Is it impossible to communicate with Republicans?

[kentuck]

Especially the ones that supported and still support Donald Trump?

Is there any way to talk with them? Communication is a two-way street but how do you communicate with someone who is so far removed from reality?

If we cannot communicate, where does it end?

They are too dangerous to ignore.

When you have considered someone a friend for many, many years and you find that you can no longer have a conversation with them, it is a depressing matter. I am sure we all know these folks, and some are probably family?

Is there a solution?

[BlueNProud]

1. A few people who have been part of my life are in the rear view mirror

including 2 cousins and my brother. I have nothing to say to them and will not engage.

[Beastly Boy]

2. Scientists keep trying.

https://democraticunderground.com/1016290992

( hat's off to Mahatmakanejeeves)

Not sure it will amount to anything.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

3. Well, if you're young enough that you could make some new family that would be one option

Other than that ... establishing ground rules ... 'no talking politics' sometimes works with some of them, and is worth a try.

AFA actually trying to win them over, if you care ... the approach of just asking questions rather than telling them things is a good strategy, as is getting them to argue with someone other than you personally. 'A person I saw on the news said XYZ ... what would you say to that?'. Make them argue with some third party.

[Girard442]

4. Been wrestling with this myself about my siblings.

It's complicated by the fact that most, if not all of them are hardcore Evangelicals while I'm a lifelong atheist who has never come out to them. (Really, guys. It should be obvious by now.)

I was able to hold it together for many years because I thought we shared many of the same values, if not beliefs.Then came 2016 and Trump. I still think they live their daily lives pretty much they way they always did -- but then again, so did most of the Germans in the 1930s.

I can see the value of keeping communications open. Even the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. had the Hot Line in the depths of the Cold War. Trying to communicate wih people who now inhabit a reality with its own facts and its own logic and every damn thing is a wedge issue is really hard though.

[kentuck]

5. Good analogy!

They are like the "good Germans".

[NewHendoLib]

6. Impossible.

[Voltaire2]

7. Not recently.

And by recent, I mean long before Trump.
And with Trump it got spectacularly worse.

They exist in their own world.

[MOMFUDSKI]

8. Just

Yup

[Crunchy Frog]

9. I've seen some suggestion that the Socratic method might be worth trying.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method

I'd say it might be worth a shot.

[lastlib]

10. Failing that, you'll have to resort....

...to applying dimensional lumber to the top-knot to get through to them.

[Beachnutt]

11. Jim Jones syndrom, they'll die first.

And I have a whole family full of them sadly..

[Thomas Hurt]

12. You can communicate but all you are going to get back is rumor, lies and conspiracy....

[Downtown Hound]

13. Sure. There's just no point.

I keep hearing people talk about the need to find "common ground" with Republicans There is simply no need whatsoever to find common ground with people that pose a threat to your life and well being. Even if you do manage to find common ground on some things, at the end of the day, anything less than a complete and total repudiation of everything the GOP stands for is a waste of time.

There is no common ground without basic respect for human life, rights, (such as our right to vote) and dignity. Until Republicans learn those things, anything we might have common ground on means jack shit.

[doc03]

14. How do you communicate with people that have alternate facts? You can show them government charts,

graphs and news articles and they just write them off as fake news. They do not believe any opposing view.
You can't communicate with them period. Around here if you get a half dozen people together at least 4 are trump supporters.
They all gang up on you and won't let you talk. I dread being around a group of people anymore it never fails the Republicans always
bring up politics. Just this morning one starts on MLB to try and get a rise out of me, I ignored it. Then one brings up gas prices and that Biden shut down all the pipelines. The only pipeline I am aware of him shutting down was the Keystone pipe line that was still under construction not in operation. Try to tell them that.

[Karadeniz]

15. In my experience, they just find excuses.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

16. I think Republicans are mostly bullies.

So many of them appear to "get off" on making others unhappy and insecure. And their own supposed expressions of persecution is often utter BS! So they're liars too, and you can't have a healthy relationship with a liar.

I've only occasionally encountered bullies among liberals. They're often the types who just want freebies, in my experience, not really possessing the sense of fairness that's common among most liberals.

In general, though, it's getting more rare for me to encounter any right-wingers who don't have bullying traits. It seems to be their most defining characteristic to me anymore.

Edit: Of course, it's possible that the ones who are most vocal about their right-wing beliefs will have the strongest bullying traits too. Whereas the non-bullies among them will mostly be quiet about it.

[Sympthsical]

17. I do it just fine

I'm always stymied by posts that assert people can't talk to political opponents. They happen often enough, here and other social media. "I just learned my so-and-so is a Republican, so I unfriended them!" Ok. I mean, keep enjoying that bubble, I guess?

After I moved to my current town a little over a year ago, I realized there was a definite Republican presence. The town is about 66% Democrat, but there are rural areas (it's a big town in geographic area). I made friends with a guy a few blocks over. Nice to hang out with and discuss music with. Total Trump supporter. We still hang out and talk.

Sometimes we alight on political topics - not too often, but enough. He states his thing, I state mine. Then we go back to talking about other things.

I never understand what the massive difficulty is in having discussion with people of different beliefs. I don't think I'm somehow especially gifted in the art of getting along with people.

Discussion is a lot different than flame wars over the internet. People post things for internet approval and points. Gotta have those hot takes. Gotta prove you're more Democratic or woker or more anti-racist than that last guy.

Yeah, people in real life, in person, do not talk that way. At least not in my experience. I seriously think half the stories I read are totally made up just for the attention. "I was at the gas station, and this Trumper was right in my face because of my bumper sticker!!!!!11!! And I stood up and said, 'No, Mr. Trumper. I am the mostest supporter of people in ever!' And then the cashier gave me a knowing nod of approval."

Uh huh. That happened.

Just talk to people. But also listen. If you approach a conversation where the whole goal is to shove and dominate your opinion over the other person's, you won't get very far. Isn't this human communication 101?

Flies, honey, vinegar, etc. I do not comprehend the difficulty.

[Silent3]

22. I take the question to be about not just discussion, but discussion that might get somewhere.

If you're fine with someone digging in on, say, how the election was stolen from Trump and railing against "illegal aliens", and you then briefly say your bit in opposition, then you both move on the talking about last night's game, I guess you can call that a "discussion".

I'd want to get deeper than that, and at least see some sign of breaking through a bit. If the way the other person prevents any progress from happening is all sorts of evasion tactics and willful ignorance and stupidity, I'm not going to want to talk to that person much anymore about any subject. I can't respect that very much.

[Sympthsical]

28. I'm not saying I don't push

I'll ask logical questions about his beliefs. You mention immigration. Whenever it comes up, I'll say, "Do you ever notice Republicans never really do much about immigration? You know why? Because corporations don't want them to. Corporations want the labor. Do you think they're doing that in your best interest?" I'll mention things like Disney laying off all their IT for foreign engineers and how Tech keeps promoting the H-1 visas over American workers.

And sometimes on that and other topics, I can sense some movement. At least I can tell he's thinking.

But I don't get into raving arguments with him. If I sense the discussion is going to be unproductive, I just steer in another direction. Know the walls, know the doors, etc.

[kentuck]

24. Good points.

It's a matter of not offending someone over politics, religion, or whatever the topic might be. I have a neighbor like that. I know where he stands and he knows where I stand.

But, he's a great guy! He would do anything to help people. He has helped me numerous times, with my fence, my gutters, my furnace chimney, etc. We have helped with their small kids when they needed to run an emergency errand or such. We both make a point not to talk politics.

Some people may think that is compromising your principles, but I am not so sure about that?

Just because they have not yet come around does not mean they will never come around.

Perhaps we could be a little more patient?

[Sympthsical]

27. I'm a gay man who came out early in my life

I come from a pretty conservative Irish Catholic background. So, I was always surrounded by people who opposed not just my opinions, but a core trait of my personality. It was rough going at first, but I learned to approach people just as people. I still use that angle of attack to this day.

My partner's best friend is also his ex. He hates me. H-A-T-E-S me. Not for anything I did. He just always thought he and my partner would get married someday. I kind of interrupted that one. We run into each other at various gatherings. He still comes to my house once or twice a week to hang out with my partner. He will barely speak to me. Sometimes he just glowers in the corner if I'm present in the room. It's amusing.

I am always incredibly pleasant to him. I ask about his life or day. I offer him food. I make light chit chat. I treat him like I would anyone else. I have no control whatsoever over his negativity and state of mind. His hatred of me is an irrational one. Just as many right-wingers irrationally hate liberals and all our works. I suppose I could return that negativity, but why? What does it gain me? It wouldn't make me feel better. It wouldn't solve anything. It wouldn't make me better or grow as a person. It would just take up time and energy with an added spike of blood pressure.

Nah. I'll just continue being me. Maybe he'll come around. Maybe not. That's his choice to make, not mine. I'll keep treating him well and leaving openings for him to walk through if he's ready, but ultimately he has to be the one to walk through it.

Worked for me when I was going through my coming out and the years that followed. Still works now. Make sure the terms you're getting people to accept are gentle ones.

[Autumn]

18. No. It's impossible to talk to any Republican, it can't be done. Pre tea party

and Trump it was possible to talk about some things, but not since they went off the rails.

[Johonny]

19. Republicans, yes. Trump brand Republicans, no.

[sciencescience]

20. Some Republicans can be reasoned with, many others cannot, at least right now.

[CrackityJones75]

21. Only like the last 40 years though.

At least!

[Bettie]

23. Yes

it is impossible to communicate with them.

They have lost contact with reality.

[VarryOn]

25. You just have to write off some...

And with others you've deemed important to your life, you just have to come to agreement with them, if they're amenable, to keep politics out. And I don't think I could do that for more than a few.

[ibegurpard]

26. Most of them yes

Look what they are supporting.
The Republicans who have become disgusted with their party I can find common ground with. They don't have to embrace Democrats but they can't support today's Republican Party. Why? Dehumanization of LGBTQ people, voter disenfranchisement, and support for insurrection are just a few off the top of my head. I can't tolerate these kinds of things. These aren't just minor differences of opinion and anyone who minimizes them is living in a bubble of privilege.