Anonymous #1 5d

Yeah I’m not denying it stems from that, but also they’re not free of guilt when they themselves are propping up and defending said broken institutions. It’s being a bystander at best, and complicit at worst

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Anonymous OP 5d

Well I mean yeah, that’s what they’ve been groomed to do for their entire educational career. It’s an innate reflex to defend it and the country in general. That being said at some point yes, we become adults and have to think critically about why we believe what we believe and many of them fail to do that.

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Anonymous #1 5d

What I’m pushing back against is this condescending moral assessment of all young people on the right who have these stupid beliefs. Yes they’re dumb but I’m not so delusional as to think that I wouldn’t be in the same boat if I was born in one of those places instead of a liberal city where I was raised. Calling people stupid for coming up in a system designed to make them stupid just isn’t a good move for people on the left

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Anonymous #1 5d

Exactly the point I’m trying to make. Yes, the education system put them in the position they’re in, but also past a point you’re a fucking adult. And it’s especially egregious when we live in such an age of information. Online sources, libraries, and so much else is out there

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Anonymous #1 5d

Idk not to pat myself on the back, but I came from a far right small rural town and am a massive leftist. I realized like others the education system sucks, and instead of going “welp I’m screwed” I buckled down and did shit abt it. Took a lot of effort, but it wasn’t hard - if that makes sense

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Anonymous OP 5d

Again tho I think we should humble ourselves a bit. How often do you take time out of your day to do research into the ways your beliefs may be wrong? How often would you do this if you have spent your entire life hearing that that research is almost always fraudulent? Cults are obviously harmful but the issue is the cult and the people who lead it, it’s not often a moral failing for getting caught up in one, especially if you have little else to lean on in a system that doesn’t care about you

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Anonymous OP 5d

I’t doesn’t really tbh. Things that take a lot of effort can usually be described as hard yk? It takes a knowledge of existing issues, the desire to change things, and the free time and energy to pursue new knowledge or change actions. Those conditions don’t exist for a lot of people, although I’m really glad they did for you. Not trying to downplay your own effort either, I’m sure it was significant, just saying that there are other factors at play too.

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Anonymous #1 5d

I don’t see why being in a cult can’t be both a failing of society as well as a personal failing for spreading lies bc you drank the kool aid? Things can explain behavior and perhaps lessen some responsibility without also totally exonerating someone in the process. It’s an extreme example, but you can have empathy for the people groomed by Charles Manson while also realizing they still killed people lol

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Anonymous #1 5d

Yeah prob not my best piece of writing, the sentence is confusing upon rereading it lmaooo

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Anonymous OP 5d

Happens to the best of us lol

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Anonymous #1 5d

That’s a fair point tho. Like a lot of things on here I think it just comes down to percentages yk? I think we can both agree that republicans are like that because of a combination of the government trying to keep them stupid and their own personal failures. Just seems like I put a bit more weight behind the system side whereas you maybe put a bit more weight behind the personal side. Who knows where the truth lies ig

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Anonymous #1 5d

I don’t think the truth lies on either side exclusively. It’s both. To what degree it is of each we can both debate on, but I think in the end we both fundamentally agree with one another!

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Anonymous OP 5d

lol yeah that’s what I just said, it’s not completely one or the other but some combination. Just disagree on the split there

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Anonymous #1 5d

So yeah don’t think I’m beating down on you or anything, just debating respectfully. Sometimes I can come across as harsh but really I’m just overly blunt to my own detriment

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