General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I know this is going to be unpopular but I am friends with and I understand many Trump supporters [View all]KTM
(1,823 posts)I have a *lot* of friends who voted Trump. I disagree with them on a ton of things, and sometimes we have really good discussions. I had a nice chat about why requiring ID to vote hurts more than it helps. I got one guy to turn around a little on his casual racism when we talked about the guys he served with, who died alongside him, and how disrespectful he was being to brothers in arms when he used language carelessly. I may not be able to get them to see things my way, but I can add some color and shading to the way they do, and maybe give them more to consider the next time a situation occurs.
Sometimes I just cant get through. These people have been indoctrinated their entire lives by their families, their coworkers, by simple majority in the location we're in. "Right wing" is normal, and "those libruls" are BAD here. Period. But I have been amazed at who comes up to me alone in the break room and shares a moment of conversion, a lapse in faith in the GOP.
Someone up thread asked what this means, what can we do ? I think you are right on point about NOW being the time to reach those who can be reached. For the last eight years, they took it on faith that Obama was bad, Dems were bad, libruls were bad, and that if we could just get some GOPs in there things would somehow be better. They arent policy wonks. They'd rather watch sitcoms than the news. They get news from Fox and Fakebook. In their bubble, this has been the reality for years - that damned Obama was running things into the ground, and getting some Pubs in would finally make things better.
Now, they have EVERYTHING they have hoped for for years. They have Trump ("he tells it like it is !" , they have a GOP House and Senate. The adults are in charge!
They are losing their healthcare. They are losing their tax breaks. They lost job opportunities thanks to the government hiring freeze. They are seeing friends and family members directly effected by the REAL policies of the GOP. They are seeing a pussy-grabbing, "i'd punch him so hard" pseudo Tough-Guy President pull a 180 on the policies he promised them. They are *BEGINNING* to see the Wizard behind the curtain, and they have spent eight years walking their own yellow brick road with full trust that he would give them back their hearts and brains.
YES, we can reach a LOT of Trump voters now if we don't write them off as unreachable. If we don't insult. If we listen and try to understand without making them feel attacked. If we find common ground, and point out, gently, that the man behind the curtain was a lie, it was all a lie, always.
Some of my friends are embarrassed. Some now understand that they were used, that they got played by Fakebook/Putin. Some aren't. I wont change their minds entirely, I wont erase the localized racism or the "angry at the other"-ism that has shaped their lives... but I can get them to see that they were lied to, and that in many cases we - them an I - can find a common ground in the middle to agree on in most arguments. THATS what we can do - these folks are good, honest people. They served their country. They worked in public service. They help the homeless, raise money for the ill, try to do good deeds. In a jam, I know - KNOW - that I can call them and they will be there. They will, literally, give the shirt off their backs to help ANYONE, even when they disagree.
The moment you belittle anyone you lose them. Show them respect. Teach, don't tell. Help guide them, via friendly and honest interaction and mutual respect to where they change their own minds. Sometimes I argue with them, its gets heated... but we always shake hands or hug before we walk away. I disagree with their policies, but I respect them as people, and they know it.
Be the liberal friend that THEY come to think of as honest, kind, and respectful. I point to them and say "They are good people, and I respect them, and I listen when they speak about things they believe, even when I disagree." Let them point to you and feel the same. Be that person whose conversation they remember the next time they are talking with their friends, and maybe they will be the change element in their group.