Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Dan

I’ve witnessed over the past few weeks the breaking apart of Twitter relationships over Trump support. Politics among friends is always a risky game, but we have to admit, the Trump experience is different. We’ve all witnessed the turn of a friend into a Trump supporter. Maybe it was slow, maybe it was fast, but suddenly your friend is on your timeline attacking you, when a few weeks ago you were defending them from the same type of attacks. It’s hard to fathom, and it’s tempting to try and salvage that relationship. Let me save you the trouble:  you can’t.  

The way cults work is you are either in or out, and there is no middle ground. While at first the relationship may seem amicable, it does not last long. Even if it is, the mentality of the Trump supporter is not something you want to see a friend engage in. You don’t want to see the stuff the newly indoctrinated Trumper will be posting in your timeline. It will make you uncomfortable, especially when they begin to mingle with the alt-right crowd. The alt-right crowd will not like you. The full on Trumpers will not like you. Whoever your friend was in the past, they aren’t the same now, They have new friends, and those friends won’t like you. The conflict with the new crowd may not happen right away, but it will happen, and your old friend will not have your back.

Now I understand the individuals who’ve decided to vote for Trump in the face of Hillary. But that choice is quite different from joining the propaganda team and plugging for him in typical intimidating and vile fashion. Even the reluctant Trump voters can suddenly be full on Trump enthusiasts. Normal friends can have differences of opinions, but this isn’t a time of normalcy. Save yourself the stress and heartache and block them out.

Never Trump is going to get thinner. Come November, it might be a smaller crowd than you think. The pressure to fold will be greater, and some of the people you thought would never switch sides will. I’ve seen good people beat up on people they once fought with. These were friends who have turned on them. It’s painful to witness. It’s going to get messy, messier than it’s been, and you don’t need to have your old friends attacking you. It’s a difficult thing, but I can’t imagine one relationship on Twitter worth enduring the full Trump mentality. Not one. So end it if you must, and you’ll be better off.