@ChippySuave Sometimes, not talking can be the right choice.

My Dad no longer talks to me because of my break from the Republicans. I hope, someday, I can tell him stories of where I've been, where I am now, and he can relate to those.

My sister talks to me, as long as I don't make anything political.

But, she's gone from "I hate gay people" to "I don't like gay people". It's slow progress, but it's progress.

I take the little wins and secretly fist pump that I've made it that far with her.

@blizzn01 It is true, but the heart of the Republican party does not represent my heart any more.

I thought it did once, but I was wrong.

I have to travel.

@Rowdy There's that saying. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

But, if you lead the horse to water, and drink the water yourself without making the horse drink. Eventually, the horse might get thirsty and drink with you.

@f3dUp73xan I'm happy to be somewhere where I can talk openly and feel welcomed while doing so.

Nowhere else could I say "I was a Republican" without getting "How could you be that?? How were you so stupid, blind, ignorant??" etc.

If they have any unspoken questions or thoughts or reservations. Let them confront those on their own. They, like me, like I had to, have to willingly step outside of the comfort bubble.

And most importantly, it's not about manipulating them. The stories have to be real, they have to have heart. Share the lives of your friends, their realities, their happiness, and only their struggles when they ask their own questions.

It's what I'm doing for my sister, brother, cousins, younger Republicans.

If anything had been told to me with a "Democratic" take, I would have rejected it then. Just dismissed it without listening.

So, if you have a Republican friend, or family member. Just share stories of people you know; good ones, funny ones, sad ones. Don't give it any political side. Let the stories sink in, slowly, let them relate.

I promise you, it will help in the long run. It's hard, it's not easy, and you might have to listen to yucky retorts. Just, tell them the stories.

4/x

Through this story telling and her own provoked interest, she begins to connect the dots that "these are people like me, with struggles like me".

Through the shared struggles, the layers of hate get shedded and shredded, slowly, one by one.

I know this method works, because it's what some of my friends did for me, sometimes, paving a way for me to see my own injustices.

I couldn't be told, directly. I had to be shown, connected, through stories of people that I heard and saw.

3/x

When I talk to people like my sister, who I am trying to pull out of the Republican bubble:

I tell her stories of the people the people I meet. I humanize them, without giving her any background on their politics. Just funny life stories, etc.

As I tell her stories about people, she gets interested in them. As she goes, I slip in more details like they are gay without making it a fight. Just a passing comment about their life.

I humanizing people she "don't like" through mundane stories. 2/x

Here's my "Republican experience" on why it is so hard to reach Republicans like my family, and what it might take to reach them.

From my life, the bulk of Republicans, the older people, like my parents, aunts/uncles, and grandparents, etc. They rarely use anything outside of Facebook. Most of their world view is carved from Fox and local news. The rest is mailers, emails, and robo calls from Republican leaders.

I was the same, even as a younger-ish Republican.

So, how do I reach them? 1/x

@Cuchulu I'm a fighter, so once I get my footing, I will be standing with you shoulder to shoulder.

@ChippySuave Thank you! This is something I find very different and much more refreshing, the varied ideas.

With my family, almost everyone is unified in a single direction. Even if they disagree, they tow a solid line in one direction. If you're not with them, you're against them. There's no wiggle room for questions or "what if". Those of us in my family who are not rigidly "Trump Trump Trump" are being ostracized, and then they blame us for being full of hate.

@GregLahann I promise to do my very best! If I faulter, I hope someone tells me how or why.

@irishcoleen The last several months have been a hard pill to swallow that I've been on the wrong side of the fight.

Hard to swallow, and even harder to own up to.

We can be our own worst enemies.

I'm a recently recovering Republican. I've been steeped deep in the red much of my life.

There's a lot I don't understand about progressive politics, but I'm trying to learn.

I want to thank the CoSo people who are patient with me, understand where I come from, and who understand the road isn't easy to travel from right to left.

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful that I can see a wider range of views, and learn what you already know with an open mind and open heart.

Thank you, CoSo! ❤️

@ChippySuave This is a Thanksgiving only thing?

Oops, my bad.

@effythewild I believe uncomfortable is a good place to be. Uncomfortable is what inspires us to challenge ourselves and change ourselves.

Comfort keeps us to heel, in one spot.

When we're uncomfortable, we move, and we grow.

@DavidSalo I will add to this.

Question what you believe more than anyone else ever would or ever could.

My biggest mistake, and biggest regret, was not being critical of my own awareness and my own beliefs.

I know I hurt people because I didn't do that, and I'll never know the damage I caused by not being critical of what I believed.