In talking on a right subreddit, someone asked what we (right wing) would say to someone who had zero trust in any conservative person, anywhere, and was actively avoiding the whole group of GOP because they elected Trump. The topic received a large number of replies, and so I thought I’d ask a similar question to you. Since COVID, we as people on the right have been shit on, called racist, fascist and many other names. Told we were a threat to democracy and domestic terrorists. I heard a contributor on MSNBC stating Libertarians (which I am mostly) needed to at least re-education camps. Several prominent democrats have stated as much, including Hilary. Why are we angry? Maybe that will explain it a bit. That’s just the start.
What would you reply to those in the GOP who feel this way?
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In talking on a right subreddit, someone asked what we (right wing) would say to someone who had zero trust in any conservative person, anywhere, and was actively avoiding the whole group of GOP because they elected Trump. The topic received a large number of replies, and so I thought I’d ask a similar question to you. Since COVID, we as people on the right have been shit on, called racist, fascist and many other names. Told we were a threat to democracy and domestic terrorists. I heard a contributor on MSNBC stating Libertarians (which I am mostly) needed to at least re-education camps. Several prominent democrats have stated as much, including Hilary. Why are we angry? Maybe that will explain it a bit. That’s just the start.
What would you reply to those in the GOP who feel this way?
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You prefer the direction “straight down?”
One side is really light on proof and wasn’t able to get elected without lying about their policy positions.
At the end of the day if you’re being called a racist and a fascist, perhaps look at why they are saying it and don’t just be angry about it.
People can feel however they feel, but I’m not sure that those feelings are based in fact.
I have heard the claim more than once of calls for “reeducation camps”, but I have yet to see it myself.
I have heard the term deprogramming used loosely, which honestly would be the proper term for those who have been drawn in by QAnon type cults and other fringe conspiracy theories.
Additionally, if labels like racist and fascist and sexist don’t apply to you, then you are not who is being spoken of.
These labels do accurately apply to some individuals prominent on the right.
As your parents probably told you, we are judged by the company that we keep. If we would like to be perceived differently, there’s nothing to keep us from working towards that.
Biden never fired any maga voters from the government, Trump is. Trump is actually treating maga voters worse than Biden. I would say that. But honestly, these types of statements would just cause an argument. And I’m not interested in arguing with fools or fanatics.
Yes. We know.
Conservative are a threat to this country. If they were honorable old school traditional Christian Americans who know right and wrong, Trump wouldn’t be President. They would have gone with someone like Nicky Haley or Ron DeSantis. Conservative sold their soul to the devil just to “own the lib”. Eventually soon they’ll pay the price.
First, why are you flaired left libertarian if in your post you say you are on the right. Left libertarians are different from right libertarians.
Second, I would say that not all opinions are created equal. I will fight very hard for the rights right to hold their opinions. But the right to hold an opinion does not make your opinion equally valid as another.
Climate change is an obvious example of this. The old statistic from a decade ago was 97% of scientists believing in anthropogenic climate change. The more recent numbers are closer to 99.9% of scientists. Yet conservatives still are skeptical. If you want to believe that climate change isn’t real or isn’t caused by humans, that’s fine. But that opinion DOES NOT hold the same weight as the alternative.
It seems to me that across political issues, this is the general trend.
You can dish it but can’t take it because you’re participating in group narcissism. You’ve spent 17 yrs bashing Barrack Hussein Obama, PC, CRT, DEI, Woke, libtards, the vaccinated, immigrants, girls with blue hair, transgender folks (especially women) etc etc et-fuckin-c
Now you’re big mad when someone stands up and calls you out. You’re definitely the victim
DARVO
Deny, Accuse, Reverse Victim and Offender
Literally the exact same shit the NAZIs did. Same exact targets as well
They’re delusional. Why engage with them at all?
Excuse me, when did Hilary Clinton say that anybody should be sent to reeducation camps?
First would break those down into separate issues.
Re-Education Camps: I am almost certain no person worth paying attention to has seriously suggested this.
Domestic Terrorists: It would be wrong to label everyone on the right a domestic terrorist, and if people are doing that they are incorrect. That being said, unless this has changed recently, right wing political violence makes up the mass majority of all political violence occurring in our country and pretending this is a both sides are the same situation is equally flawed.
Threat to Democracy: I think that part of being in a democracy is accepting that people are going to disagree with you on the direction the country should be heading in, but that their are limits on what those disagreements can be. Something I do think the left is at least occasionally guilty of is defining those limits to narrowly in a self serving manner, but it’s a mistake to pretend they don’t/shouldn’t exist. Trump encouraging supporters to attempt to overthrow a democratic election should be yond the pale and should have been the end for Trump’s political career with extreme prejudice. Anyone who does not see that shouldn’t be thought of anything other than a threat to democracy. I’m more open to people being deceived on voter ID laws and other voter suppression tactics but those are of a similar dynamic.
Racists/Fascists: I don’t think everyone on the right is a racist or fascist, but those people seem to feel very welcome in the coalition and the rest haven’t done enough in my opinion to make them feel otherwise.
COVID: I think it’s a bit weird you are using this as a starting point. I do think there were some areas the left was possibly overly dismissive of the right on here, but there were other areas where the right was just being obstinate without a leg to stand on. Either way I don’t actually see this is anything other than acceptable political disagreement within a democracy that I noted earlier.
Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas.
Stop supporting racists, fascists, and threats to democracy if you don’t want to be associated with these things.
Right wing Christians have a severe persecution complex and have, for decades, screamed that anything that deprives them of their privileged place is persecution and crucifying them.
Take the infamous “War On Christmas” – the right wing loses their mind because people want to say Happy Holidays and be inclusive of others. They lose their minds that other religions and faith traditions want access to the same public square they’ve had exclusive, preferred access to for decades. They act like everyone is telling them they alone CAN’T have access – and that’s bullshit. Because what the right wing does is go SCORCHED EARTH and then destroy everything rather than allow another faith tradition access or to gain traction. Then they turn around and scream that things are gone after they burned it alll down rather than allow someone else access.
So often the right acts like the world is ending when all the left is doing is demanding an end to their place of exclusive privilege.
I used to be a Republican—I worked in moderate state and local Republican campaigns and even worked for a Republican Senator. So I think I have a unique perspective.
I was never fully comfortable with Trump, but I voted for him twice. Then January 6 happened. And it was a wake up call.
First, I would tell them to turn off the news. The right-wing media has been brainwashing the right into thinking that things are happening when they’re not (or are happening at disproportionate rates to reality). Meanwhile, it’s ignoring very real harms that Republicans have caused. This has led to Republicans falsely thinking they are victims when they’re far more often oppressors (I was one of them).
I would also ask them to reconsider what they want the role of government to be. As well as consider the reality of what government is. We can go down a “taxation is theft” pipeline, everything can be privatized, etc. But in reality, why do we want that? We know it will disproportionately harm folks (rural Americans access to postal services and impoverished children getting education are the easiest examples I can think of). We live in the wealthiest country on earth. Why can’t we help people with the government?
Barring personal poverty (our tax system needs complete reform, and we need worker protections which I won’t get into here, but those are both more progressive positions), I struggle to see a reason why we can’t help our fellow Americans. Yes, there’s waste. And we need to hold our Congress to a higher standard to fix that. But I, for one, am more than happy for my taxes to go and help a kid excel in school, cancer research that wouldn’t be profitable if privatized, getting HIV treatment to vulnerable populations, or my grandparent to get mail. That’s not ruining America, but we are seeing in real time that the Republican administration is dissolving that.
Our choice is not simply a more efficient government or a less efficient one. It’s a third world government with a large flair for oligarchy, disappearing of dissenters, and lack of basic services. Or one that will certainly have inefficiencies but will at least be working to ensure basic dignity and services for our citizens. I, for one, think we need the latter.
OP, why are you lying about your flair? And why aren’t you engaging in good faith with any reply?
Your team stormed the capitol and then dear leader pardoned nearly every fucking one. PARDONED A GUY THAT BEAR-SPRAYED A COP. THE BLUE LIVES MATTER PARTY! To be here asking why we consider you a threat to democracy in such instances is why we consider you a threat to democracy. I have friends on the right; I don’t blame any of you for your conservative economic theories. But those who remain “on the right” and someone I’ll still call “friend” aren’t wondering why I think (most) republicans are a threat to democracy. They’re the ones that know why and say “I am a voter without a party right now; I am fucking embarrassed.” To be anything but that is indefensible. Joe Biden wasn’t doing shit-all to y’all to justify bear spraying a cop. Justify that pardon for me please.
I would ask them to be specific and bring receipts.