My parents are lifelong Republicans. Never voted Dem, not even once. That's changing tomorrow.

[chia]

41. Thank you. The brainwashing came like this:

I was taught to obey and accept authority without questioning it. This was key, the "without questioning" part, and as a result I believed what I was told as long as it came from an 'approved' source (whether the 'approved' source was familial, political, religious, or cultural). We did not defy the approved source - to defy was sinful, rebellious, it could not stand.

I carried this into my adulthood, and dutifully listened to Rush et al. in the 90s and early 2000s, read conservative media as my sole source of information, cheered the counting of the chads in Florida, approved of the invasion of Iraq, continued to add layers to the walls of my bubble.

What changed?

Realizing one day while driving that the talking head on my radio was lying about something I knew for a fact was a lie. I remember hitting the steering wheel and saying "that's not true!" I started to look outside my experience. I started doing my own research. I asked questions, looked for answers in places I'd never looked before. Clicked on sites I'd long seen as 'subversive'. I joined a forum with a mix of political views which, while dominated by right-wingers, had many intelligent posters on the left who calmly and clearly laid out a cogent opposition. Internet friends I made on the left were incredibly patient with me as I worked through various issues, one person in particular I'll never forget.. I can't look at any issue now without their voice in my mind, guiding me still even though we lost contact years ago.

I came across this article during my own unfolding epiphany and it was so compelling. While my experience pales in comparison to hers there are some unmistakeable parallels. If she can do it, others can do it too. She had the help of a patient mentor/lover, but we all our roles can play our part to plant a seed even where the soil seems barren*:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/23/conversion-via-twitter-westboro-baptist-church-megan-phelps-roper


*Edited to add: Although the MAGA base is something different, something far beyond barren.