Dear nycartist:

I never considered myself a liberal and I ignored politics before Trump. Now I am a liberal and I can’t ignore politics. Trump, a dictator-in-progress + the pandemic + accelerated climate change (the current intense,  prolonged fires and hurricane) + the civil unrest and  divisiveness– all these together make 2020 the single most mind boggling year, and by far, the most dangerous year in my lifetime.

You wrote that you shared your feelings about Trump on Facebook. I assume that you shared that he is to the country (and the world). One of your best and oldest friends confided in you that she has become a Trump supporter and that she “felt personally attacked” by you when you posted about Trump. You then toned down your messages about Trump, and following a post you made about Biden, another friend told you that she too felt that you were “attacking her and anyone who thinks like her”-

– these two friends.. they don’t feel attacked by Trump (The Danger). They feel attacked by a person pointing to the danger, saying: watch out, Danger!

It is similar to Trump attacking Fauci/ science who point out to the real and present danger (ex. the virus, fires), while encouraging the spread of the virus and the fires.

“on one hand, I feel so compelled to speak out as I feel this country is at a crucial turning point. On the other hand, if me speaking out can offend even my closest friends, I hate to imagine what others were feeling by seeing my posts”-

– personally, if my speaking out about the danger of Trump would make any difference in removing him and his allies from the White House and keeping him away, I would gladly offend anyone and everyone. I would gladly lose friends. I would gladly sacrifice much more than friendships for the betterment of the country and the world.

Problem is.. posting on Facebook and elsewhere, talking to people who support Trump makes no difference. Trump supporters will not listen to me or to you, or to Anderson Cooper or anyone on CNN. They listen to Fox News, just like Trump does.

“I have a very long history in my life of being told my opinion doesn’t matter, I don’t count, and to shut up. It’s taken me my whole life to feel confident in voicing how I feel. Now I’m feeling stifled again and like I have to  walk on eggshells… I just don’t know how to navigate these friendships which feel strained at the moment.. being true to myself or trying so hard to preserve these friendships.. perhaps we are not as compatible as before”-

– Your opinion matters, just not to Trump supporters, be it friends or otherwise. If your friends respect you, respect them back by not talking about Trump with them, set a No-Politics-Talk rule, for as long as you choose to talk to them.

You are welcome to share your feelings about Trump and the state of the country/ world here, in your own thread, or start a new thread. You can state there, or restate here, as you have done, that you are not interested in a political debate, that all you want to do is to express your feelings, your anxiety and invite other members to do so as well.

anita

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