It’s a situation that I have been expecting for a while, but I wasn’t fully ready to accept it. Specifically it’s one of my LGBTQ friends who honestly believes in the democrats will protect them and their partner. I have tried to make the point that both parties are eroding any sort of civility towards all marginalized groups, but fear seems to drive them more than logical observations. They make the excuse that change doesn’t happen over night and that the left continues to grow and will have meaningful affects down the road. I fundamentally just don’t agree with that idea and vocalize it regularly. More and more it is ending up in a circular argument where I am painted as unrealistic and my rhetoric (leftist rhetoric) is doing more harm than good because it promotes distrust in the only system we have to work with. I try to tell them it’s kind of the whole point. We gotta start somewhere if we want to see a better, more representative system, but they are so hung up on the immediate future while simultaneously saying that my idealistic feelings are shortsighted and I cant expect change in the immediate future… The double-talk is wild, I know.
I am trying my hardest to stop from engaging at this point because on the most basic level we agree on a lot of stuff, but they are just way to wrapped up in the fear mongering of the democratic party. They know that the two party system is broken, they know that something drastic needs to change, but they also think that they are powerless to do anything except choose the lesser evil. It pains me because I am watching them do the same shit past generations have done, where they give up on their ideals for the sake of preserving the current status quo that they benefit from. I am legitimately watching them imply “fuck you, got mine” under the guise of civic duty and I hate it. I want nothing more than to be able to finally say “I told you so” without being a smug asshole about it and ruining our friendship.
Thanks for reading my rant. It’s probably a bit disjointed, but the frustration is boiling over and I needed to vent to the only group of people that seems to understand the hopelessness of being a disenfranchised leftist.
Ya you don’t need to cut ties with libs, maybe do hobbies and other stuff together. But hold your tongue similar to how you would at work. In the end of the day, they’re not your comrades. Maybe drop a word here and there to try to radicalise them, but don’t hold any hope up.
I’d suggest to join an org, and try to have more poor friends if that’s possible. I know it ain’t easy though.
Yeah, I have no intention of cutting ties with them, but have realized that holding my tongue will do wonders for my own mental health as well as the relationships that are based on more than just politics. Like I have said, I dont keep many people around me that dont believe in the same core values, it’s just that i put more weight on them in my day to day life. I love treats as much as the next lib, but I don’t willfully ignore the damage done in the process of getting the treats. I act in a way to limit that damage even if it means less treats.
Joining an org is an option, would need to be more digital tho, I dont like the public lol.
Can I ask why you don’t want to do public? IRL friends are the best.
Anxiety mostly, but I don’t think its very healthy to keep succumbing to the feelings. COVID is also the huge factor, but I still mask everywhere I go, so I can solve that problem easily. So it comes back to social anxiety that I do definitely need to work through.
I have no advice on Covid, but I just wanted to mention that the anxiety might be worth it, especially since the anxiety will go away eventually but the relationships should at least last somewhat longer if they are worth anything.
Fair, dealing with social anxiety kind of requires being social I guess haha.