LogFAQs > #912093920

I grew up in a liberal suburb of Chicago. So far more liberals around me than conservatives. My entire family on my mom's side are basically hippies.

I find it bizarre that you don't know where to find republicans >_> You're talking about them like they're unicorns. They're everywhere! A couple of guys from my high school circle that I still hang out with all the time are republicans (both hispanic), my adopted cousin is a republican and even canvassed for *shudder* Ted Cruz of all people during the primaries (she's black - she's also the only one black woman republican I've ever met in my entire life so this is an outlier), a guy from my college cross country team (white), my current boss (first generation Chinese immigrant who is, quite possibly, the most anti-illegal immigration person I've ever met to the point it makes me uncomfortable and I secretly think he's just testing me to see what my views on immigration are), and then some people like one friendship level down that I only see sporadically, and then even more in my extended network that I rarely see or only talk to on Facebook once in a while.

These are all "suburban" republicans so there is an entire swath of small town republicanism I'm not exposed to and honestly don't know anyone like that. And only a couple of people I know were huge Trump supporters and most everyone else was Rubio or Jeb or Kasich. (A lot of them have since taken the Seph route of "eh could be worse" which is disappointing).

But they're all normal people. Good people that I like talking to. There were a couple that I cut out of my life, sure, for racism or sexism or homophobia. That is definitely a problem amongst republicans and you find some people that identify as republicans because I think that they think that their ideology is more aligned there, and that is certainly concerning. A literal Nazi just ran here in Illinois and garnered a share of the vote that was basically what the last republican challenger in that district got.

But you can't treat all republicans like they're the same. I see sometimes that sort of broad brush like "oh don't give Kasich any cookies for saying one good thing he's just as bad as Trump" when uh, no, not really. I think it is sort of bad to say Kasich and Trump are the same or Jeb! and Steve King are the same or things along that line. There is wrong, which is fine, and then there is harmful, which is not.

I am genuinely shocked you guys aren't friends with any republicans. You probably are and maybe don't know it. I live in a liberal city, grew up in a liberal suburb, come from a liberal family, voted liberal my entire life, but I still run into republicans all the time.

So to answer your question a bit more...just talk to them sometimes, I dunno. Doesn't even have to be about politics. I don't think we're as divided as we like to think and can let the loudest voices drive the conversation. I don't know how to fix people that go to the_donald or 4chan or show up at people's house and chant "we know where you live". They may be lost. Just don't let yourself get to that point. Keep talking to your parents and family. I think you're fine, honestly!

...you're probably just drunk.
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Moops?
"I thought you were making up diseases? That's spontaneous dental hydroplosion."