3 ms·

It's anecdotal, but the easiest way to understand them is to just travel to a conservative state and talk to them. Even if you won't agree, you'll see that they

by n2d4 2y ago

It's anecdotal, but the easiest way to understand them is to just travel to a conservative state and talk to them. Even if you won't agree, you'll see that they exist

delichon 2y ago
In the bluest district of the bluest state you still don't have to leave the neighborhood to find them. And visa versa.
karmakurtisaani 2y ago
To be fair, that is not easy in any practical sense of the word for most of us.
- lazyeye 2y ago
  lol...
- imoverclocked 2y ago
  I live outside the SF Bay Area in the hills. I'll vouch for the thought here. Several of my neighbors wear Trump's mark.
rightbyte 2y ago
Even in Harlem you'd probably don't have to walk more than 50 yards to talk to someone. It is strange how there is this superficial notion that areas are 'Blu' or 'Red'.
- n2d4 2y ago
  I thought the implicit assumption in their comment was that OP/grandparent isn't American.
  - rightbyte 2y ago
    Oh. Makes sense.
bigstrat2003 2y ago
And I would add, listen. Don't immediately check out mentally because you disagree with what they are saying, don't argue, simply listen and try to understand. It's really hard for humans to do, but it's important. You cannot hope to change minds or appeal to voters if you don't understand what motivates them in the first place. And when I say you have to understand people I mean truly understand, not intellectually lazy crap like "oh they're just stupid" or "they're racist" like you already see in this thread. Stupid/racist/etc people do exist, but that isn't most people and it isn't most Trump voters either. They are normal people with real concerns and needs, not caricatures of evil.
- gwd 2y ago
  I do try. The problem is, a lot of times what they're saying is just nonsense. "The economy is terrible" -- well, no it's not. We had some inflation a few years ago, but so did every other country in the world, and the US has had far lower than most other places. The Biden administration has been doing a great job with the economy. And you know those business people who want Trump to win because they want lower regulations? Yeah, they're not on your side -- they're trying to screw you over. You feel economic pressure, and so you're going to vote someone who's going to make it worse? "Libs are weaponizing the justice department" -- People who have flagrantly tried to flout laws and undermine our democracy need to be held accountable. I mean yeah, "Always prosecute the outgoing party" is something we want to avoid, but "Never prosecute anything any politician does" is just as bad, if not worse. And at any rate, if that's something you're actually concerned about, why is your solution to vote for "LOCK HER UP!" Trump? "Biden / Harris are just as bad" -- I mean, no? Trump literally sent an armed mob to attack his own vice president. Nothing you think the alleged "Biden crime family" comes anywhere close (and BTW there is no "Biden crime family"). "Immigrant gangs are invading our country" -- I mean, just no. Not everyone is like this, but a lot of people are just living in a fictional reality constructed by Fox, Newsmax, and now Musk.
  - thinkingemote 2y ago
    Try to listen to why they are saying these things. Find where you are similar not where you differ. Often I have found the same fears, desires and hopes in my opponents as myself. For example: "I want my children to grow up happy" From that level of similarity we can reach people. It takes effort.
justin66 2y ago
Well that's all wrong. You don't need to travel to find a Trump voter. And merely talking to them is not going to be sufficient to truly "understand" them. If only.
- thinkingemote 2y ago
  Talking to a person should be at least one thing to try to do to understand another person. It's not wrong to try to understand another.
  - justin66 2y ago
    Maybe it's just cope for the massive disappointment I'm feeling about the state of my country, but I'm somehow also disappointed that you could somehow read my comment and misunderstand it so badly. Of course I wasn't arguing that people should not talk to one another.
- xnx 2y ago
  It's probably even easier than that. Watch a Fox News, Newsmax, etc. for a full week. This will give you an 80% approximation.

by n2d4 2y ago

It's anecdotal, but the easiest way to understand them is to just travel to a conservative state and talk to them. Even if you won't agree, you'll see that they exist

delichon 2y ago

In the bluest district of the bluest state you still don't have to leave the neighborhood to find them. And visa versa.

karmakurtisaani 2y ago

To be fair, that is not easy in any practical sense of the word for most of us.

lazyeye 2y ago
lol...
imoverclocked 2y ago
I live outside the SF Bay Area in the hills. I'll vouch for the thought here. Several of my neighbors wear Trump's mark.

rightbyte 2y ago

Even in Harlem you'd probably don't have to walk more than 50 yards to talk to someone. It is strange how there is this superficial notion that areas are 'Blu' or 'Red'.

n2d4 2y ago
I thought the implicit assumption in their comment was that OP/grandparent isn't American.
- rightbyte 2y ago
  Oh. Makes sense.

bigstrat2003 2y ago

And I would add, listen. Don't immediately check out mentally because you disagree with what they are saying, don't argue, simply listen and try to understand. It's really hard for humans to do, but it's important. You cannot hope to change minds or appeal to voters if you don't understand what motivates them in the first place. And when I say you have to understand people I mean truly understand, not intellectually lazy crap like "oh they're just stupid" or "they're racist" like you already see in this thread. Stupid/racist/etc people do exist, but that isn't most people and it isn't most Trump voters either. They are normal people with real concerns and needs, not caricatures of evil.

gwd 2y ago
I do try. The problem is, a lot of times what they're saying is just nonsense. "The economy is terrible" -- well, no it's not. We had some inflation a few years ago, but so did every other country in the world, and the US has had far lower than most other places. The Biden administration has been doing a great job with the economy. And you know those business people who want Trump to win because they want lower regulations? Yeah, they're not on your side -- they're trying to screw you over. You feel economic pressure, and so you're going to vote someone who's going to make it worse? "Libs are weaponizing the justice department" -- People who have flagrantly tried to flout laws and undermine our democracy need to be held accountable. I mean yeah, "Always prosecute the outgoing party" is something we want to avoid, but "Never prosecute anything any politician does" is just as bad, if not worse. And at any rate, if that's something you're actually concerned about, why is your solution to vote for "LOCK HER UP!" Trump? "Biden / Harris are just as bad" -- I mean, no? Trump literally sent an armed mob to attack his own vice president. Nothing you think the alleged "Biden crime family" comes anywhere close (and BTW there is no "Biden crime family"). "Immigrant gangs are invading our country" -- I mean, just no. Not everyone is like this, but a lot of people are just living in a fictional reality constructed by Fox, Newsmax, and now Musk.
- thinkingemote 2y ago
  Try to listen to why they are saying these things. Find where you are similar not where you differ. Often I have found the same fears, desires and hopes in my opponents as myself. For example: "I want my children to grow up happy" From that level of similarity we can reach people. It takes effort.

justin66 2y ago

Well that's all wrong. You don't need to travel to find a Trump voter. And merely talking to them is not going to be sufficient to truly "understand" them. If only.

thinkingemote 2y ago
Talking to a person should be at least one thing to try to do to understand another person. It's not wrong to try to understand another.
- justin66 2y ago
  Maybe it's just cope for the massive disappointment I'm feeling about the state of my country, but I'm somehow also disappointed that you could somehow read my comment and misunderstand it so badly. Of course I wasn't arguing that people should not talk to one another.
xnx 2y ago
It's probably even easier than that. Watch a Fox News, Newsmax, etc. for a full week. This will give you an 80% approximation.