I know this is going to be unpopular but I am friends with and I understand many Trump supporters

[athena]

278. Thank you for this thoughtful response.

Now that you've said you're a therapist, I finally see where you're coming from. Thank you for explaining that shaming people is not going to make them change. (You must be an excellent therapist because you've changed my view on this by 180 degrees with just one post.)

So compassion is the answer. You respond to people with compassion, hoping that they will momentarily feel safe from their fear with you, and that this will allow them to let go of their hate over time. And you don't feel guilty about being compassionate toward a person who holds despicable views because in the end, they are responsible for their own views.

If you don't mind explaining a bit further, how does this work in practice? Is it OK to tell a Trump supporter that you disagree with their views? Or do you have to first make them feel that you understand where they're coming from? Do you ever get to express disagreement? Suppose the Trump supporter tells you something like, "Trump is a really good guy. You'll see." -- followed by some anecdote that has already been debunked by Snopes, and then an unrelated attack against a handful of Democratic politicians that the person clearly heard on Fox or right-wing hate radio. How do you respond?