I lost some 90% of my friend group between covid and "controversial trans stuff" occurring alongside covid. Didn't refute my arguments, didn't ponder my arguments, just stopped talking to me once I cited true, observable statistics and well-known science. I even had more than one guy DM me and say (paraphrased) "you're right, but we can't be friends anymore." And in one case I said I understood - his wife and sister had/have more permanent connections to him than I did/do, so he was preserving his social safety net in lieu of the truth. Like any good collectivist would do - "Go along to get along" becomes "go along to get it wrong."

Got accused of watching Fox News and written off as a "Fox News watcher" from yet another long time friend even though I very much don't watch Fox News, so idk where that idea even came from if not collectivist programming to "other" people like me (and the "other" are a collective too in their mind, so they all do the same thing).

I could go through all of them, but suffice it to say... I guess we've had different experiences. The past 5-6 years have been a referendum on the truth in my life, with most of my (ex) friends opting for the lies.

I lost some 90% of my friend group between covid and "controversial trans stuff" surrounding covid. Didn't refute my arguments, didn't ponder my arguments, just stopped talking to me once I cited true, observable statistics and well-known science. I even had more than one guy DM me and say (paraphrased) "you're right, but we can't be friends anymore." And in one case I said I understood - his wife and sister had/have more permanent connections to him than I did/do, so he was preserving his social safety net in lieu of the truth. Like any good collectivist would do - "Go along to get along" becomes "go along to get it wrong."

Got accused of watching Fox News and written off as a "Fox News watcher" from yet another long time friend even though I very much don't watch Fox News, so idk where that idea even came from if not collectivist programming to "other" people like me (and the "other" are a collective too in their mind, so they all do the same thing).

I could go through all of them, but suffice it to say... I guess we've had different experiences. The past 5-6 years have been a referendum on the truth in my life, with most of my (ex) friends opting for the lies.