Now that Donald Trump has been indicted four times, I have been thinking a lot about the fallout from his first presidency. Don't even get me started on the concept of a second Trump presidency - that is not even a sustainable concept to me at this point. I wonder about all of the personal damage that has been done - the rifts between families, the divorces, the many Covid deaths. How do we ever recover from the mental and emotional damage that the symptom of Trump has caused in all of our families?
Yeah, I lost my parents - my last living family - to that cult. They were already Southern Baptists at that point, both from strict religious backgrounds, and convincing themselves they weren't racist "because they had non-white friends."
Except they'd lock the car doors while driving through non-white areas, because God knows the only thing saving them from injury or death was whether or not the door was going to open from the outside.
Except they never invited non-white friends to the house.
Except they bitched constantly about affirmative action stealing jobs from "more qualified" people.
Except every time a non-white person moved nearby, they'd grouse about the property value going down.
And in the end, they lived in a shack three miles from the nearest town, a mile up gravel road, on a lake, thirty miles or more from the nearest non-white people and went to an all-white church.
Should I have confronted them about these things? Probably.
First they denied "the COVID hoax" - things like this always happened in election years, my 160ish I.Q. mother would state with confidence, despite having been a nurse almost her entire adult life.
Then they downplayed it - just a bad cold, really. They even went so far as to lie about getting vaccinated because I threatened my household would stop visiting.
They stood by Drumpf through his adulterers, his lies, his crimes, his attack on the Capitol. He was God's Chosen, sent to purge this wicked land of its sins, you see. Everything he did was ordained and blessed.
Last year, my mother died of COVID, my father three months later from grief and starvation/self-neglect-induced suicide. Not actual suicide, of course. That would go against doctrine. Nevermind they had already abandoned every alleged moral their church had to support this fiend in human flesh.
Know what I never found? Vaccine cards. Not-a-one.
So when I say "I feel you", I want you to know that is not hyperbole.
What a wonderful and helpful post yours is in so many ways. I have one sibling a sister who is nine years younger. She is a right wing evangelical fundamentalist, believes the earth is 6,000 years old and that climate change is a hoax and vaccinations of all kinds are suspect. To her all of todays gender issues are both suspect and against Gods plan of male and female and science is to be taken with a grain of salt, and abortion is murder. Also, Trump apparently is a a victim of the left wing media the "enemy of the people." We have one thing in common, our parents are both 92 and suffering from mid to late stage dementia. I recently decided that I would devote this time in my life to caring for them, helping them to stay in their own home and keeping them as happy and content as possible. I am divorced so moving in with them to give this kind of care was a no brainer. My sister and I have joint Power of Attorney status for both personal care and property. So getting along is compulsory but not easy. I can't put myself in your shoes but hesitate to say I understand your struggle, it is mine too. To get along I avoid all topics that refer to religion, politics, gender, healthcare and the planet we live on. So I am meek for now but I look forward to the day I can move on to relationships that are kind, forgiving and accepting. Godspeed!
I've lost several cousins to this disease, and I know many others who have, too. It is a blight upon our nation, and I have no idea how it will ever be fixed in my lifetime. It is very, very sad and disturbing. They can't even see what they have become.
I admit that I don't read your newsletter very often, but I make the excuse that I get my information from many sources and that I'll be notified of every new post of you on eX-twitter. All of this makes me all the happier that I didn't miss this post. It gives me a view that I would not otherwise have received, especially as I am only virtually in the US and physically far away.
In my small circle of relatives there is also a person who is developing in an absolutely wrong, dangerous direction. But we can keep those issues out of our relationship as long as he doesn't vote for AFD. Born in 1954, I'm trained to live with old Nazis everywhere. Unfortunately, the hope that they will die out one day has not been fulfilled, too many are unable or unwilling to learn from the past.
Do you recall when tfg told people to vote twice? An attorney needed an attorney because he did just that! So, to my count, I believe we are up to at least 9 court convictions for voter fraud in '20 election 8 Republicans (4 FL, 1 PA, 1 NV, 1 AZ) and today we add the guy below vs 1 Democrat (AZ) and I do wish that all being "checked in" for GA case received restrictions in bond agreements because Eastman is still spewing.
With all due respect, we just have to let these people go. I lost my mother to the undersides of the interwebs, and had to cut off all communication (granted, there was previous damage but this was the proverbial straw.) And I think actually the question isn’t “what do we do about our loved ones who have joined the cult”, it’s “why didn’t we do this before?” Of course, many of them got radicalized by Trump, but the GOP was always racist and always in favor of using violence. I know this may hurt to hear, but I think social ostracism is no less than they deserve.
Amee, I truly believe your father would be so proud of you! You have such a way with words -- I always enjoy reading what you write, even if I don’t always comment. Even when you are writing about the tough stuff (or maybe especially then), there is an eloquence to your writing that I appreciate, and I’m sure he would, too. Hugs to you!
Yeah, I lost my parents - my last living family - to that cult. They were already Southern Baptists at that point, both from strict religious backgrounds, and convincing themselves they weren't racist "because they had non-white friends."
Except they'd lock the car doors while driving through non-white areas, because God knows the only thing saving them from injury or death was whether or not the door was going to open from the outside.
Except they never invited non-white friends to the house.
Except they bitched constantly about affirmative action stealing jobs from "more qualified" people.
Except every time a non-white person moved nearby, they'd grouse about the property value going down.
And in the end, they lived in a shack three miles from the nearest town, a mile up gravel road, on a lake, thirty miles or more from the nearest non-white people and went to an all-white church.
Should I have confronted them about these things? Probably.
First they denied "the COVID hoax" - things like this always happened in election years, my 160ish I.Q. mother would state with confidence, despite having been a nurse almost her entire adult life.
Then they downplayed it - just a bad cold, really. They even went so far as to lie about getting vaccinated because I threatened my household would stop visiting.
They stood by Drumpf through his adulterers, his lies, his crimes, his attack on the Capitol. He was God's Chosen, sent to purge this wicked land of its sins, you see. Everything he did was ordained and blessed.
Last year, my mother died of COVID, my father three months later from grief and starvation/self-neglect-induced suicide. Not actual suicide, of course. That would go against doctrine. Nevermind they had already abandoned every alleged moral their church had to support this fiend in human flesh.
Know what I never found? Vaccine cards. Not-a-one.
So when I say "I feel you", I want you to know that is not hyperbole.
I'm really sorry to hear this. I feel you right back. ❤️
They loved Big Brother, to quote a wiser person.
What a wonderful and helpful post yours is in so many ways. I have one sibling a sister who is nine years younger. She is a right wing evangelical fundamentalist, believes the earth is 6,000 years old and that climate change is a hoax and vaccinations of all kinds are suspect. To her all of todays gender issues are both suspect and against Gods plan of male and female and science is to be taken with a grain of salt, and abortion is murder. Also, Trump apparently is a a victim of the left wing media the "enemy of the people." We have one thing in common, our parents are both 92 and suffering from mid to late stage dementia. I recently decided that I would devote this time in my life to caring for them, helping them to stay in their own home and keeping them as happy and content as possible. I am divorced so moving in with them to give this kind of care was a no brainer. My sister and I have joint Power of Attorney status for both personal care and property. So getting along is compulsory but not easy. I can't put myself in your shoes but hesitate to say I understand your struggle, it is mine too. To get along I avoid all topics that refer to religion, politics, gender, healthcare and the planet we live on. So I am meek for now but I look forward to the day I can move on to relationships that are kind, forgiving and accepting. Godspeed!
I am so sorry to hear about the decline of your parents. They are very lucky to have you. ❤️
I don't know how you move forward on this, Amee. My heart goes out to you.
I've lost several cousins to this disease, and I know many others who have, too. It is a blight upon our nation, and I have no idea how it will ever be fixed in my lifetime. It is very, very sad and disturbing. They can't even see what they have become.
I admit that I don't read your newsletter very often, but I make the excuse that I get my information from many sources and that I'll be notified of every new post of you on eX-twitter. All of this makes me all the happier that I didn't miss this post. It gives me a view that I would not otherwise have received, especially as I am only virtually in the US and physically far away.
In my small circle of relatives there is also a person who is developing in an absolutely wrong, dangerous direction. But we can keep those issues out of our relationship as long as he doesn't vote for AFD. Born in 1954, I'm trained to live with old Nazis everywhere. Unfortunately, the hope that they will die out one day has not been fulfilled, too many are unable or unwilling to learn from the past.
So thanks again for your good work.
Do you recall when tfg told people to vote twice? An attorney needed an attorney because he did just that! So, to my count, I believe we are up to at least 9 court convictions for voter fraud in '20 election 8 Republicans (4 FL, 1 PA, 1 NV, 1 AZ) and today we add the guy below vs 1 Democrat (AZ) and I do wish that all being "checked in" for GA case received restrictions in bond agreements because Eastman is still spewing.
https://www.rawstory.com/attorney-james-saunders/
With all due respect, we just have to let these people go. I lost my mother to the undersides of the interwebs, and had to cut off all communication (granted, there was previous damage but this was the proverbial straw.) And I think actually the question isn’t “what do we do about our loved ones who have joined the cult”, it’s “why didn’t we do this before?” Of course, many of them got radicalized by Trump, but the GOP was always racist and always in favor of using violence. I know this may hurt to hear, but I think social ostracism is no less than they deserve.
Amee, I truly believe your father would be so proud of you! You have such a way with words -- I always enjoy reading what you write, even if I don’t always comment. Even when you are writing about the tough stuff (or maybe especially then), there is an eloquence to your writing that I appreciate, and I’m sure he would, too. Hugs to you!
That was so sweet and made me cry. You have no idea how much that means to me that you think that. I love you, cousin. ❤️