I think an old girlfriend of mine may have gone MAGA.

[Aristus]

Inside, I'm begging 'Please, let it not be so'.

We met as part of the 'Rocky Horror' crowd in the gay-friendly St. Mathews district of Louisville, Kentucky thirty years ago. I was in the Army at Fort Knox, and she was having second thoughts about her engagement to another guy in our group. We had a few torrid weeks together until I got out of the Army and came home to Washington State.

We reconnected by Facebook back in 2010 and maintained a friendly relationship now that we each were married to others. She never was very political, but with her history in a highly LGBTQ-friendly environment, it was natural to assume she was a lefty like me.

The other day, after being absent from Facebook for months, she added a post opposing Green Day's callout of American Idiot Trump. No explanatory text was included, but the post speaks for itself. If you're defending Trump, you're a Trumpster.

When I knew her, she was sweet and funny and friendly. She lives in Indiana now. I'm guessing the state atmosphere of toxic hate might be partly responsible.

I feel like I've lost a long-time friend.

[AllaN01Bear]

1. one of my neighbor friends who moved to be near fam was starting to turn , then lost contact.

when i met him, solid blue . solid union ist. then started to listen to pg and linemen and was slowly turning listening to the lies.

[stopdiggin]

2. Indiana (after I read that far .. )

I know, I know - wonderful people in that state too ... But there's got to be something in the water, and especially if you live more than 10 miles out of city center ...

[spooky3]

5. It's like many other states. The cities are blue. The higher the

Proportion of rural and exurban areas, the redder the state.

[stopdiggin]

9. MAGA may have changed things

(and I'm sure it has)
But I was not impressed with rural Indiana even years ago. Been many places where 'rural' was both friendlier and a little more open to the world and ideas. Indiana was different. Kind of a backwards, insular, almost Appalachian - belligerent hickishness .... You'd swear many of them would sport a coonskin cap - if they could get their hands on ....

As I said - could well be different now.

[hoosierspud]

17. I grew up in Northern Indiana.

Our city had a high percentage of 2nd and 3rd generation immigrants from Eastern Europe, plus a high percentage of union members, and Catholics. Republicans had a hard time recruiting candidates for local races.

[stopdiggin]

22. interested. so how 'red' would you consider that area now?

and over the past couple of elections?
I know the northern part of thew state was always much more industrial than the central and south.

[MOMFUDSKI]

3. We have some neighbors that were Dems

forever. In order to find some friends they went right to fit in with the bunch. She announced at the pool that she had just returned from voting for trump. It was a liberal crowd at the pool that day and someone made a snide remark. She left in a huff. How does someone switch so easily?

[Maru Kitteh]

21. I'd love to know what the snide remark was. Anything that makes MAGAts disappear

should be shared as a valuable public resource.

[czarjak]

40. Breaking out the truth will send my neighbor inside in a huff.

Every time!

[Lucinda]

4. I'm sorry to hear that. Hope she finds her way back...

We have a small amount of MAGA family...but they are shifting back to sanity.

❤️ ✿❧🌿❧✿ ❤️

[Aristus]

6. I'm not going to un-friend her yet.

If she posts more like these, then I will. We have a number of mutual Facebook friends whom we both knew back in the day. Most of them on the progressive side. If they're seeing what I'm seeing, maybe someone will talk to her. I don't want to let go. The time we had together was short, but very special.

[Tetrachloride]

25. i don't unfriend too quickly. i put them on snooze

good luck

[barbtries]

7. i had 2 lifelong friends

i mean since day 1 of my life. one died at 62 6 years ago. the other is a rabid racist. i'd call her a magat but to my knowledge she has never bothered to vote in her entire life.

my oldest brother: brainwashed by fox and right wing media.

I've lost them both, but they're still alive. we don't talk. my friend and i exchange loving texts at birthdays and holidays. This estrangement is not formal for either of them. I just know they are toxic to me. it's a loss. it's not like losing my daughter was, but it saddens me.

[Polybius]

8. Maybe she just doesn't like bands getting involved with politics

Sorta like me with late-night talk show hosts. I don't want to know who's side they choose. While they have always joked about politics, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and Conan O'Brian all kept us guessing what their personal views are. Not so with Jimmy Kimmel and company.

[stopdiggin]

12. that's an interesting point

but you realize of course that there also lots of people that are disappointed (sometimes infuriated) by public figures that attempt to 'play the center' or stay apolitical. So - somebody's nose is out of joint no matter ... There's little advantage in speaking up (and you can bet every agent in the world is pleading that their artist not to) - but sometimes something comes along where people just can't hold their tongues (Donald Trump, Jan6th, mass shootings, Ukraine/Hamas) - and then they get vilified and trashed on one side, and accolades on the other. (and the agent goes home and weeps)

Susan Sarandon looks like a moron, Ye and Ted Nugent present separately as deranged and a psychopath - Taylor Swift is completely teflon - and you couldn't pay me to go see Kid Rock (or Eric Clapton, if you wanted to reference someone with a degree of talent)

[Polybius]

35. Not really

There are plenty of sports figures and actors that don't mention or dodge political questions from reporters and fans. They lose very little (if any) fan base for this. Taking a stance alienates nearly half the population.

[stopdiggin]

36. the better part of my post echos this pretty much exactly

financially and professionally there is little upside ...
Not so sure if that holds up as far as morally and ethically ...

for instance we could ask Jackie Robinson about the 'don't rock the boat crowd'

[DownriverDem]

24. The majority of

the country leans left. That's a good thing. Those who lean right come across as hateful.

[Polybius]

33. That has nothing to do with my post n/t

[Elessar Zappa]

28. With Trump it isn't just "politics".

It says whether or not someone supports tolerance and democracy or authoritarianism and bigotry. It tells me who they are deep down.

[Polybius]

34. Some people don't want entertainers mentioning anything about Trump

In their mind, they go to a concert to get away from politics, and don't want to hear anything about social issues or be lectured by a band. I understand their point.

Michael Jordon is a wonderful liberal. Gives big money to Democrats, but doesn't talk about it on his Twitter like Lebron James does. Some prefer it that way, some don't.

[Be The Light]

10. Try and reach her

She might not be too far gone yet. She is likely getting misinformation from right wing sites. You need to rebut everything thing with legitimate information. While there's still time. We'll help!

[Pas-de-Calais]

11. Vast number of my HS class are MAGAs

Can tell talking to them. Their comments, etc.
Alot of them lack college education or were either in military or law enforcement.
Big sadly

[GreenWave]

13. It happens

Mom and step dad (was union leader)
then my 3 siblings
the x (bullied into by Magat)
the trotskyite from HS

Even 2 gals went and became nuns!!! (Do any of you know a good post life lawyer?)

There are others the other way too!

[MyOwnPeace]

14. Don't feel like you are alone!

Remember, Keith Olbermann once dated Laura Ingraham AND Kyrsten Sinema!

[sop]

15. People who don't know much and have no interest in politics are easily influenced and just want to fit in.

Place them in a predominantly RW environment and they'll unthinkingly begin to mirror those views. I'm sure psychologists have a name for this phenomenon.

I know a former hardcore union guy from New York who moved to a huge retirement community here in Florida. He switched from being Democrat to Republican for no other reason than he wanted to fit in with his new friends. Politics by osmosis I guess.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

31. The condition is known as self-aggrandising spinelessness

Excessive desire for social approval to benefit themselves, if you want to be nice about it.

They don't have enough integrity to come to views on their own and stand by them, even when others don't approve, so they simply adopt the same outlook as whoever they're running with, because they're always angling for whatever gets them ahead.

I find these vampiric chameleons the most evil of all, because they have zero inner core of moral conviction. Or any kind of genuine conviction for anything, come to think of it. There's no there there with them; scratch the surface, and you find this endless, gaping void. The true-red MAGATs are horrible, but at least they really believe that nonsense and live it. The chameleons are nihilists who always go through life half-arsed, and always on the alert for how the zeitgeist is shifting so they can change colors and stay in good graces with whoever has the upper hand.

What a disgusting and pathetic way to live a life.

[Celerity]

37. +1000000000000000000000

[TheBlackAdder]

16. And that's why they call them Exes.

[OMGWTF]

18. My BFF of 36 years dumped me because I'm not a MAGAt

She was apolitical but then married a rabid Rethuglican who turned her into an asshole. In this case the trash took itself out.

[texasfiddler]

19. Well. She should be dead to you now. I have no room for these assholes.

[Raine]

20. You don't have to lose her as a friend ...

You're only guessing she went to the dark side. Maybe she didn't and if she did she may come around in time. Stay positive...

[NNadir]

23. Been there, done that.

I'm an atheist, but I kind of like a quote from the Children's writer Jean Ingelow:

"I have lived to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered."

It's not like I have direct contact with a particular ex, but I stumbled across her in a professional setting, not personal but on line, and yeah, a right wing asshole...

I don't know what I was thinking back then. Maybe she was different back then, or maybe I just didn't notice...

[SWBTATTReg]

26. Are you sure that she truly was a long lost friend? I say this not because I'm mocking you, or your finding out in this

manner, and it is a dismay to tons of us when we find out that those we had close friendships w/, and more perhaps, have gone this way (pro-tRUMP).

I think you're right in that some environments are so toxic, surrounding some of these persons that they are incapable of standing up for themselves, just kind of like in a cult.

And I do seem to see this in rural areas, although I am still trying to figure out why do they support a highly urbanized loudmouth like tRUMP? A guy that's lived in the big city all of his life too. But, I do see a lot of blue neighbors out there, thank goodness.

I suspect that they like tRUMP for his big mouth which never shuts up. And he spews mostly unintelligent statements that a lot of people can't make heads or tails of, but these people seem to eat it up. I've briefly listened to him (through the news media showing some of his clips on TV, a very unfortunate thing which I wish they wouldn't), and he makes no sense.

I could speculate, and I will, that these people feel like they've been left behind and no one else seems to have them in mind. But here, I'm going to play the blame game, these people had every opportunity to leave and go elsewhere for jobs, homes, etc., perhaps go to school and/or trade school more, but they didn't.

They are that percentage of people that we all grew up with, that they get more satisfaction in blaming others for their lots in life, when in reality, they created that reality all by themselves.

Which of course, is not true. Most can blame themselves in some way, not all.

And Pres. Biden and others have helped those in need, tried to get increases to SS and other programs, and the people that would benefit from such increases live everywhere, including rural areas (which after seeing the high real estate prices in FL (and perhaps in other regions)), I can see why rural areas are getting most populated, urban areas (some) are getting to the point people are priced out. Unfortunately, jobs are mostly in the urban areas too. And guess who's blocking most of the legislation to help people out more? Republicans.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

32. The MAGAts like him because amidst the nonsense

He tells them exactly what they want to hear.

Think of the old Far Side cartoon about what dogs hear:



The dog doesn't understand any of that, so he hears what he wants to hear in all of that (his name), and he ignores the rest. Willful ignorance, a bigoted upbringing and brainwashing from right-wing media has fine tuned MAGAts to hear in their dear leader's manic ramblings all the hatred and evil that they adore and embrace.

[Hekate]

27. Ask, Aristus. Just to be sure. And I'm sorry.

[Jilly_in_VA]

29. I know my first love is a RepubliQan

I still love him, though not in the way you might think. Sixty-five years is a long time.

[Mr.Bee]

30. If Friends, Family, Neighbors, Favorite Stars and Musicians

are telling you the same thing, maybe they're not the problem...

[DemocraticPatriot]

38. My ex-wife went MAGA before there WAS any MAGA...

I stumbled upon her Facebook page sometime after President Obama was elected,
where she had posted a bunch of rather racist anti-Obama memes....

I was saddened but not greatly surprised.... Her father was a redneck racist who used the N-word every five minutes....

She never did, and seemed to be more racially idealist while she was with me...
But then, I was raised in a black church, and she knew that....

She was probably better off without me, but NOT her politics... that sure did go to hell....

[The Grand Illuminist]

39. Again, war is hell.

nt