I think I'm gonna crowdsource this and ask for opinions, thoughts, comments, and "what would you say or do".
The situation:
I have a friend from my town, someone I have known for about 10 years, someone I have worked with civically, who is a joyous type of guy. The type of guy who is always insisting we go get a beer, which of course, the two of us (and others) have done before. He is also a Trump supporter, which has always annoyed me, but never enough to not be friends. I like people of all stripes and never try and push people away. I know my Facebooks posts are from a very left wing perspective, but the idea of losing ourselves completely into our fiefdoms has never appealed to me. We always have to try, don't we?
So, on Facebook, I asked him to publicly denounce the lies and call for unity. To his credit, he gave it his best try, but all he said are ideas that we all share. This was his reply:
We believe in the rule of law.We believe in democracy & unity.We are one nation under God with liberty and justice for all.We are America.The peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy. Yesterday was anything but peaceful.It was an assault on our long-nurtured yet always imperfect democracy, our constitution, and our shared national identity.There is no place for violence, racism, discrimination and bigotry. We are all one Human Race.
I unfriended him. But I didn't want this to end, so I DM'd him and and here was the short thread. What I want to hear from you guys are your thoughts. How should I respond? What should I do? What would you do? Where is the line?
Me: [person's name], rather than slink away, I am letting you know that I unfriended you today. I'll cite irreconcilable differences as the cause. I am extremely angry and emotional today. There's always the chance that I calm down. But for now, this is my decision.
Him: Thats your choice Albeit a silly one I've never disrespected you I remember the post so we don't have a public argument All you have done of late is to bait me. Friends don't bait friends.
Me: Yes, that's my choice. I'm not disrespecting you. I'm taking care of myself. All of the things you said you believe, like the rule of law, unity, etc, are shared. What the situation demands right now is for Trump supporters to stop insisting that his lies are true. A person can start by saying that the election wasn't rigged, that separating kids from from their parents is abhorrent, that white nationalists have no productive place in American society, etc. I don't need to come to Trump supporters. They countenanced this behavior, excused it, let it be. It eventually lead to what we witnessed on Wednesday. People like me sent out warnings, begging people to not normalize all of this. No, Trump supporters need to recognize their part in all of this.You think this is "silly?" How else can I make a point? If the idea that you lost a friend doesn't bother you, then we were never friends to begin with. I refuse to believe that. You're a good guy. Someone I like. Someone who's company I enjoy. A leader of [my town]. I don't take any of this lightly. We need to come together. We need more than platitudes. We need self reflection.
Your input, please.