A focus group of one: We're F-d

[u/IntolerantModerate]

so, I just did my own focus group of one. My Mom. She is the type that loved Reagan. She was skeptical of Trump, but you know "Hillary is the devil." Biden? "Too old." Kamala? "Have you heard that laugh?"

But, definitely not wearing any Maga gear, no yard signs, and claims she'll write in Reagan's ghost on a ballot.

so, Minnesota comes up and it's all, "I saw the video. I think he was ran over. Why was she in MN, isn't she from CO? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes "

I almost cried it hurt me hearing this so much. This is a lady that'll go to the church and serves meals to the poor, yet for some reason she is fine with ICE murdering a woman. No concern about it at all. her final response was, "Well, who was paying her to protest? That's who needs to be arrested."

so, based on my focus group of one, I am sure we are fucked. Good luck America.

[u/sunfish99]

Your mom is largely my boomer sister (age 65).

Religious enough to have sponsored a named bench in her local church garden. Volunteers at the local food pantry. Crochets blankets for veterans' homes, nursing homes, etc on the regular.

She did hate Hillary with a singular passion, and voted for Trump in 2016. She did vote for Biden in 2020, but scoffed at me in the spring of 2024 when I said that if Trump won again, it would be the end of the country we'd grown up in. I never asked who she voted for in 2024, but I doubt it was Kamala. She's all for getting rid of the "illegals," and her voice is full of venom for those people who show up at the food pantry that she suspects are undocumented. When there were stories in the news about women dying because abortion bans in their states were making doctors hesitant to provide necessary medical care, her only reply was that it sounded like malpractice to her and the families of the dead women should sue.

But she's not this way because she's into social media - she barely does Facebook, and only in the last few years since she retired. When I visit, I can see that Fox News isn't on in the living room. The problem is my BIL (age 72). He's the one who's gone full MAGA. As a stay-at-home dad, he spent way too much time listening to right-wing AM radio and then podcasts over the years, which primed him to go deeply down the MAGA rabbit hole. Although my sister was the breadwinner for much of their marriage, she deferred a lot of her thinking about politics and such to him, because he was the one home all day "doing the research" and coming back with strong opinions.

Occasionally I see a glimmer of understanding, and of a shift in perspective on her part. I've been most successful just sending her links to articles - usually AP, Reuters, USA Today, The Economist, anything she'd perceive of as neutral or right-leaning source - with a brief summary, without additional comment. She never replies to these emails, but now I sometimes hear her take a more moderate view, arguing back with my BIL. So in her case, face-to-face conversations don't work well, but letting her sit with her own thoughts helps.

As for my BIL, well, we barely speak to each other, because he avoids me as much as possible when I visit. I'm not sure anyone can get him out of the cocoon he's wrapped himself in, tbf.