She's always been a MAGA, but I didn't realize she is a boomer by one year. She hasn't worked in the entire 26 years I've known her. Her husband is a union guy and I assume he votes Democratic, but he would never talk about it. She and her sister are conspiracy theorists. Her sister believes the earth is flat, Chemtrails are killing people for population control and there is an evil cabal of people running the world. My SIL believes the cabal stuff.

This weekend for Thanksgiving, we were playing a trivia game. One question was about "who was called tot mom after being accused of killing her daughter" As we talked over possible answers we mentioned Jon Benet Ramsey and she totally freaked out. (The answer was Casey Anthony BTW) SIL starts yelling and asking why we are talking about this. It was almost like she thought we were condoning this by playing trivia. Then she went into a rant about how California just made pedophilia legal. And "they" abduct kids and use their skin for shoes and they drink their blood. She has mentioned Adrenochrome before so I'm sure that's where she was headed. We told her we are just playing a game. She upset another family member by intensely confronting them with these "facts". We told her now is not the time and she walked away and was talking to herself saying "nobody cares" and "our MAGA movement is going to stop this" She almost cried because "no one cares" She knows that most of the family votes democrat and even the moderate Republicans voted against Trump, but since he won, she feels that she has been right about everything.

It's scary how intensely she believes this stuff. I am not looking forward to Christmas.

I really don’t wanna post this. But my wife has been diving into the online conspiracies of Trump stole the election. Elon musk had voting machines in swing states. Starlink (with Russian aid) was used to upload the tallies, creating lots of ballots that were straight democrat, except for Trump as their Presidential vote.

Talking today, a quick Google search of what I consider credible sites debunked all these claims. Personally I feel the election results are what they are. The republicans were ready for a lose and had spent 4 years getting ready to steal an election through legislation and election denier appointments. But sadly, I believe he won, and didn’t have to attempt to steal the election through nefarious means.

I think I made some ground today talking with my wife about it. But she’s very upset about the election, rightfully so. I’m hoping this post is really for nothing, we moved passed these conspiracy theories like the right dives into. But just incase what can I do with my wife to try and pull her out of the conspiracies? She’s a very bright, intelligent women. Far more than I. I think she just isn’t processing all this in the best way. Which I totally get, it’s going to be a rough time for all of us. But just curious if there’s any advice to be had here.

I recently posted on here about my dad’s outlandish and harmful beliefs about raw milk. But I thought it would be interesting to see if anyone else’s fox brained person fell down the Adam Carolla to alt-right rabbit hole. Growing up, it seemed like my dad was drawn to Adam Carolla because he is a self built guy with a background in building things..I guess? But over the years it’s clear that my dad has let the opinions and cadence of this podcast take over who he once was. And it has been the gateway drug to other sources of right wing propagandists. At one point he randomly decided that he didn’t believe in dinosaurs anymore. But over time it has become the denial of science and several actually harmful beliefs that actually get in the way of his life. And the soundtrack of it all has been the Adam Carolla Podcast.

Who tf is William P. Trebing?? My raw milk supporting father is insisting I read “Goodbye Germ Theory.” This is in response to my five page essay on why raw milk is not safe to consume. Can someone give me the cliff notes? Or not, I already can assume.

Most of the time it’s not worth arguing about these types of things because it doesn’t matter too much in the end. Like who cares if he doesn’t believe in dinosaurs? But I have a sister who’s a toddler and he’s given her raw milk, and has said that it has all of these benefits…obviously I’ve spent a lot of time researching this for my paper. Raw milk does not have benefits, and it will make you sick.

It’s IMPOSSIBLE to have a healthy debate with these types of people because they can “prove“ everything with fake news that they wholeheartedly believe. And if you reply with real, unbiased evidence, they refute it by saying that it’s funded by the USDA, and the government wants to keep us from obtaining these natural nutrients. It’s all crap! They always have a comeback based on nothing. What do I do? *p.s. he wouldn’t even read by essay.

this is a joke but i will say: i realize a key takeaway from wicked is recognizing it’s not always as black and white as “good vs evil” and you can apply its ideologies about propaganda to both sides

after months of hearing my parents rant about evil migrants, “the radical extreme leftists,” and all the other buzzwords & political jargon i overhear on fox news… the quote “where i'm from, the best way to bring people together is to give them a common enemy” + the ending scenes really hit. not in a “this confirms i’m right and the other side is the evil one” way. just in a “damn, adults really watch movies with scenes like this and STILL refuse to acknowledge the nuance in politics & world issues” way. not that i was expecting it to make them question their views..

(also worth noting i don’t think there’s anything wrong with seeing wicked and other works of media for the production value, music, or overall experience. the main reason i went with my parents in the first place was because my little sister wanted all of us to see it together. you can call this.. an observation)

I kid you not she really said this.

It seems like, as in 2004, that the Republicans are trying to say they are an ascendant demographic with a growing nonwhite majority. It is basically the GOP version of "Emerging Democratic Majority". and one major weakness is that the Trump coalition doesn't work when Trump isn't on the ballot(2018, 2022, likely 2026).

https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/1h19tr8/with_almost_every_vote_counted_every_state/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Visiting a house where the spouse has Fox running loudly. They sound angry and unhinged after winning. #angertainment

It use to be my favorite holiday when we would meet with our entire family at our grandpas house but after this election and my nutjob family its just going to be a disaster. Its mostly my step dad who I know longer talk to because he was harassing me about my beliefs. My brother told me that dad got a tattoo that says Donald J Trump is my president on his arm which is a massive waste of money and embarrassing. I know he will try to show me this stupid tattoo and brag. Then their will be constant talks about how the food we cooked contains no seed oils and that RFK is going to help Trump end all sicknesses and that doctors are bad and try to hurt people. If he decides to drink then he will go full Alex Jones mode and talk about chemtrails and the elites.

This is some severe deja vu, as I remember thinking this as a thought to get me through 2017, specifically about repealing the ACA and all the tariffs/price increases on soybeans for farmers. I even thought that "this needed to happen", like a fever coming to a breaking point, and Trump voters will see the effect their vote had, see that it screwed them, and not vote for him again. I even remember town halls in red states with people so angry that their healthcare might be repealed. Add in the mismanagement of COVID and having family members die from it, hispanic immigrants and kids being rounded up and deported, overturning Roe, I really thought there's no way these groups won't see their mistake.

Whelp.

A lot of those states/counties/voters voted for him again and again, and now we've got a second Trump term just four years later.

I have no doubts that these people will be hit hard by the policies they voted for and didn't understand, but I also know that when Trump blames the Dems/Biden/"Globalists"/Jhina/etc, they'll believe him.

Can someone explain to me why they think this time will be different?

It's hard because there is so much lol. The current biggest issue though is negotiating us bringing baby over for the holidays to see them...they aren't vaxxed and our year started with grandpa dying from a nasty case of covid that everyone blames on "the hospital" and the medical professionals they had to deal with in ICU.

I've read some great advice on here, and my wife actually gave me a really good idea in that i should write letters to my mom instead of trying to engage with her verbally and all the techniques she uses to shut down contentious conversations.

I might just send emails, but tbh i think literally printing out these articles I will be sourcing boomer style is gonna be my best bet at changing the impasse we've found ourselves at regarding our perspectives. Waste of paper aside, it would be a physical piece of media she would have to hold in her hands and bring to her face to read the words and decipher their meaning...and I think her type of brain would respond much better to that method instead.

So now my next problem is honing my arguments down and not getting lost in my own sauce like I always do when writing. I am a verbose mf lol I need to figure out what to leave in and what to take out even if it's something I really want to say...and the other problem on top of that is limiting each "letter" or whatever to a singular topic.

This first one I want to start is going to be approaching her views on MMR vaccines and the Andrew Wakefield study. I am very sad to discover that in 2024, she still probably believes that they cause autism—living with an adult child who was diagnosed with autism very early on in 2002.

I know we lived life together and learned together at some point about how the DSM-V introduced the updated concept of Autism Spectrum Disorder, which greatly expanded the range of symptoms and number of people who would be classified as such.

I know she's gone through the quiet embarrassment of rejecting public figures she once believed for one reason or another, and I'm pretty sure she did that with Jenny McCarthy specifically after the fallout from her dipping some toes in the antivax movement...yet here we are, years later and now the incoming administration has an antivaxxer running the Dept of Health and Human Services. which I'm sure is vindicating for these folks, they must really feel absolved rn watching their side lurch ahead despite all odds...but yeah, just recognizing that i have issues summarizing efficiently enough and working through it.

I went through Hbomb's video on vaccines and took notes to help. But like I got a whole other novel for her about my thoughts on Trump and how tariffs will affect us and how cutting welfare benefits directly harms my family and my MIL's quality of life. Save for another book on the similarities between Weimar Germany and MAGA America...do you see how this could start to be a problem for someone like me? lol

"You tell me that the president doesnt have a button to increase prices? The first four days under Bidens rule our gas and grocery prices went up because he stopped the drilling." "Do some research because you just told me a lie." "Don't just say whatever you are told. I face the facts based on what I see in my life. I may not like Trump, but I respect him for the changes he will hopefully make" "Im worried about the border issue because of all the illegals raping and killing people in car crashes"

All I was talking about were how tariffs are going to affect things. So I stopped because I don't argue with them anymore. It's frustrating and makes me want to leave.

Huh?!!!? Nothing of substance - just angry jibberish. It’s hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time

With a high degree of confidence, I don’t believe the people who voted for Trump will benefit. I don’t believe his team will be able to lower housing, grocery and energy prices. Even if by some miracle there are lower prices, the underlying issues of inequality, anti-worker legislation, deregulation and outright lawlessness for white collar criminals will, at best, keep things as they are and the people who thought they would see improvements in their everyday lives will continue to struggle, suffer, and lament being ripped off.

What I just described is the best case scenario. I fear it will descend into something so much worse.

If Trump’s tariff and mass deportation plans go into full effect, then inflation will skyrocket, businesses around the country will go broke and close, and there will be an economic crisis. Even Elon Musk openly admits there will be “temporary hardship.”

I don’t buy it. The best case scenario is that they fail and life in America continues on as it was. But I tremble at the worst case scenario.

If there is a crisis, who will benefit. I have heard from some commentators that the wealthiest will benefit the most. But why and how? What is to be gained from this madness?

I am tired of hearing the same shit. " I'm tired of paying 100$+ for two bags of groceries" "What is Project 2025? I've never heard of that." "The democrats are freaking out? No, no matter who got elected people were going to freak out."

I can't even sit and read my book or talk about my day.

I am an older GenX (55F) and was just talking to a early 30's F millennial at work and we got to talking about what food we are serving for Thanksgiving. Then she started in on how Trump is going to help lower prices. I mumbled a non-commital response hoping to head her off but that wasn't good enough for her so she then went on about how people are acting like the country is going to be worse off soon and I said something about tarrifs not helping prices and LBGTQ, women, and immigrants who might end up worse off and she said "He didn't do any of that in his first term, why would he do that now?"

I just said that he wasn't fully God yet in his first term and walked away. You can't talk to these people about anything. I was just making small talk on if I was serving turkey or ham on Thursday and now I am probably on her list to harrass daily.

#Schism

I was a child in your arms,

You saw the world with grace, 

You held me close, you said we’d fight,

For kindness, truth, the human-race.

To stand for those whose rights are lost,

To speak for what is fair,    

Of lifting up the hopeless, mom,    

And make sure love prevails.

You told me that the world was wide,

That all should have a voice,

That hate has no place, and none should fear,

And we must make the choice.

You said the world was made of us,

All people, equal, strong,

And kindness was the only way,

To right the world’s great wrongs.

You showed me strength in quiet ways,

hands that worked, hearts that cared,

In moments when you made it clear

That everyone deserved a share.

You said “we’re all, beneath the skin,

Made of same hopes and dreams,”

That love was the foundation strong,

It wasn’t that extreme.

But now, I stare at you in shock,

In disbelief and pain,

That you, the woman who I loved,

Could treat me with distain,

How could you choose him over me?

To tear our world apart,

The rage that’s been allowed to grow—

It breaks your daughter’s heart.

You voted for the man who mocks,

Who speaks with hate and spite,

Who tells the weak to suck it up,

And just give up the fight.

You voted for a man whose words,

I never thought you’d use,

You’ve chosen fear, you’ve chosen rage,   

You’ve chosen to abuse.

How do I trust your wisdom now,

When this is where you stand?

How do I hold to what you taught,

When you follow his commands?

I don’t know how to face you now,

Not because we cant agree,

Your words are blows I cannot bear,

Broke something inside me.

I feel alone in all this grief,

Your child cast away,

For you, the one who shaped my soul,

Found me easy to betray,

I can’t ignore the hurt you’ve caused,

I can’t unfeel the ache,

That you, the one who raised me up,

Did it all for a tax break.

I’ve lost you, Mom, I’ve lost the light,

That used to guide me through,

The woman I believed you were,

Now has this point of view.

And I am left to pick through shards,

Of who you used to be,

To search for any trace of you,

but I come up empty.

I mourn for you, for who you were,

For what you’ve left behind,

The mother who once taught me love,

Is shattered in my mind.

But I’ll keep to your lessons mom,

And what you said to me,

That love is more than just a word—

It’s how we choose to be.

My own parents genuinely believe Trump will bring peace to the world. They think it is wrong for the United States to send military aide to Ukraine.

My mother mentioned how her experiences during the Vietnam War seeing young men die in large numbers or come back with wounds and missing limbs. Certainly not a “war hawk” kind of Republican.

However, this take that Trump is a peace president is so many levels of ridiculous that I don’t know where to begin with that.

First of all I would appreciate that this email stays just between me and you. I feel it’s about (time) I write you to express just how unhappy me and dad are feeling about what’s going on. This arrangement doesn’t seem to be working out.

It’s heartbreaking when parents spend their entire life raising their kids a certain way just to have them influenced by other people to disregard those values. No parent expects their kids to be carbon copies of themselves but they do hope they would retain at least some core values when it comes to morality and patriotism.

When your side calls us a basket of irredeemable deplorables, and ‘rubbish’ I wonder if it registers at all with you and when your with your people and they’re trashing us do you stand in silence like a soy boy beta male and nod along or are you an alpha male who finds the courage to defend your family? Unfortunately I feel you’ve been indoctrinated into a culture that has no tolerance for anyone who dares to disagree with their doctrine because they risk becoming an outcast. They are the party of violence, misinformation and undermine the American way of life.  

I asked you many times to give me a reason why you were voting for her and you never answered and that’s because you haven’t one. Voting against someone for spite is illegitimate, you’re not voting for people to be your mom or dad you’re voting on policy only. And by the way all his convictions are being thrown out because they were weal and illegitimate to begin with, they were conjured up to keep him out of office and brainwash people like you to say he was a felon but of course you never did your research you just believed the misinformation they were shoving down your throat.  

You got upset with me when I told you that I put country over family but you didn’t want to understand that concept. Why do you go to work? Is it because you just love to work or is it to provide the best quality of life for your family? I think of the American people as my family and I want them to prosper and do well, I want my kids to be able to afford a house, be safe from open borders, stop the wars, make sure schools dont indoctrinate kids, abortions on demand, low interest rates and energy, affordable goods and groceries and a return to family values. What’s so wrong with this Free speech and information was almost eliminated but thank God Elon bought X!! I’m sure you believe in these same things too but you let your hate of someone’s personality blind you to their plight and that’s the part that really upsets us the most.

I may not be educated or worldly but at least I love my country and care about what happens to it and not concerned about being politically correct within my little circle of friends.  I really hope one day when your kids are older you'll understand what I’m trying to tell you.  I hope you grow old and happy and become a hero to your kids and teach them to always seek the truth and respect others and not retreat to safe spaces when they face a difficult situation. Teach them to love this country and fight for it and not become part of the woke culture. Family is always first and at the center but if the country is failing the family collapses. There’s enough stress people have to deal with I just want to live in a normal world and I know deep in your heart you do to.

Let’s try to live together civilly because it’s taking a toll on us, there’s so much hate coming from the left, your side wants us to kill ourselves or for them to kill us and stay apart during the holidays.  If you want to spend the holidays with your in-laws there’s no problem I understand you’re upset because you didn’t win, republicans have lost 12 out of the last 16 years so we’re used to losing and it would be unfair for us to be happy in front of you.  

At this point you’re hard wired to think a certain way but I pray you will gradually see the light at least for your children’s future.  I don’t want you to take this as criticism towards you but I’m just venting, we love you both and hope we can resolve this.  

Thank you,

(full name of my mother)

Read an article by Lisa Borders recently and it struck quite close to home for me since I had gotten an eerily similar letter of my own. Sharing this in hopes that some good is able to come from all the pain, hate, and anger that proceeded this letter, despite my constant pleas to put politics aside.

i know my mom, and maybe even more of my family would respect that i would have voted for kamala (i'm 16 and can't vote in my country). i know that my family probably wouldn't just discuss politics at a random time like thanksgiving. even still, i want absolutely nothing to do with any of them on that day. i just want to get my food, say my hellos and goodbyes, and just eat my food in my own room, praying my tv is loud enough to distract me from everyone's conversations. i don't know why i'm scared of conversing with people like my parents, i know they would respect me being a democrat but i'm scared that even more people in my family are republican.