Rejecting friends and family.
I have friends and family I knew were voting for Trump. I just do not get it. These are kind people. People I love. I can see why white supremacists and racists want to vote for him but that is not these people.
One friend I find it very difficult to talk to anymore. The conversation might start out fine but eventually turns to politics. This person claims not to be racist but venom drools out of him mouth when he states, “Those blacks….” And the superiority and negativity he expresses when stating issues about women. He will talk about Biden negatively about the same actions that Trump has done. For example, he stated Biden was a rapist because a woman came out accusing him of touching her inappropriately. Hmmmm….E Jean Carroll case, friends with Epstein and pictures of him with young topless girls on his lap, Hollywood tapes, affair with porn star, sex talk about his own daughter…Through the entire election there has been this double standard.
Another friend, who two days after the election we were together. She asked if we could talk about the election. I stated, “no not now.” She said, “at least you are talking to me.” Some people at work won’t talk to her.
I also have friends who are very far left who state they do not want to be near a republican. They do not want to be with their republican friends and family. I have heard and read a lot of these same feelings on different pods casts and news I listen to. These encourage people to not talk to friends and family. Not inviting relatives to Thanksgiving. To be honest I feel a physical need to step back from the Trump supporter’s presence because I feel they have endangered me. DANGER, DANGER, DANGER. Kind of like PTSD. However, these are my friends and family. I don’t believe it is OK to reject them. They voted for what they thought was best. I am trying very hard to put those danger feelings aside and love them for who they are. I hope that at some point we can talk about the election so that I can understand why they could vote for a felon, rapist, narcissist, and the list goes on.
Will this election break these bonds/relationships? Maybe if you let it. I think we need to take a pause. Make some boundaries. Maybe the extremes will need to be broken for your mental safety. Maybe this election brought out the true inner person that you did not see in this person before. And for those in your life it might be time to break. Like the pandemic, I think this brought out the best and worst of us.
My opinion, right or wrong, is to show respect and kindness. Again, these are our friends (by whatever binds us) and family (by blood, marriage, adoption). We can be bigger than these extremes. We can be our best. The world is not black and white. There are many levels of gray and even more color.
May you have a very Happy and Colorful Thanksgiving and many Blessings