I Voted Democrat, Biden Won, and I Feel Completely Alone
According to a Facebook conversation, seeing humanity on “the other side” makes me an outcast
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You know how the Internet has a fantastic way of making you feel ashamed and bullied and angry as hell, all at the same time? If you don’t understand this sensation, you have probably never made a comment on a controversial Facebook thread. I should know better, but today I decided to comment. However, one thing might surprise you: The person I’m arguing with is liberal, just like me.
This isn’t a cross-political-divide misunderstanding. It’s a disagreement coming from the same “side.” Also read as: Democrats are not all the same, just like Republicans are not all the same. At least, we shouldn’t be.
A Facebook conversation about politics goes wrong
The thread came up in a private Facebook group, and here’s a brief overview of the conversation: Someone sort of famous posed in a Halloween costume based off The Purge Election Year movie poster that says “Keep America Great.” A lot of people in the thread were upset about it, and others said it wasn’t a big deal. This specific member said she couldn’t see how anyone could give this quasi-celebrity a pass for the costume.
To note, I never disagreed with her on that point. The costume was a bad idea. But I chimed in when talk began implying that all people who voted for Trump were “Purge murderers” or generally “dangerous.” And everyone seemed to be agreeing with those ideas.
And, hey, maybe you think that’s true. Personally, I don’t. I can’t. Some of my family members are staunch Trump supporters. Do I disagree with most of what they believe in? Of course. Do I think their belief systems can lead to dangerous outcomes for members of our broader community? Of course. Do I think only people who voted for Trump are capable of holding dangerous ideals? Absolutely not.
Here are some screenshots, for fun. I added arrows to the parts I’d like to focus on:
