Maggie, thank you for this. It has been a balm for my anxiety to see the differences and the beliefs contrasted side by side especially in the vain of a mom wanting what's best for her child. Politics has estranged me from many. It has made me hesitant to play the game of breaking bread with someone when I know how they voted but they are family and their son who is gay needs support from his aunt and uncle even though his parents care more about the all-mighty dollar. So how do you sell progression to an antivaxer? You need to tap into the nostalgia and flip it. I'm rambling at present. I just wanted to say thank you and hope to connect with you via AW camp. Me booking the camp was me having hope in the future. I am reminded of Maggie Smith's poem Good Bones. And I spent a great deal of time yesterday listening to the minutiae of the Sorenson family in The Most Fun We Ever Had and watching Love Actually. My suspended bubble unbroken until I took my phone off Sleep mode this morning at 6 AM. Again thank you. I've shared your substack with my sister who too is grieving this morning. For now treading water and trying to find the shore.
Thank you so much for sharing, Kim, and for reading. It is a day full of grief, but rest assured I will continue to write about this and this will be a place to share about the pain of having to break family bonds. Especially with the holidays coming up, I know this is going to be such a tough time for so many of us. A poet I follow on Instagram posted that it's particularly villainous that the election takes place so close to the holidays. People who have not (yet) chosen estrangement/cutoff will have to pose with fake smiles on their faces around a Thanksgiving turkey in just a couple of weeks. Blurg.
I've lost more than a few friends in the last 8 years. It's one thing to disagree about certain policies, but I cannot ignore racism, misogyny, bigotry or the overwhelming dumb. It's not like they've fallen under a spell. They were just given permission to who us who they really are. xo
It is like a spell. I think that essay I linked on the Strongwilled substack really helps explain some aspect of this. It’s cold comfort but i still found it really fascinating. If you grew up learning that your blind obedience made you lovable, maybe you are more susceptible to a leader who ask for blind obedience
Thanks, Maggie. In regards to my (former) friends, it really was permission rather than a spell. They were saying the quiet parts out loud, and proudly. But I’d rather have the truth. I don’t want to be friends with bigots. Yes, as that essay mentions, we are drawn to what feels familiar. We aren’t taught to be critical thinkers anymore, which I think is part of the problem. I mean, how many Q predictions didn’t happen, and they are still willing to believe? Then there’s this VF article about a woman who was radicalized in about 6 months and ended up dying at J6. Anything that alienates us from others needs to be called into question. Even estrangement. We have to ask ourselves why we are willing to do that (cut ties with family) and if there are other alternatives before we make that choice. And if it is a group telling you not to trust people who love you? That’s one of the redder flags out there. xo
Completely agree with your remarks about the Daisy ad. It is so powerful, to me, but I didn't bother sending it to anyone who I know will probably vote for Trump, because I think they just see it as hyperbole. I wish it was.
Maggie, thank you for this. It has been a balm for my anxiety to see the differences and the beliefs contrasted side by side especially in the vain of a mom wanting what's best for her child. Politics has estranged me from many. It has made me hesitant to play the game of breaking bread with someone when I know how they voted but they are family and their son who is gay needs support from his aunt and uncle even though his parents care more about the all-mighty dollar. So how do you sell progression to an antivaxer? You need to tap into the nostalgia and flip it. I'm rambling at present. I just wanted to say thank you and hope to connect with you via AW camp. Me booking the camp was me having hope in the future. I am reminded of Maggie Smith's poem Good Bones. And I spent a great deal of time yesterday listening to the minutiae of the Sorenson family in The Most Fun We Ever Had and watching Love Actually. My suspended bubble unbroken until I took my phone off Sleep mode this morning at 6 AM. Again thank you. I've shared your substack with my sister who too is grieving this morning. For now treading water and trying to find the shore.
Thank you so much for sharing, Kim, and for reading. It is a day full of grief, but rest assured I will continue to write about this and this will be a place to share about the pain of having to break family bonds. Especially with the holidays coming up, I know this is going to be such a tough time for so many of us. A poet I follow on Instagram posted that it's particularly villainous that the election takes place so close to the holidays. People who have not (yet) chosen estrangement/cutoff will have to pose with fake smiles on their faces around a Thanksgiving turkey in just a couple of weeks. Blurg.
I've lost more than a few friends in the last 8 years. It's one thing to disagree about certain policies, but I cannot ignore racism, misogyny, bigotry or the overwhelming dumb. It's not like they've fallen under a spell. They were just given permission to who us who they really are. xo
It is like a spell. I think that essay I linked on the Strongwilled substack really helps explain some aspect of this. It’s cold comfort but i still found it really fascinating. If you grew up learning that your blind obedience made you lovable, maybe you are more susceptible to a leader who ask for blind obedience
Thanks, Maggie. In regards to my (former) friends, it really was permission rather than a spell. They were saying the quiet parts out loud, and proudly. But I’d rather have the truth. I don’t want to be friends with bigots. Yes, as that essay mentions, we are drawn to what feels familiar. We aren’t taught to be critical thinkers anymore, which I think is part of the problem. I mean, how many Q predictions didn’t happen, and they are still willing to believe? Then there’s this VF article about a woman who was radicalized in about 6 months and ended up dying at J6. Anything that alienates us from others needs to be called into question. Even estrangement. We have to ask ourselves why we are willing to do that (cut ties with family) and if there are other alternatives before we make that choice. And if it is a group telling you not to trust people who love you? That’s one of the redder flags out there. xo
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/01/capitol-insurrection-rosanne-boyland-how-and-why-did-she-die?srsltid=AfmBOoq4KQhjqnrnF18e1Q3_kCgtAvRi7ZyR8jnZNFPP6032AYtOtMyt
Completely agree with your remarks about the Daisy ad. It is so powerful, to me, but I didn't bother sending it to anyone who I know will probably vote for Trump, because I think they just see it as hyperbole. I wish it was.