I'm right there with ya, fren! It's a shame people like yourself have been left out to dry, to feel ostracized for voicing a level-headed opinion. And on a site like td.win, nonetheless!

For a while there, it reached the point for me that I quit engaging with the site. I was worn out from feeling like I was constantly being questioned or called a doomer not for being combative or rude, but for simply being curious and attempting to see things from 10,000 feet above the fray.

From time to time I take a look at other sites and "liberal minded" subreddits. And you know what I find? That people, when blinded by a closely-held belief, all act the same.

It seems to me that one can take 95% of all hate and vitriol spewed by the right against its enemies on the left, switch the "names", and no one here would be the wiser. They think we're dumb just like we think they're dumb.

And I'll even take it one step further in saying that most of the time, I've found they'll point to what appears to be backed-up reasons and "evidence". The same way we do! Hell, some of it has even caused me to learn that some of the "actors" on our side of the fence are not nearly as whitewashed and clean as I would have otherwise believed.

All said, this perhaps leads me to a deeper understanding about the human psyche and its biases.

No, that doesn't mean I've renounced my more libertarian and/or conservative perspectives or burned bridges with the truly glorious MAGA agenda, just that I've learned to hold my "100% assurances" a little more gingerly, with a little less personal investment. Why? Because I've found that doing otherwise invariably clouds my judgment and serves to impair my ability to think with a sense of objectivity and reason. It also works against any chance I might have in reaching the "other side" in a dialogue of ideas.

Sure, I still despise the Pelosi's and Schumer's (and, now, Pence's?) of the world for what I perceive they stand for... But perhaps that should prompt me to get to know and understand their perspectives more rather than to become more doggedly confident --and, therefore naïve-- in my opinions?

Again, not to agree. But to understand. Not to defend. But to perceive.

And for me, putting in the time and effort to "rewire" myself toward that approach has truly been liberating and empowering.

I'm right there with ya, fren! It's a shame people like yourself have been left out to dry, to feel ostracized for voicing a level-headed opinion. And on a site like td.win, nonetheless!

For a while there, it reached the point for me that I quit engaging with the site. I was worn out from feeling like I was constantly being questioned or called a doomer not for being combative or rude, but for simply being curious and attempting to see things from 10,000 feet above the fray.

From time to time I take a look at other sites and "liberal minded" subreddits. And you know what I find? That people, when blinded by a closely-held belief, all act the same.

It seems to me that one can take 95% of all hate and vitriol spewed by the right against its enemies on the left, switch the "names", and no one here would be the wiser. They think we're dumb just like we think they're dumb.

And I'll even take it one step further in saying that most of the time, I've found they'll point to what appears to be backed-up reasons and "evidence". The same way we do! Hell, some of it has even caused me to learn that some of the "actors" on our side of the fence are not nearly as whitewashed and clean as I would have otherwise believed.

All said, this perhaps leads me to a deeper understanding about the human psyche and its biases.

No, that doesn't mean I've renounced my more libertarian and/or conservative perspectives or burned bridges with the truly glorious MAGA agenda, just that I've learned to hold my "!00% assurances" a little more gingerly, with a little less personal investment. Why? Because I've found that doing otherwise invariably clouds my judgment and serves to impair my ability to think with a sense of objectivity and reason. It also works against any chance I might have in reaching the "other side" in a dialogue of ideas.

Sure, I still despise the Pelosi's and Schumer's (and, now, Pence's?) of the world for what I perceive they stand for... But perhaps that should prompt me to get to know and understand their perspectives more rather than to become more doggedly confident --and, therefore naïve-- in my opinions?

Again, not to agree. But to understand. Not to defend. But to perceive.

And for me, putting in the time and effort to "rewire" myself toward that approach has truly been liberating and empowering.