Trump's followers are now turning on him?

[spork]

My friend won't seriously get at her views wrt Biden and Trump, and I am not sure it is worth pursuing with her.   That said, something that is clear is that she and I do not share the same fact basis.  This is true even though she is not a cable/ talk radio/ righty web user.   How does one deal with this?

Something I have had to learn, and am still working on, is the understanding that it's not our job to fix people.  It's our job to be the best light in a dark world that we can be.  This means following the instructions that Jesus gave for how to live and act.  People see foolish and harmful things happening around them, and get unhappy and worrisome news, and they react by getting angry and worried and resentful. 

Followers of Jesus aren't supposed to live our lives acting angry and worried and resentful.  We are to remember that we have a grace that enables us to deal with anger, a hope that inoculates us against worry, and a humility that guards us against resentment and offense.  Your churchgoing friend's problem is that she is forgetting these things.  You can help to remind her by practicing them in your own life.

We have a staff member right now who has been spending an awful lot of time by herself (she's trying hard to stay out of COVID's way, and is estranged from much of her family).  Evidently she has been listening to some of the wrong kinds of radio and internet preachers.  This has been stealing her joy and her victory over the world.  It's sad to see her this way, since I know she's better than this.  Besides, she risks dragging the rest of us down.  I sometimes have these impulses to yell some sense into her.  But I hold it in check, because I know that this would only make us both feel worse.  Instead I pray for her, listen to her legitimate concerns about work, and try to model a constructive approach around her.  That's all I can do for her at this time.

I am not an expert in any of this, but do you think this kind of approach might have merit?

"I've noticed that you seem somewhat down lately. Have you thought about shutting off all the media distractions that have inserted themselves into our lives during the pandemic and going back to something that used to bring you happiness? I remember you used to knit a lot and donate your creations to people in need. Do you still do that? Are any of your friends still knitting?"

[apl68]

My friend won't seriously get at her views wrt Biden and Trump, and I am not sure it is worth pursuing with her.   That said, something that is clear is that she and I do not share the same fact basis.  This is true even though she is not a cable/ talk radio/ righty web user.   How does one deal with this?

Something I have had to learn, and am still working on, is the understanding that it's not our job to fix people.  It's our job to be the best light in a dark world that we can be.  This means following the instructions that Jesus gave for how to live and act.  People see foolish and harmful things happening around them, and get unhappy and worrisome news, and they react by getting angry and worried and resentful. 

Followers of Jesus aren't supposed to live our lives acting angry and worried and resentful.  We are to remember that we have a grace that enables us to deal with anger, a hope that inoculates us against worry, and a humility that guards us against resentment and offense.  Your churchgoing friend's problem is that she is forgetting these things.  You can help to remind her by practicing them in your own life.

We have a staff member right now who has been spending an awful lot of time by herself (she's trying hard to stay out of COVID's way, and is estranged from much of her family).  Evidently she has been listening to some of the wrong kinds of radio and internet preachers.  This has been stealing her joy and her victory over the world.  It's sad to see her this way, since I know she's better than this.  Besides, she risks dragging the rest of us down.  I sometimes have these impulses to yell some sense into her.  But I hold it in check, because I know that this would only make us both feel worse.  Instead I pray for her, listen to her legitimate concerns about work, and try to model a constructive approach around her.  That's all I can do for her at this time.

I am not an expert in any of this, but do you think this kind of approach might have merit?

"I've noticed that you seem somewhat down lately. Have you thought about shutting off all the media distractions that have inserted themselves into our lives during the pandemic and going back to something that used to bring you happiness? I remember you used to knit a lot and donate your creations to people in need. Do you still do that? Are any of your friends still knitting?"

Funny you should mention knitting, because the person I'm thinking about did a lot of crocheting--some for charity--until recently.  I really should encourage her to get back to that.  It would be good for her.

[spork]

Lucky guess on my part. I have been running, doing yoga classes on Zoom, and ordering books from the public library to elevate my mood. And the courses I teach prevent me from descending too far into any media echo chambers.

I think much of the neo-Nazi domestic terrorism, conspiracy theories, and cult worship of Trump that we're seeing comes from people's tendency to blame other people for their dissatisfaction with their own lives. They gravitate toward anyone who makes messianic claims about the "real enemy." The pandemic has made it easier to ignore the fact that they are still comparatively very high on the global human food chain, if not at the top. If they turn on Trump because he's no longer servicing their psychological needs, they'll find someone else to latch on to.

[kaysixteen]

Ah, ok, they may be 'high on the global food chain', but Trump and Co. accurately reminded them that they themselves are not doing well at all, due largely to a variety of macro-socioeconomic conditions beyond their control.   Then Trump utilized this to lead them into, ahem, well....   The fact that there are starving millions in the third world does not help them pay the rent.

My friend is also not doing very well, due largely to the fact that her disabled husband's medical care needs apparently (though I question whether she is perhaps misinformed, in need of a lawyer, etc.) prevent her from working, lest he lose insurance eligibility.   But she still will not see that perhaps she has made bad political choices (even though she is not a social media/ right wing political radio/ tv user), based largely on 1) abortion and 2) tribal identity politics and cultural assumptions, aided by a bad church.

[mahagonny]

Well, here's a guy I can believe in. Senator Tom Rice.

'Here's how Rice explained his vote:
"Once the violence began, when the Capitol was under siege, when the Capitol Police were being beaten and killed, and when the Vice President and the Congress were being locked down, the President was watching and tweeted about the Vice President's lack of courage.

"For hours while the riot continued, the President communicated only on Twitter and offered only weak requests for restraint ...
"... It has been a week since so many were injured, the United States Capitol was ransacked, and six people were killed, including two police officers. Yet, the President has not addressed the nation to ask for calm. He has not visited the injured and grieving. He has not offered condolences. Yesterday in a press briefing at the border, he said his comments were 'perfectly appropriate.'"
 
"The combination of Trump's incitement of the crowd, his attacks on Vice President Mike Pence during the riot itself and his total lack of remorse over his role in the overrunning of the Capitol added up to be more than Rice could take. As he concluded his statement: "I have backed this President through thick and thin for four years. I campaigned for him and voted for him twice. But this utter failure is inexcusable."'

Liz Cheney too. Kudos.

[Sun_Worshiper]

Trump's behavior that day was awful, but really it was icing on the cake after attacking the legitimacy of a free and fair election for months. I'm glad ten Republicans in the House and ~five in the senate agree that he should face some accountability, but that is a pathetically low number.