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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI Was A Trump Troll:
Still plenty of those around (and very close) but this guy saw the light.
Link to tweet
Link to tweet
jaysunb
(11,856 posts)mythology
(9,527 posts)We didn't get to a place where people would vote for Trump overnight. We aren't going to pull back from it overnight either.
BigmanPigman
(51,609 posts)I hope is highly contiguous.
catbyte
(34,402 posts)I used to be That Guy. I always voted Republican. I watched Fox News. I read clickbait articles on Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. I echoed these slanted talking points when I was a Radio show guest prior to the 2016 Presidential General Election. In one sense, I was just your average, conservative, pro-Israel Jewish American. Yet, I was also a full-fledged, unapologetic, red-hat wearing Trumper.
When the General Election came and it was between Trump and Clinton, my choice was easy. I did not even think to research any of Clintons accomplishments as First Lady, Senator, or Secretary of State like most conservatives, I just focused on her seemingly never ending scandals. I was part of the LOCK HER UP chorus, even though she was thoroughly investigated and cleared by the FBI. I did, and perhaps still do, feel Clintons leadership was lacking during and after the Benghazi attack, but many among the MAGA crowd blamed her personally for the resultant deaths, and I joined in. Trump, on the other hand, was hailed as a friend of Israel and the Jewish people. Yet, unlike with Clinton, I looked only at Trumps accomplishments, ignored his failures and defended or even celebrated his bad behavior. Consequently, I put all my efforts into helping elect him.
While aboard the Trump Train, I met many Trump supporters who felt stigmatized or ignored on Twitter. They introduced me to specific Direct Message (DM) groups where they felt their voice could be heard without judgement from RINOs or Liberals. These DM groups also served as a sort of amplifier, where one would submit their tweets to get many followers and retweets. A top MAGA Twitter account would quote someone they didnt like, Trump supporters would then swarm in and malign that individual for dissenting thought. At the time, I didnt think about how vile many of these tweets were, even while sending them out myself. I felt at home, as these Twitter accounts were supposedly conservative, pro-God, pro-guns, pro-flag, and pro-secure borders. For those foolish enough to critique any of those values, there was a Twitter mob eagerly waiting to attack. I was part of that mob.
Then came the moment that changed my life in politics and social media. I accused Sarah Silverman and liberals as a whole (since conservative pundits and media do this) of caring more about Illegals than American Veterans. To my surprise, Sarah Silverman replied, and the resulting dialogue was respectful. Months went by and we interacted more on Twitter on issues like gun reform, DACA, and abortion. Not only did I learn from her, but I learned from her followers who showed me why they fight for these rights. I discovered sources with journalistic integrity which debunked the lies and generalizations that conservative media often report. I slowly began reevaluating my principles.
snip
Read more: https://forward.com/scribe/402478/i-was-a-trump-troll/
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The rest of the article is worth reading--especially the part where MAGAts began attacking him personally. Then he saw the hate that really existed aboard The Trump Train.
pangaia
(24,324 posts)Accomplishments? I wonder what those might be?
unblock
(52,253 posts)BigmanPigman
(51,609 posts)She helped a lot of people it seems.
VOX
(22,976 posts)How does an ultra-right wing, pro-Gawd, pro-guns, pro-flag, and pro-border wall, full-on Trumpist do a complete 180-degree turn, eschewing all the things he so fervently believed in the past year?
Common sense dictates that you cannot just shed all those negative behaviors and extreme ideology as if it were a mere change of clothes.
He says he "engaged with" Sarah Silverman on Twitter, which got him to lean the other way, but I still don't comprehend how quickly someone positioned on the far right can claim to have dropped ALL vituperative, negative thoughts for Democrats/Liberals.
I'm a congenital skeptic, and Davis Weismann's narrative makes his warp-speed conversion all the more to head-scratching.
catbyte
(34,402 posts)madamesilverspurs
(15,805 posts)I used to be a Republican. And there are those here on DU who have never forgiven me for that. Doesn't matter how many decades in the past that was, for them there is no forgiving. When I shared about my nonagenarian mother leaving the GOP after 70 years, a couple of those 'unforgivers' ripped her to shreds, too. Having been through that particular meat-grinder, I find it more useful to give the benefit of the doubt; if I'm wrong, it's on me, and the same applies if I'm right. I learned from my mistakes, why would I think others can't do likewise? Doesn't mean they become my new BFF, just means I'm willing to cut them a bit of slack.
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FakeNoose
(32,645 posts)If this guy can turn himself around, it suggests to me that he was never a lost cause to begin with. He has some intelligence and perspective now, but it means he had it before the election too. He just never paid attention before, and maybe there were other negative behaviors. Misogyny comes to mind, also wanting to connect with the bros, identifying with the Rush Limbaugh lovers, etc. If the hate-media had just toned down their racist-hateful messages during the campaign season, guys like this probably wouldn't have have been so caught up in it.
C Moon
(12,213 posts)I think what I have issue with is that they do it time and time again. After Bush/Cheney almost sent us spiraling into another Great Depression (for which Obama was there for usI remember: it was a dark few months), they admitted they were wrong. Then Trump came along, and they happily followed him. It will happen again.
Talking this through, I'm already getting bitter again.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Because of the issues about being a traitor, as well as the historically awful boasting about grabbing women, making fun of a disabled reporter and mocking him, and all the lies and the rest.
Why do we forgive? It's human nature, probably. But forgiving doesn't mean forgetting or not taking care to keep our eyes open.
Someone who is on the far right is not a liberal. He will reject the liberal goals sooner or later, because he doesn't believe in that. But for the time being, he is doing what he can to oust Trump. And for now, that's good enough.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Snake Plissken
(4,103 posts)We now have a Russian asset in the White House.
JHan
(10,173 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Kudos to him.