My first impulse when a MAGA/Trumpist type (who I've since blocked) scolded me about having no introspection about "my candidate" was to start asking about how much introspection they had in 2020 or to start up about the relative fitness of both candidates. That's just more of what I did 9 years now with exactly zero minds changed. That was one of the big reasons behind deciding to excise these people from my life. I'm spending hours and hours trying to do "the bridge" thing, bring concrete facts to have a basis of discussion around which we can talk about our opinions, working to see their point of view to some extent and try to have them see mine. In return for all that effort I get whataboutisms at best or taunting and an ever more extreme version of MAGA being embraced ever more tightly. There is no point in any of that. In general my default position has been that keeping the peace and staying measured is being the bigger man. It still is in most circumstances. But sometimes taking a stand for principles and pushing back is being the bigger man. Sometimes just walking away from people who have crossed the line and continue to do so gleefully is being the bigger man. "You are just hurting yourself by cutting friends/and family out." If I was doing this capriciously or over trifling things perhaps. This is not capricious, I've wrestled with this shit for years, and it is over very serious things which have gotten ever more grave over the last year. It was only once we crossed a threshold that is so far above what I can tolerate that I've chosen to do this. Cutting these people out and saying my piece rather than holding my peace is actually helping myself not hurting myself. #uspoli #rant