General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Can someone help me understand my wing nut friends? [View all]Cleita
(75,480 posts)Gently, of course. My beautician is a wing nut. She's very nice but comes up with stuff like, "I worked hard all my life and no one ever gave me anything," and other RWing talking points we are so familiar with. So I engage her by saying something like, "Me too, and I really worked hard for my Social Security and now that I get it I can come to you and get my hair done. When you get your Social Security, you will see how important it is, no matter what other retirement you have saved for."
The thing is to find something you both agree with and take it from there. Be prepared to back up everything you say because they can find crazy stuff to pull out of the woodwork and throw at you. Always be gentle and agree with them when they are right (not often) but again it's another jumping off point. Definitely, do not fall for the anecdotal, they have a friend who....etc. story. Always pin them down as to when, where and how that happened to a friend. Usually, their story falls apart and they back off.
GOOD LUCK!