Today especially has been pretty brutal. I see my dad for the first time in months and he dominates the conversation about his vitriolic hatred of Trump and anyone who supports him, calling them idiots. My girlfriend is sweet and nice but even knowing how I lean she can't help but say that she wants to go rip up Trump signs in front of people's houses and kill "transphobes". I've tried to curate my Twitter to be exclusively about my favorite game and content creators, but even after muting about two dozen political words and phrases it's just a bloody shouting match. It feels like the only time I'm not walking in a minefield is when I'm talking to a subsection of a group of friends who just like playing games. I went to cognitive behavioral therapy a few weeks ago, and it was really helpful, but even the positive thinking strategies that were effective just a few days ago aren't helping anymore. I don't feel suicidal, but I don't feel like living anymore. The two options of where I can live in the near future is chock full of people who have an open disdain/hatred for my thinking. Am I such a wretched human being for thinking that Trump's policies would be more economically sound and fair than Biden's? I apologize if this isn't the place to rant like this but how do I get past something like this?
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Be honest with your father, make it clear where you stand on all of this. As long as you've not done anything wrong family will always accept you even if they disagree with you, that is what family does. Have a bit of faith in your father, if you turned out fine there is a good chance he is ok as well, and do not underestimate family connections they're stronger and more important to us then the left thinks.
Yeah. Give it time though - the initial response might not be great. Try to keep your cool as best as possible, don't get bogged down arguing about it, make it clear this shit has to stop or they're going to be seeing considerably less of you. Your dad might act tough at first but if he loves you then it'll sink in. After he's ready to reach out and ask you "why", you just need to keep explaining and showing that you aren't some extremist. Just don't expect that to happen the first time you bring it up.
If you can get them to the point where they're willing to listen, I suggest sharing some good episodes of Joe Rogan, like the one with James Lindsay recently. Long form content like that where it's just two guys talking and explaining how this shit works can be very persuasive.