Invasion of the MAGA body snatchers: How many friends have you lost to madness?

[marmar]

Invasion of the MAGA body snatchers: How many friends have you lost to madness?
What can we do when intelligent, well-meaning people we've known for years start to "do their own research"?

By Mike Lofgren
Contributing Writer
Published October 20, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) He was, looking back on it, a close friend, although we didn’t debate the state of our souls, something dorm room freshmen of all ages typically discuss. The subjects we chewed over were almost exclusively technical topics, or history, or the sprawling, self-serving institution that Dwight Eisenhower christened the military-industrial complex. He worked at the Pentagon and I was a military analyst on Capitol Hill, and we both took a skeptical stance towards government bureaucracies, having seen them from the inside.

....(snip)....

Then there were a couple of earnest government reformers. God knows, having worked a whole career in government, I understood their critique of its baroque and sclerotic routines. But after a while, meaning after the advent of Trump, their humorless, groping sincerity, which I indulged because of course they “meant well,” curdled into flat-out fascist goose-stepping. There were a handful of others, but all followed the same pattern of being erstwhile intelligent, well-read people, successful in their professional spheres, who went down the rabbit hole. It’s as if they were taken over by a simulacrum, as in “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

Do you know people like these? I’m not talking about crazy uncles who ruin your Thanksgiving dinner; they’ve been crude and witless since the time you were a little kid who avoided them. I’m referring to intelligent, well-read acquaintances who’ve strangely changed in the last decade; they might not say they’ve become Trump supporters or reactionaries in general, but the sole thrust of their argument is “something-something woke.” Or “Democrats are the real problem.” All too often, this mindset devolves into rants about weather modification or COVID vaccines as a mind-control project.

As I reach the twilight years of a halfway decent run, I have to wonder: Were that many Americans always as crazy as they appear to be now? It didn’t seem so, or perhaps I wasn’t paying attention. The internet might have had something to do with it; now everybody’s an expert. Changes in social conduct might have a role: Folks in years past might have harbored crazy thoughts, but were reluctant to let their freak flags fly. Or it could be the Trump effect: a demonstrably sociopathic leader braying like a demented jackass and beamed into every household might have given Americans permission to express their own previously hidden darkness. .............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2024/10/20/invasion-of-the-maga-body-snatchers-how-many-friends-have-you-lost-to-madness/

[Diraven]

1. Both my parents retired

Now they watch Fox News all day every day. Every time I visit most all we talk about is the latest awful things they've heard about Biden and Kamala.

[Deep State Witch]

2. At Least One

My mom's former housekeeper in the Pittsburgh area. I kept in touch with her after mom died in 2014. She started going full MAGA in 2015. I eventually unfriended her because I couldn't handle it. Especially when she told me that my mom would have voted for the Orange Turd. That was the last straw. My parents were hard-core Democrats. They were active in the Democratic Party in north Pittsburgh. I think the last Republican my mom voted for was John Heinz.

[NoRethugFriends]

3. zero. would not have a maga friend

[kimbutgar]

4. Two of my fellow co workers from days not long out of college

They were at my Batchelor party and enjoyed several times and fun trips together. One became a Christian fundamentalist who said the orange monster was following in jesuses footsteps and another who was divorced and met this maga guy who used her for sex and never invited her to his place ( I suspect he was cheating) but she posted pics of herself on Facebook with a maga hat and got mad at me for being so mean for posting anti maga and negative pics of the orange turd.

[La Coliniere]

5. Personally I've never had

any conservative close friends, but plenty of GOP relatives and work acquaintances. Once a person’s political outlook is revealed, I shy away from them. I’m friendly and cooperative with them in work environments, but have no interest in socializing outside of that setting. I’ve always tooled around with liberals or people who are somewhat apolitical. Two long time apolitical friends were lifelong conspiracy theory nuts; they were 911 Truthers and believed in such nonsense as jet contrails and floride in our water were secret government plans to change the weather or lower our IQ scores. But something changed during covid, actually the opposite of what you’d expect. They started listening to the Conspirituality podcast which I recommended, and it seemed to expose the fraud in their ridiculous beliefs and they are actually ashamed of what the believed, voted for Biden and are fully on board with Harris. All of my immediate family and close friends have been solidly liberal in our world views. And I’m very thankful for that.

[Behind the Aegis]

6. I have a 1st cousin sitting in jail for 9 years for his involvement with Jan. 6th

So, there's that.

[redstatebluegirl]

7. My brother, retired naval officer, my cousin

a bank President, another cousin a farmer and my sister in law who just married a crazy Trumper.

Until they see the light I am done. I have two college friends who think Trump is the second coming.

He is tearing people apart.