SLASH'S PROFILE

Both sides share people who are irate, people who overreact, people who scream instead of listen, people who make sweeping generalizations, people who will cry when their candidate loses.

But, the clincher is - only one side's politicians have promised to exile people based on their religion, caters to white supremacists, and fights for extremist fundamental Christian law over people's personal freedoms of sexual orientation and their own physical bodies. So, I can empathize a lot more with protesting when it is fighting against those beliefs.

author=InfectionFiles
edit: I'm also not lying, people are actually going nuts and thinking Trump is the anti-Christ and when he hits office that a great tidal of flames will engulf our youth and country.

Trump is not the anti-Christ, Trump is in many ways a very average human being who grew up in our country, was influenced by our society, became rich and gained his own influence, and is now using that influence to spread what he was taught by society: that people who are different than "us" are worse than us - that they are violent, that they are less intelligent, that they are savage, that they are unstable, that they are corrupt. That there is no common ground to be had between us, only mistrust and safety.

Trump is the epitome of many typical people in our country and our world today. He got elected because he *does* represent a lot of people in this country, and that's why people feel unsafe.


It's easy to make jokes about this from our own personal bubbles of safety - one you may not even realize you have - but the promotion of Trump's misguided fear and panic is a very scary and real threat to a lot of people.

Make a small, short, focused, and polished game with a more specific audience that doesn't get a lot of love from AAA developers. As an indie dev, this is your greatest advantage.

I guess the long & short of my post is: none of us should have to put up with or accept bigotry, but addressing it is going to involve more complexity & critical thought than just tearing into or writing off people who voted for Trump.

You're fine, Rose :) I know where you're coming from.


So here's a lazy hot take: I understand the mentality of ridding Trump voters from your life, unfriending them on Facebook, etc. And, while I don't think anyone should personally be required to put up with someone who has hurt them, I'd say this: these people are your fellow humans. We pass each other on the street and stand next to them at work. If they're your friends or family, they likely care about you, personally, and, hopefully, respect you personally.

Most of them aren't outright racist, sexist in the literal "we are in the KKK sense". Instead, they are lazily racist, sexist - like a lot of us were when we were teenagers, and like a lot of us still are today. They are capable of ignoring outright racism, and capable of underestimating its power and its effects. They won't say terrible things themselves, but they're not really bothered by it, either. They may not understand the implications of supporting a person who is obliquely racist, sexist, homophobic. They don't understand why their implicit support of that hatred affects so many of us and makes so many of us afraid.

And so I'd argue: these are people worth talking to on a real, personal, critical level. Empathize with their thought process and get them to empathize with you. Some people will never change their minds, but... These are people we share the world with, and I believe communication and critical discussion will help create the bonds we need going forward. Take care of yourself and the people around you who need help, first. But, there is a gap to be bridged, and a bridge that needs building. I can't count on anyone else to build it for us.