let their God sort them out.
Sane? You assume your view is sane. To me, you’re not sane. So, we can toss around what is moral an immoral all day long, but you still only have YOUR OWN OPINION.
The view that evil people are still people? Yes that view is sane. Believing they are something other than human is at best delusional (not sane). At worst it’s an excuse for genocide (also not sane).
Hate who you want to hate, I can’t stop you, but don’t be surprised if you keep getting called out for it.
But you aren’t sane. And called out is an opinion. I also don’t care about it. Saying I’m wrong doesn’t make me wrong.
These people should be wiped out. Just my OPINION. Which in very much entitled to, and very much not “wrong”
Are you a Real Housewife?
You are entitled to your genocidal views, but don’t think you’re better than the people you want to murder.
I don’t want innocent people dead. They do. I’m better.
Read the fucking room you clown.
This is a place filled with leftists and liberals, and not moderate ones either, we are pretty extreme.
And you still got ratio’d by me ffs.
Riddle me this. You get your wish and you wipe out a couple of hundred million Americans. What happens when the next extreme leftist (which I am too) decides actually WhereIsTamara isn’t left enough so we should wipe out their bloodline you’d be down for that yeah?
Or the right wanting to wipe you outdo you support that too as if you don’t then you lack integrity and fuck you for that.
I genuinely try not to be abusive but you sound like a dick head that just needs a slap. So if you ever come to the Uk, hmu as I’d love to give you a slap for being such a dummy.
What room? What ratio? Go back to twitter, child. You’re telling me popular opinion is the right opinion?
The room is a bunch of CENTERs. You clowns think you’re “left,” you think you’re “extreme,” but you’re not willing to do fucking anything.
Come to the UK? Oh Jesus Christ you’re Not even is the US and you’re obsessing over US politics? Oh that’s hilarious. You people couldn’t even stay in the EU, I’m not taking YOUR advice, lmfao.
I would never step foot onto UK soil because it’s EVEN MORE AUTHORITARIAN than the US. Yall just have a few more centuries of mind control than we do.
You’re the fucking problem.
And the children?
One could argue you would raise monsters who lack basic empathy for kids, like you.
Don’t care. Like seriously. Cut it off at the source and burn the leaves. End it now.
I was one of those kids. I’m lucky I survived, and even luckier that I had the chance to change my attitudes.
Speaking from that experience, they deserve the same chance that I had.
You’re in a small percentage.
Children don’t always end up like their parents. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you keep holding onto that viewpoint, you’re as much as a piece of shit as the Magats
I guess I’m a piece of shit then. Sorry not sorry.
You do you
You enjoy your time pretending this is going to get better in your lifetime.
often times they are more extreme right than thier parents if thier parents are conservative themselves. it probably depends on factors, like the child believes it at a young age,etc.