Everyone is angry. Nobody is doing what we learned in grade school. Don't fight. Talk it out. There are many stories circulating on all sorts of topics. Whether it be immigration, President-elect Trump, Russian hacking, and the hate crime committed in Chicago, we need to take a step back.
If you have been following this blog then you probably realize I am something of a conservative. I consider myself a social liberal, non-interventionist, and fiscal conservative. I feel most people my age fit into this line of thought. I have many loved ones, acquaintances, and relative strangers that will make non-sequitur statements about any one of these particular topics.
I've had family make statements about Trump being a racist or homophobe.
I've had people swear that Russia is behind the hacking of the DNC despite concrete evidence.
I've had strangers seem to not realize that the Chicago incident was a hate crime against Whites.
What does one do in this situation?
Pick your battles. Sometimes, I probe the perpetrator of these claims. I ask them various questions to see if they have done any inquiry. I'll ask them what the population of America is. I'll ask them if they are aware of George Soros. I'll ask them if they know the state of our debt. Now, I'm not saying the person at hand has to know any of these things. If they know one of them though this is probably a person worth engaging with. If they are unaware of these things then they haven't done any research. It means that they don't actually care. They are just virtue signaling. They want everyone to know that they are a "good person". Liberal tenets sound good on paper, but sometimes don't benefit society. Canada has Social Justice Tribunals now that are an invention of the leftist regime. People like Doctor Jordan Peterson, and comedian Mike Ward are being attacked by this leftist machinery in hopes of silencing them. That hardly seems like classic liberal principle, but the modern day liberal is not comfortable with speech. Political correctness can be beneficial to the individual, but lousy for the whole. When we have to watch what we say it limits discourse, and undermines freedom.
In America, we still have the greatest amount of freedom to say what we feel (as long as it doesn't incite violence).
I've watched these protests take place trying to block Trump's inauguration or Milo being prevented from speaking at a college campus.
Many of these protesters are not to be interacted with. They are violent, and won't calm down long enough to discuss the topics at hand. I don't care about these people. Many are ill informed. I've watched many interviews with these protestors, and have found many that can't answer basic questions.
We all have people we care about that don't know exactly why they're angry. They've been told to be angry so they're angry.
I will reach out in a passive way.
I had family mention to me that Trump is a homophobe. I know this to be false, and was shocked they didn't understand this. I'm not saying you can't criticize Trump. I didn't vote for him, so please by all means criticize. Please do criticize him accurately though.
I mentioned to my family member that Trump did wave the Gay flag at the GOP convention. This is unheard of from the right. It isn't just posturing. Trump doesn't care what you do in the bedroom. He isn't perfect. We know that. We can't go around spouting off arguments that are non-arguments, because they are untruths.
I then also put myself in their shoes. I say thing like "WE, were lied to", "WE didn't get all the facts", "I only just learned this, and let me tell you I was shocked to learn the truth about-"
Lend those you love an olive branch of truth. Don't attack their ignorance. Not everyone can sort through all of the Fake News, cross reference, or know where to research. Who do we trust? It's an ever evolving game.
Let's be good boys and girls. Don't fight. Talk it out. If they are mindless protestors who incite violence don't talk it out. There is a time, and a place for everything. Now, is the time to talk.
*The credit for the idea of asking a series of questions for the opponent at hand comes from the famous, Gavin Mcinnes.