My tolerance for Trump supporters is at an all-time low. Is this normal?

[GroovyGuru]

I've been realizing something lately...

I'm beginning to have absolutely 0 tolerance for Trump supporters. Several of my friends are HUGE Trump supporters (why are they my friends?) and I have completely ignored them for the last 3 weeks. I'm slowly starting to cut them off. I'm really not sure if this is normal but I just can't deal with this shit anymore.

Another example: I used to be quite a big fan of the UFC. The UFC, for those that don't know, is extremely open about the fact they support Trump. The president Dana White is good friends with Trump and always advocates for his re-election. I've discovered a shocking number of UFC fighters, some who you would have never imagined, to be Trump supporters. Even blacks and latinos and full-blown foreigners in that organization are massive conservatives. Don't even get me started on the fan base which is even worse. I've become disgusted with that organization and really with that sport in general. I seriously feel as though I can no longer enjoy the sport or support the company because of their political views. Again, I don't know if this is normal or healthy.

If I know you support Trump, that literally tells me ALL I need to know about you. Nothing else that comes out of your mouth is relevant. It's seriously that black and white for me. It's getting to the point I would rather not be around you or engage in conversation at all if you strongly support him. I'm sorry if this is offensive, but I just think you are dumb as fuck if you support Donald Trump. Like Dumb. As. Fuck.

Anyone understand where I'm coming from? Or do I need to loosen up? Just to clarify, I'm not even some crazy, hardcore, liberal hippie. I'm just a normal 22 year old from the Mid West. I definitely lean left an basically all issues but just can't stand Trump and his immature, ignorant followers.

[GroovyGuru]

Reading this back I feel like I may need to chill out a bit 

[Megan Alecia]

@GroovyGuru How can you call yourself a 'guru' and talk/think like this? No offense. Also, if you don't mind me asking, do you have any favorite spiritual teachers? 

Edited September 25, 2020 by Megan Alecia

[GroovyGuru]

@Megan Alecia Haha I don't consider myself a guru. It's just goofy name. I know I was being a bit harsh. I was exaggerating a bit but my point is that in the past I used to actually debate my friends and have political discussions with people, but lately I just completely feel it's a waste of time. Like nothing I say is gonna penetrate their thick skulls

[Preety_India]

I have zero tolerance for Trump or his supporters. 

I will be glad if both are off the political grid. 

I have no idea what my visceral reaction will be if he becomes President. 

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by Preety_India

[LordFall]

@GroovyGuru As someone who's not too familiar with the American political system and only knows headlines about Trump and some YouTube documentaries, what exactly are your gripes with him and his followers, if you had to give an in depth explanation?

[Parththakkar12]

@GroovyGuru Here's my unpopular opinion - I don't think this is healthy.

I understand that you have problems with Trump being in office. I understand that you feel hatred towards Trump. Having said that, hatred solves nothing. We do not want to be acting blindly out of hatred. That way, we would be reacting to our negative emotions.

I think the healthy thing for you to do would be to look at your personal reasons for your hatred towards Trump and his supporters. You will learn a few things about yourself in the process and you'll be able to make more clear-headed decisions relative to who you want in your life.

[Lyubov]

They never had my tolerance. And I don't say that going against what is. 

[Leo Gura]

3 hours ago, GroovyGuru said:

I've discovered a shocking number of UFC fighters, some who you would have never imagined, to be Trump supporters. Even blacks and latinos and full-blown foreigners in that organization are massive conservatives. Don't even get me started on the fan base which is even worse. I've become disgusted with that organization and really with that sport in general. I seriously feel as though I can no longer enjoy the sport or support the company because of their political views.

Of course! Of course people who make a life purpose out of punching each other in the face love Trump. Big surprise.

Quote

If I know you support Trump, that literally tells me ALL I need to know about you. Nothing else that comes out of your mouth is relevant. It's seriously that black and white for me.

Of course

Quote

but I just think you are dumb as fuck if you support Donald Trump. Like Dumb. As. Fuck.

Yes, of course!

This isn't rocket science. Don't let them gaslight you into thinking you must meet them half way. You shouldn't meet devilry half way.

No amount of excuse-making, rationalizing, or arguing will change the fact that devilry is devilry.

[Enlightenment]

1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

Quote

If I know you support Trump, that literally tells me ALL I need to know about you. Nothing else that comes out of your mouth is relevant. It's seriously that black and white for me.

Of course

Funny how far right-wingers have exactly the same black and white thinking on the other side 

How can people get so angry about politics is beyond me, maybe it's cause I'm not that much into it or it's being 50/50 right/left. Where I live (Poland), there are two main opposition political parties, we also have the equivalent of I guess Fox News propaganda where the ruling party manipulates information and people are going crazy about it

[Loving Radiance]

@GroovyGuru  I have tolerance for these people and feel just frustrated that they are even allowed to be called adult beings. My allergic reaction towards them wears me out.

Just watching interviews at rallies makes me feel frustrated cause I understand their reality. Impenetrable minds. Just complete shutdown. Only option to not be consumed is to just leave it behind. That gets me just like a slap in the face. To leave them behind cause there is no salvation through attempted expanded perspective.

Edited September 25, 2020 by Loving Radiance

[No Self]

Even here in Australia, numerous families are being torn apart by individuals becoming radicalised by the propaganda portraying Trump as a heroic saviour and so on. Generally, such people become impossible to reason with as their belief systems can explain away any facts that might be inconvenient.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-08-24/how-the-qanon-conspiracy-theory-is-affecting-australian-families/12564566

I have an aunty and a formerly close friend who are both dangerously far down the rabbit hole. I hope that after the seemingly inevitable violent end to the forthcoming US election, some sort of sanity returns and those relationships can be salvaged.

The last time I faced a situation like this it was when an old friend got addicted to crystal meth, and his personality became so demonic that he bore little resemblance to his former self. It seems that Facebook's 'brain hacking' (as well as the influence of Rupert Murdoch, Russian trolls, etc.) has a similar brain-melting effect. I have no idea how this will pan out over the longer term.

Edited September 25, 2020 by No Self

[mandyjw]

I was raised conservative, as a kid I really wanted George Bush to win the election. Then became a passionate liberal in my early 20's. Now I realize that the timeline and circumstances of myself and my having those opinions are pretty meaningless, circumstantial and arbitrary, so it's hard not to love people for how they are. I also really make it a point to focus on what I want, and not what I don't want. If I talk to people and read enough stuff I still get really angry, but I know that that anger is just an indication to change my focus on what I do want. In other words it IS normal but is this what you want? Is this really how you want to feel about your friends? 

We can't change the world without first changing our perspective on it. That's true and that itself makes us want to change other people's perspective to a higher one. But we forget it's our perspective. Not theirs. So if we change our perspective on Trump supporters, and see them not as Trump supporters but what they really are, crazy unbelievable miracles can occur. Love always wins. 

[Hello from Russia]

Damn, to be honest when Trump got elected everyone was hyper-up in Russia because everyone thought he'd be a pro-Russia president. But seems like you might be right about trump-suported in US, it is different here

[Loving Radiance]

1 hour ago, mandyjw said:

not as Trump supporters but what they really are, crazy unbelievable miracles can occur.

When you see a person for who they really are, is that the miracle itself?

Do you have a story of a miracle through seeing things as they are?

[DocWatts]

I do genuinely feel bad for some of these people because it's obvious that they're being lied to and manipulated. But I do have to weigh that against the harm that they're causing other people, especially the people being directly harmed by the policies they're supporting (black people, poor people, gay people, immigrants... just to name a few). I'm always going to have more sympathy for someone being brutalized that I am for someone manipulated into brutalizing others.

[purerogue]

I was wondering why Left leaning people have problems to accept others point of views, I am not saying that you do not have such problem on other side , but people over there are way more accepting and ready to listen, for sure less concerned if their friends are one side or other, it is just political view. 

I personally do not even think that any of sides in moderate  level are regression, both are progression, just progression from different point. 

Edited September 25, 2020 by purerogue

[DocWatts]

5 minutes ago, purerogue said:

I was wondering why Left leaning people have problems to accept others point of views, I am not saying that you do not have such problem on other side , but people over there are way more accepting and ready to listen, for sure less concerned if their friends are one side or other, it is just political view. 

I personally do not even think that any of sides in moderate  level are regression, both are progression, just progression from different point. 

I guess in my mind it's a balancing act between being open to other points of view and being cognizant of the harms that someone is causing to other people. I think understanding why a person has a particular point of view is very important, regardless of my feelings one way or another.

And I try to be understanding and empathetic towards people I disagree with, but I'm also human and there's limits in my patience when I see someone harming or brutalizing others. 

I also think there's healthy and unhealthy versions of most political views, and its much more difficult to be friends with someone who's fallen into a toxic manifestation of a worldview, because it tends to infect others areas of thier life.

[Emerald]

10 hours ago, GroovyGuru said:

I've been realizing something lately...

I'm beginning to have absolutely 0 tolerance for Trump supporters. Several of my friends are HUGE Trump supporters (why are they my friends?) and I have completely ignored them for the last 3 weeks. I'm slowly starting to cut them off. I'm really not sure if this is normal but I just can't deal with this shit anymore.

Another example: I used to be quite a big fan of the UFC. The UFC, for those that don't know, is extremely open about the fact they support Trump. The president Dana White is good friends with Trump and always advocates for his re-election. I've discovered a shocking number of UFC fighters, some who you would have never imagined, to be Trump supporters. Even blacks and latinos and full-blown foreigners in that organization are massive conservatives. Don't even get me started on the fan base which is even worse. I've become disgusted with that organization and really with that sport in general. I seriously feel as though I can no longer enjoy the sport or support the company because of their political views. Again, I don't know if this is normal or healthy.

If I know you support Trump, that literally tells me ALL I need to know about you. Nothing else that comes out of your mouth is relevant. It's seriously that black and white for me. It's getting to the point I would rather not be around you or engage in conversation at all if you strongly support him. I'm sorry if this is offensive, but I just think you are dumb as fuck if you support Donald Trump. Like Dumb. As. Fuck.

Anyone understand where I'm coming from? Or do I need to loosen up? Just to clarify, I'm not even some crazy, hardcore, liberal hippie. I'm just a normal 22 year old from the Mid West. I definitely lean left an basically all issues but just can't stand Trump and his immature, ignorant followers.

I think what has to be understood about Trump supporters is that they are victims of his demagoguery. Trump is a charismatic leader in the exact same way that cult leaders are. He preys upon many people who are typically dealing with some feelings of powerlessness and the emotional issues it causes. And he gives people someone to blame for their pain and anger. Thus, he becomes associated with empowerment and release of pent up anger. 

This is why so many people identify so strongly with him and will bend themselves in pretzel knots to defend him at all costs. He becomes a symbol of validation for their most defensive reactions... and enable them to hide the wounds and vulnerabilities underneath that defensive reaction through projection, transference, and scapegoating of marginalized groups.

So, even though what you're seeing is very ugly and destructive, these super devout Trump supporters are truly unconscious. They know not what they do. And the only way to get through to them is to help them address the emotional vulnerability that has made them susceptible to the control tactics of a demagogue in the first place. 

 

 

[Loving Radiance]

6 minutes ago, Emerald said:

transference [...] of marginalized groups

I don't understand this. Can you expand on that?