this post was submitted on 31 May 2024
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I used to dog very hardcore Bernie supporters a bit for tying their identity too much to a politician.
I would like to take this time to formally apologize to anybody I even thought that about. Clearly I did not understand what true fanaticism looked like.
Dude Bernie was chill as fuck and his supporters some of the nicest most intelligent people I've been around.
Then came the astroturfing shitheads - a mixture of chapotraphouse tankies and right-wing operatives trying to wedge-drive. This worsened a lot for his 2020 run.
But skip the online games and go to any of his rallies and it was a good message not full of hate but of love and working together. Our identity was always that; it's just that for once we felt represented.
I remember going to one Bernie March and one of the guys next to us, an older guy, he was just so positive and full of genuine energy. Inbetween chants we chatted. Very welcoming, way more understanding of the conservative opposition than I've ever been - very "They're in a bad place, and their views are bad, but mostly I feel bad for them, and think we need to help them find their way left."
As someone who grew up in a very conservative area, my cynical-ass position was (and is) more "They're beyond saving; ignoring them is the kindest thing we can do", but I found his sincerity very touching. Lot of little moments like that during campaign events. Lot of people who really wanted to make the world better, and probably have made the world better just by their honest efforts.
As someone who grew up in southern Louisiana it is very difficult to find that compassion, no doubt. I try and sometimes I do alright but man…I’ve seen some true cruelty down here.
Yeah it’s really tough seeing so much support for hatred. I grew up in south MS but moved to LA a long time ago because it seemed a little more open minded. I can’t say it’s worse than MS, but it sure seems to have regressed a lot. If I could afford to move somewhere better I would, but since I can’t I just gotta keep fighting for good I suppose.
Landry is going to cause decades of damage :/
Ah I'm frustrated I forgot to hit send on my message to you and lost it when my phone updated lol.
To summarize, I come from the idyllic Republican — perhaps MAGA — roots: Rural Appalachian Christian conservative; my family voted for Bush Jr., in his first time; they marched at pro-life rallies. Guns 'n all. For a couple reasons we as a family were able to perform a complete 180 from those days for a couple unique reasons. Generally I attribute the change to three things: (1) The Wild West of the Internet. At the time, echo-chambers weren't established so you were exposed to a wide range of viewpoints that opened our minds. (2) Iraq echoed the Vietnam war, for which my dad was heavily-invested in his hippie days. The parallels helped shatter the Republican indoctrination. (3) My mom homeschooled us but put a massive emphasis on empathy, and eventually the dissonance became too strong in the Republican party. Since then we became non-religious and voted Democrat every election.
So I appreciate that man you encountered, because my family is living proof people can change. It's just harder today. The propaganda is so incredibly strong...
Anways, I try to tell people if you're looking for fear and rage Republicans may be for you; but if you're looking for love and solidarity, I think you can find that among people who gather around folks like Bernie. Follow the love.
That’s what you experienced, that’s not what I experienced (I volunteered for his campaign), but again, it was nothing like the zealotry we see with the MAGA crowd.