Great article, Jenna. You seriously are my favorite author. Making sense with good humor and sarcasm. I'd love to be in on a conversation with you and someone trying to convince you of something. Also, good job kicking the idiot that called you stupid to the curb!
I saw Insufferable Twatwaffle at the Showbox in Seattle in '94. They were on a triple bill with Screaming Trees and Tad. I lost hearing in my left ear for a week!
I wish I’d said all that! Well said Jenna! This needs to be a NYTIMES op ed, if anyone still reads it. Or somehow reported on the MSM. The hair on the back of my neck goes up when I think of how we (the unvaxxed ) were treated during Covid. Still waiting for that apology.
The NY Times audience would not understand or appreciate her sarcasm. They would literally read each sentence as literal. Like…literally. OMG, I mean, I can’t even…
(To clarify for any actual NY Times readers who read this, I just declared that your entire readership has the reading and speaking skills of an 11yo valley girl from 1986.)
First, great article and to the point Jenna. Second, I never got vaxxed. Got a religious exemption and continued to work from home of course! And I'm not waiting for an apology. THOSE PEOPLE will never admit they were incorrect. Even my wife will not admit she was hoodwinked. She even got the boosters! Now, I'm concerned about her shedding. And then she asks me "Why are you taking nattokinease?" Some people just don't get it!
Concern about the shedding is a legitimate concern. If you notice any reactions, you may want to reach out to Dr. Kory. I was reactive to being around Vaxxed people and couldn’t go into a drugstore, ones who touted and administered the clot shots, without feeling dizzy and sick. Ivermectin helped a lot and Dr. Kory was a great help to me.
Hubs is that way, too. Apparently the blinding white lab coat is indeed, blinding.
Hubs just got his 4th-5th jab, and just for giggles, he got the flu and shingles jab as
well.
Since the 1st or 2nd jab, the man formerly
known as Healthiest Man Alive has had:
•A-Fib and surgery for it, with complications,
•Covid, 2-3x, 1 rough and 2 mild, I think?,
•2 MRIs for 1 ailment or
another,
•rotator cuff surgery,
•developed arthritis, bursitis and some other “-itis”— it’s hard to keep
track,
•several little bone issues, aches and pains,
•and more.
Yeah, I’m taking natto,
NAC, bromelain,
zinc, loads of C and not holding my breath for a, “Hmmm, you may have been onto something regarding these shots”. 😂 It’s a real head scratcher, but what are ya gonna do?
I think mine is so vaccinated and so full of venom and TDS that he equates anyone who appreciates anything Trump does as nuts. In addition, anyone who didn’t listen to Fauci and the 24/7 propaganda, I mean, “forthcoming wisdom” from the alphabet agencies is beyond nuts.
At 4-5 jabs to 0 jabs, PLUS his TDS to my “he’s nowhere near perfect but he beats the heck out of the alternative”, I don’t think he’s telling anyone I’m his love anymore.
For now, anyway, it’s likely a bridge too far.
But that’s ok.
Everything hidden will be revealed. Everything done is secret will be made known. THEN, the ones who just know we are nutcases will see.
I don’t meet with friends much during booster holiday season. No hugs. My husband got 1 JnJ and quit. No more flu shots. I’m old. I’ve never seen such free range idiocy and completely unhinged behavior. NEVER. EVER. For some, especially women (the cohort most likely to get them all), it’s the jabs. I’m sure of it. They have unscrewed some basic neurons relating to human decency. I’m sure of it.
We were literally treated as if we had the plague.
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Had a woman at the library I worked at for 14 years until 2019 yell at me from the farthest corner of our large library when no one else was there to put a mask on. I quote: “was a danger to everyone”. Oh, I had worked with this woman for several years. This was after everyone and their deluded brother had had at least 2 jabs. Took me a long time to go back in and longer before I ever spoke to her again. Another good friend said I couldn’t be around her because, again quote “you might kill me”.
Finally, someone has called out the Left for its stupidity that manifests on every level you can imagine: 1)accusing Republicans of being racist when it was Republicans who freed the slaves as well as being the party responsible for passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964; 2)yelling fascist and Hitler at everyone who isn't a Democrat while setting up barricades in streets, stopping traffic, and demanding identification in order to pass; 3)damaging Teslas, the car they wanted us all to buy because "we're all gonna die from CO2"; 4)mandating covid shots because Grandma might die while making abortion great again; 5)masks for everyone but not for ICE. If this were a movie, no one would watch.
Before my in-laws chose to excommunicate us from the family, the reason they gave was “you’re too opinionated”. They knew I wasn’t stupid, they just didn’t want me shedding my intelligence all over everyone. 🙄 So onward I lived for the next 25 years an overly opinionated person, without in-laws. 🤷🏼♀️ The price of speaking truth can be steep.
I dunno, I feel like if you watch The View you may be a candidate for execution; metaphorically speaking of course.
“Twatwaffle” well played! I’m going to reintroduce it to my lexicon. Used to be a staple.
And honest to God, it was actually Trump (and musk buying Twitter) who saved us from cementing one party rule at the federal level, also known as a dictatorship for all intents and purposes. Try dropping that truth grenade in the middle of a Starbucks.
the bit**** on the View are the most mean-spirited, hateful people ever!! talk about low frequency, yikes! half the time they don't even know the most basic information on a topic, they just spew forth the venom.
These people are just demented, not to mention stupid, ignorant, and blind. Sadly, my daughter and her husband are part of these people, and that breaks my heart.
I’d like to tell so many like your son what child trans really is. My only grandchild was lured into that evil child sacrifice program. Now minus breasts and reproductive organs at 19. The changes the last few days happened too late if my grandkid changes her mind. But many more may be saved. Thank God. Let me know. I’ll be glad to relate the truth to him. Or anyone else. I could give a fuck how they feel about it. Does he have kids? Vaporizing revenge is my punishment for the demons in skin suits involved and the Democrats. I will not forgive evil. . Why I was propelled out of the cult one morning when I questioned to myself why therapists, psychologists and doctors thought an autistic, vaccine damaged 13 yo should be “affirmed”. A still small voice replied; “ Because they are all in on it”.
I'm so so sorry about your grandchild. Yes, the entire medical cartel with few exceptions has been in on the take, transitioning kids. They are only just now going to pay for what they've done.
My son is old enough to know better; he has no children and voted for Biden.
I was thrown out of my former place of work very cruelly for no mask by my former coworkers, my sister disowned me for not vaxxing and the revelation of truth about trans happened to me in one very traumatic week of September 2021. God picked up the pieces. 🙏🏻🩷
John 8:36 - “If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.” Tri Torch, this is not the freedom Jenna is advocating for in her post today. The freedoms we all take for granted so much we have forgotten what the word means in a patriotic country context - where spoiled children have the right to lament their dissents because people have died to give them that right - THAT is the freedom under discussion today. Not religious freedom, important though that also is. (BTW Jenna, LOVED all the mom jokes, gonna memorize them!)
Jenna, slight revision here: But if your alleged authoritarian hellscape permits you to make scads of videos reaching thousands of followers calling for President Trump to be “unalived” (the left’s favorite new word), for ICE officers and their families to be doxxed and murdered, and for road blocks by Ice Watch marx…ooops…activists demanding travelers show papers/prove they are not ICE then maybe “authoritarian hellscape” IS more accurate than you think.
As to President Trump’s claim that women will let you grab their intimate body parts? He was telling the TRUTH. How many women can you think of offhand who have sugar daddies? Ashley Sinclair anyone?
I’ve never understood the brouhaha about that particular statement by Trump. It’s how men talk to each other, and we all know women who would absolutely allow it. It’s uncouth, but honestly I’ve heard worse.
I think we have plenty of fascism here to go around, it's just very rarely where the far left looks for it.
Military budgets that exceed what the military even asked for. Absurd gambling by big banks always backstopped by the Federal Reserve. A medical system totally (OK, maybe no longer TOTALLY) captured by big pharma--and don't forget how agriculture is subsidized to support big Ag.
So yeah, I see plenty of fascism, but you're correct, it's not the "send you to the gulag variety." We can say, to a large degree, whatever we want. It just makes no difference.
I love it: “There are plenty of insults you could fling at me that would be accurate,” I informed him by way of a breakup. “Hot-headed, demanding, defensive, defiant, opinionated, unfiltered, gets hangry if not fed every four hours—let me help you out—but make no mistake, stupid isn’t one of them.”
You are so right Jenna. We are given labels to complain about that don't fit the situation and that makes the statements entirely ineffective. We should be addressing the real issues and if we can't then we will soon be in the actual fascism that people are labeling us as already being at. I think it is part of the Overton window efforts. If enough people call it fascism and ignore the creeping authoritarianism, then one day we will be living under actual fascism and those people will happily say "See! I told you so."
While we are not a fascist country, yet, there are still some serious issues that make it not "Literal Land of the Free". We have a propaganda network that rivals many countries, even the worst ones. Some people avoid it and know it for what it is. Others are completely controlled by it to the extent that they cheer when a fellow citizen is killed for political reasons. That is not normal and it will not end well if left unchecked.
Another thought while reading your article: Your depiction of North Korea and other countries that we do trade with on a regular basis have some serious human rights issues. The US is self described as going around the globe and giving freedom to those that need it. That freedom only seems to apply to natural resources that we want to liberate from the ground, not people in distress. Imagine if our Defense Department/War Department, the UN or the WHO were used for fixing countries that couldn't watch TikTok for example instead of killing millions so we can get their oil.
This is another fantastic article! I especially like the paragraph that defines what a dictatorship is. (“A dictatorship is a place where people can’t complain. …”). Thanks for creating such a clear response to those who are actually afraid that Trump is leading us toward an authoritarian govt.
I think it’s also important to remember that those with TDS are genuinely afraid, and that their fear severely limits their ability to take in what we are saying.
During the day before the 2024 election, and before the results came in, I noticed how hugely frightened I was about what I imagined would happen if the Harris/Walz ticket were to win. That fear made me realize that many who wanted Harris/Walz to win were equally afraid of what they imagined would happen if Trump/Vance won. I vowed then to remember how paralyzing that fear can be, and to understand if the other side remained as afraid after Trump won as I would be today if Kamala had won.
On that election day I also happened to be staying with longtime close friends who were obviously praying hard for a Harris/Walz win, and the next morning there was a distinct hush of fear in their home. Their level of fear was every bit as strong as mine would have been had Kamala won. I remained quiet, holding space for them to process what had happened, and open to talking about whatever they wanted to talk about.
I believe it’s helpful to keep in mind how deeply afraid they really are, and to find ways to do whatever we can to help them understand that Trump’s policies are truly aimed at rebuilding the U.S. economy, as well as our health, and that the mis-steps like the ICE shootings are being corrected.
It’s not easy to find ways to bridge the gap, but anyway I think the only way to influence the other side is to understand that they are as deeply terrified as someone like me would be if Kamala were in charge.
Excellent point! I'm writing something similar right now (for the IMA) about Covid vaccines... and how the fanatics GENUINELY thought we would all perish without them (and how we thought/knew they were BS). But at the end of the day, we both wanted the same thing...
I don't know whether or not this is helpful, but the (lovable) "fanatics" that I know are still sure that we would all have perished without the Covid injections. (You can't make this stuff up!) Plus, I'm pretty sure they think that people like me who opted out of the shots are the "fanatics".
A friend of mine told me she is planning to get a Covid booster before an upcoming trip on a small 15-pasenger ship, because she came down with Covid at the end of her last trip on a ship in 2022. Apparently she believes her Covid shot before the 2022 trip was too far ahead of time. (Those clever doctors who solved that mystery!)
She has progressed from wanting only those who are vaccinated to be invited to potluck reunions with college friends, to now being happy about sharing the small room on the ship with me (as long as she is boosted ahead of time). This is very real progress for the TDS friends I know.
Apparently now, in their minds, we were all saved because of all the people who took the first two shots and the first booster, and now the smart people continue to take the boosters to avoid getting sick from the milder strains. (Good luck trying to talk them out of that logic!)
Anyway, hope you're able to write a piece that opens some new possibilities for them.
Jenna, it seems like every time I read your posts, they make me smile (and laugh out loud at times). It's kind of like you're funny or something, but still manage to get across some salient points. Keep up the good work. ☃️
Great article, Jenna. You seriously are my favorite author. Making sense with good humor and sarcasm. I'd love to be in on a conversation with you and someone trying to convince you of something. Also, good job kicking the idiot that called you stupid to the curb!
🤗🩷🤣
I switched her to "first place".
She's more to the point
and less "lawyerly"
And we get the precious added "snark" to go with.
Seriously.............................
Has Jeff ever come up with "Insufferable Twatwaffle"?
I saw Insufferable Twatwaffle at the Showbox in Seattle in '94. They were on a triple bill with Screaming Trees and Tad. I lost hearing in my left ear for a week!
😂😂😂
That title goes to Jeff for me, but she's clearly giving him a run for his money 🤣🤑😂
Now, now… We aren’t supposed to choose a favorite child.
BOTH bring laughter, light, sunshine, hilarity, snark, and thought provoking plain-speak to the table, daily.
And we are eternally grateful!
One is clearly easier on the Eyes. YMMV
😂
I never said which one
😂
For me, it's a tie between Jenna and Jeff as my favorite substacks. I love them both!
Me too. Each of the them together supplies what they are absolutely BEST at and helps me make sense of this crazy time. I’m so grateful.
Jenna leaves Jeff in the dust because she doesn’t insult the way people look. Or at least, not that I’ve seen. Both of them make me LOL!
It's Single Issue vs Multiple Issues. Jeff is just a bigger Daily Plate. But it may be a tie on Analysis.
Thank you Wendy for saying exactly what I was thinking, and spoken much better than I would have.
I wish I’d said all that! Well said Jenna! This needs to be a NYTIMES op ed, if anyone still reads it. Or somehow reported on the MSM. The hair on the back of my neck goes up when I think of how we (the unvaxxed ) were treated during Covid. Still waiting for that apology.
The NY Times audience would not understand or appreciate her sarcasm. They would literally read each sentence as literal. Like…literally. OMG, I mean, I can’t even…
(To clarify for any actual NY Times readers who read this, I just declared that your entire readership has the reading and speaking skills of an 11yo valley girl from 1986.)
😂💯🤩😎
😂😂😂
First, great article and to the point Jenna. Second, I never got vaxxed. Got a religious exemption and continued to work from home of course! And I'm not waiting for an apology. THOSE PEOPLE will never admit they were incorrect. Even my wife will not admit she was hoodwinked. She even got the boosters! Now, I'm concerned about her shedding. And then she asks me "Why are you taking nattokinease?" Some people just don't get it!
Concern about the shedding is a legitimate concern. If you notice any reactions, you may want to reach out to Dr. Kory. I was reactive to being around Vaxxed people and couldn’t go into a drugstore, ones who touted and administered the clot shots, without feeling dizzy and sick. Ivermectin helped a lot and Dr. Kory was a great help to me.
Hubs is that way, too. Apparently the blinding white lab coat is indeed, blinding.
Hubs just got his 4th-5th jab, and just for giggles, he got the flu and shingles jab as
well.
Since the 1st or 2nd jab, the man formerly
known as Healthiest Man Alive has had:
•A-Fib and surgery for it, with complications,
•Covid, 2-3x, 1 rough and 2 mild, I think?,
•2 MRIs for 1 ailment or
another,
•rotator cuff surgery,
•developed arthritis, bursitis and some other “-itis”— it’s hard to keep
track,
•several little bone issues, aches and pains,
•and more.
Yeah, I’m taking natto,
NAC, bromelain,
zinc, loads of C and not holding my breath for a, “Hmmm, you may have been onto something regarding these shots”. 😂 It’s a real head scratcher, but what are ya gonna do?
That’s wonderful to hear!
I think mine is so vaccinated and so full of venom and TDS that he equates anyone who appreciates anything Trump does as nuts. In addition, anyone who didn’t listen to Fauci and the 24/7 propaganda, I mean, “forthcoming wisdom” from the alphabet agencies is beyond nuts.
At 4-5 jabs to 0 jabs, PLUS his TDS to my “he’s nowhere near perfect but he beats the heck out of the alternative”, I don’t think he’s telling anyone I’m his love anymore.
For now, anyway, it’s likely a bridge too far.
But that’s ok.
Everything hidden will be revealed. Everything done is secret will be made known. THEN, the ones who just know we are nutcases will see.
I don’t meet with friends much during booster holiday season. No hugs. My husband got 1 JnJ and quit. No more flu shots. I’m old. I’ve never seen such free range idiocy and completely unhinged behavior. NEVER. EVER. For some, especially women (the cohort most likely to get them all), it’s the jabs. I’m sure of it. They have unscrewed some basic neurons relating to human decency. I’m sure of it.
It will be a very frigid day in hell before the miscreants issue an apology.
I sort of get PTSD reading or thinking about the jackboots. I did defy them at every turn and opportunity. They are the definition of STUPID!
We were literally treated as if we had the plague.
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Amen sister...
Had a woman at the library I worked at for 14 years until 2019 yell at me from the farthest corner of our large library when no one else was there to put a mask on. I quote: “was a danger to everyone”. Oh, I had worked with this woman for several years. This was after everyone and their deluded brother had had at least 2 jabs. Took me a long time to go back in and longer before I ever spoke to her again. Another good friend said I couldn’t be around her because, again quote “you might kill me”.
...and the scales fell from your eyes, you were finally able to see into their hearts. And it is all on them. <3
Still laughing at “vagina beanies”. Love the daily dose of laughter, you’re the best!! Much needed these days!!! 😉😂
I'm not sure anyone reads the toilet paper anymore.
Not the WP—they are busy firing “I’m not a journalist. I just play one in the newspapers” folk.
Hope you get that apology sooner rather than later --- the "Died Suddenly" graph doesn't favor the multi-vaxxed cohort
Finally, someone has called out the Left for its stupidity that manifests on every level you can imagine: 1)accusing Republicans of being racist when it was Republicans who freed the slaves as well as being the party responsible for passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964; 2)yelling fascist and Hitler at everyone who isn't a Democrat while setting up barricades in streets, stopping traffic, and demanding identification in order to pass; 3)damaging Teslas, the car they wanted us all to buy because "we're all gonna die from CO2"; 4)mandating covid shots because Grandma might die while making abortion great again; 5)masks for everyone but not for ICE. If this were a movie, no one would watch.
"Hot headed, opinionated, unfiltered"..... You forgot funny as hell!!!
🤗🩷
Before my in-laws chose to excommunicate us from the family, the reason they gave was “you’re too opinionated”. They knew I wasn’t stupid, they just didn’t want me shedding my intelligence all over everyone. 🙄 So onward I lived for the next 25 years an overly opinionated person, without in-laws. 🤷🏼♀️ The price of speaking truth can be steep.
Juju - Overly opinionated person who speaks the truth …. My favorite kind of person! Keep being you!! 🥰👌
OMG! The post I’ve been waiting for and didn’t know it. You took the *stupid* words right outta my mouth… love it.
Your mama so dumb she thought a quarterback was a refund!
I dunno, I feel like if you watch The View you may be a candidate for execution; metaphorically speaking of course.
“Twatwaffle” well played! I’m going to reintroduce it to my lexicon. Used to be a staple.
And honest to God, it was actually Trump (and musk buying Twitter) who saved us from cementing one party rule at the federal level, also known as a dictatorship for all intents and purposes. Try dropping that truth grenade in the middle of a Starbucks.
the bit**** on the View are the most mean-spirited, hateful people ever!! talk about low frequency, yikes! half the time they don't even know the most basic information on a topic, they just spew forth the venom.
Re: the "ex-boyfriend" who called you "stupid."
One wonders how many times since then he has thought, "God, I am so stupid" for letting you get away.
Aweeeee 😭🩷
These people are just demented, not to mention stupid, ignorant, and blind. Sadly, my daughter and her husband are part of these people, and that breaks my heart.
Small comfort, I know, but my family is littered with them. My son once informed me that accepting transgenderism is only about being nice to others.
I’d like to tell so many like your son what child trans really is. My only grandchild was lured into that evil child sacrifice program. Now minus breasts and reproductive organs at 19. The changes the last few days happened too late if my grandkid changes her mind. But many more may be saved. Thank God. Let me know. I’ll be glad to relate the truth to him. Or anyone else. I could give a fuck how they feel about it. Does he have kids? Vaporizing revenge is my punishment for the demons in skin suits involved and the Democrats. I will not forgive evil. . Why I was propelled out of the cult one morning when I questioned to myself why therapists, psychologists and doctors thought an autistic, vaccine damaged 13 yo should be “affirmed”. A still small voice replied; “ Because they are all in on it”.
I'm so so sorry about your grandchild. Yes, the entire medical cartel with few exceptions has been in on the take, transitioning kids. They are only just now going to pay for what they've done.
My son is old enough to know better; he has no children and voted for Biden.
I was thrown out of my former place of work very cruelly for no mask by my former coworkers, my sister disowned me for not vaxxing and the revelation of truth about trans happened to me in one very traumatic week of September 2021. God picked up the pieces. 🙏🏻🩷
Your last sentence matters more than anything else. God will never abandon or disown you.
John 8:36 - “If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.” Tri Torch, this is not the freedom Jenna is advocating for in her post today. The freedoms we all take for granted so much we have forgotten what the word means in a patriotic country context - where spoiled children have the right to lament their dissents because people have died to give them that right - THAT is the freedom under discussion today. Not religious freedom, important though that also is. (BTW Jenna, LOVED all the mom jokes, gonna memorize them!)
Agree completely! Political freedom and spiritual freedom ain't the same.
By the end of the day (or much sooner!), may you have 1000 Likes, Jenna.
At least!
Jenna, slight revision here: But if your alleged authoritarian hellscape permits you to make scads of videos reaching thousands of followers calling for President Trump to be “unalived” (the left’s favorite new word), for ICE officers and their families to be doxxed and murdered, and for road blocks by Ice Watch marx…ooops…activists demanding travelers show papers/prove they are not ICE then maybe “authoritarian hellscape” IS more accurate than you think.
As to President Trump’s claim that women will let you grab their intimate body parts? He was telling the TRUTH. How many women can you think of offhand who have sugar daddies? Ashley Sinclair anyone?
I’ve never understood the brouhaha about that particular statement by Trump. It’s how men talk to each other, and we all know women who would absolutely allow it. It’s uncouth, but honestly I’ve heard worse.
I think we have plenty of fascism here to go around, it's just very rarely where the far left looks for it.
Military budgets that exceed what the military even asked for. Absurd gambling by big banks always backstopped by the Federal Reserve. A medical system totally (OK, maybe no longer TOTALLY) captured by big pharma--and don't forget how agriculture is subsidized to support big Ag.
So yeah, I see plenty of fascism, but you're correct, it's not the "send you to the gulag variety." We can say, to a large degree, whatever we want. It just makes no difference.
I love it: “There are plenty of insults you could fling at me that would be accurate,” I informed him by way of a breakup. “Hot-headed, demanding, defensive, defiant, opinionated, unfiltered, gets hangry if not fed every four hours—let me help you out—but make no mistake, stupid isn’t one of them.”
You are so right Jenna. We are given labels to complain about that don't fit the situation and that makes the statements entirely ineffective. We should be addressing the real issues and if we can't then we will soon be in the actual fascism that people are labeling us as already being at. I think it is part of the Overton window efforts. If enough people call it fascism and ignore the creeping authoritarianism, then one day we will be living under actual fascism and those people will happily say "See! I told you so."
While we are not a fascist country, yet, there are still some serious issues that make it not "Literal Land of the Free". We have a propaganda network that rivals many countries, even the worst ones. Some people avoid it and know it for what it is. Others are completely controlled by it to the extent that they cheer when a fellow citizen is killed for political reasons. That is not normal and it will not end well if left unchecked.
Another thought while reading your article: Your depiction of North Korea and other countries that we do trade with on a regular basis have some serious human rights issues. The US is self described as going around the globe and giving freedom to those that need it. That freedom only seems to apply to natural resources that we want to liberate from the ground, not people in distress. Imagine if our Defense Department/War Department, the UN or the WHO were used for fixing countries that couldn't watch TikTok for example instead of killing millions so we can get their oil.
This is another fantastic article! I especially like the paragraph that defines what a dictatorship is. (“A dictatorship is a place where people can’t complain. …”). Thanks for creating such a clear response to those who are actually afraid that Trump is leading us toward an authoritarian govt.
I think it’s also important to remember that those with TDS are genuinely afraid, and that their fear severely limits their ability to take in what we are saying.
During the day before the 2024 election, and before the results came in, I noticed how hugely frightened I was about what I imagined would happen if the Harris/Walz ticket were to win. That fear made me realize that many who wanted Harris/Walz to win were equally afraid of what they imagined would happen if Trump/Vance won. I vowed then to remember how paralyzing that fear can be, and to understand if the other side remained as afraid after Trump won as I would be today if Kamala had won.
On that election day I also happened to be staying with longtime close friends who were obviously praying hard for a Harris/Walz win, and the next morning there was a distinct hush of fear in their home. Their level of fear was every bit as strong as mine would have been had Kamala won. I remained quiet, holding space for them to process what had happened, and open to talking about whatever they wanted to talk about.
I believe it’s helpful to keep in mind how deeply afraid they really are, and to find ways to do whatever we can to help them understand that Trump’s policies are truly aimed at rebuilding the U.S. economy, as well as our health, and that the mis-steps like the ICE shootings are being corrected.
It’s not easy to find ways to bridge the gap, but anyway I think the only way to influence the other side is to understand that they are as deeply terrified as someone like me would be if Kamala were in charge.
Excellent point! I'm writing something similar right now (for the IMA) about Covid vaccines... and how the fanatics GENUINELY thought we would all perish without them (and how we thought/knew they were BS). But at the end of the day, we both wanted the same thing...
Hooray for writing that piece, too!
I don't know whether or not this is helpful, but the (lovable) "fanatics" that I know are still sure that we would all have perished without the Covid injections. (You can't make this stuff up!) Plus, I'm pretty sure they think that people like me who opted out of the shots are the "fanatics".
A friend of mine told me she is planning to get a Covid booster before an upcoming trip on a small 15-pasenger ship, because she came down with Covid at the end of her last trip on a ship in 2022. Apparently she believes her Covid shot before the 2022 trip was too far ahead of time. (Those clever doctors who solved that mystery!)
She has progressed from wanting only those who are vaccinated to be invited to potluck reunions with college friends, to now being happy about sharing the small room on the ship with me (as long as she is boosted ahead of time). This is very real progress for the TDS friends I know.
Apparently now, in their minds, we were all saved because of all the people who took the first two shots and the first booster, and now the smart people continue to take the boosters to avoid getting sick from the milder strains. (Good luck trying to talk them out of that logic!)
Anyway, hope you're able to write a piece that opens some new possibilities for them.
Jenna, it seems like every time I read your posts, they make me smile (and laugh out loud at times). It's kind of like you're funny or something, but still manage to get across some salient points. Keep up the good work. ☃️