Please show me these people. Because I am fatigued from the remnants of my social life IRL (not online, mind you ... In real life). I'm sure these people exist, don't get me wrong, but there is an increasing amount of political tension within the country, and it's getting worse.
When a friend that you've known for 20 years tells you to your face that they have no problems ending the friendship over political differences, then the world doesn't look like sunshine and rainbows.
Among the few friendships I have left, I feel like I am constantly walking on eggshells around people because every word potentially feels like a landmine. Even discussions with extended family are tense. There's a reason why I am, for the most part, a closeted Trump supporter. I'm shutting up just to merely keep the peace and avoid flat-out tension. When people start the conversation with, "I hate people who support Trump, and I never want to associate with Trump supporters," then there's no really civil disagreement to be had, is there?
Even when I go out to run errands, it feels much more tense. People are meaner, more rude and impatient, greedy, etc.
The majority of people don't listen to the media or don't care about what the media says? Tell that to the empty toilet paper shelves back when the media told everyone to start panicking over COVID.
I would if I could, but I don't want to powerlevel, or dox anyone over this. I'd love to show you that people can, and do have a great time together despite all this chaos, and even if they need to take admittedly annoying precautions now. I'd love to go out, and buy you a beer. It sounds like you really need it, no offense.
As for politics, the people I know just don't talk about it. I know it's incredibly hard to do so nowadays because everything and anything feels like it has to be politicized, but the people over here find a way to do it. They talk about hunting, or fishing, or sports, or whatever else they can. Admittedly, I live in a very small town, and I know my experiences aren't universal, but I also know that all the hatred, and rioting isn't universal either.
For your few friendships, and even though I'm sure you've already done this, all I can recommend is just focusing on what you do have in common with them, and not what you don't. Don't talk about the news, or politics, or whatever. Talk about video games, or TV shows, or whatever else you had in common before all this. If they start rambling on about how awful Trump is or whatever, try to change the subject to something less political. If they refuse to listen, just walk away. It's not worth fighting over. I've had to do that to, and eventually, we made up.
Trust me, my mother suffers from TDS, and she can and will rant about him whenever she gets the chance. This is why whenever I visit, or talk to her, I don't bring up politics, and if she does, I just politely try to change the subject. If she refuses to listen, then I just walk away, or hang up. I don't fight with her, because at the end of the day, I know it's not worth fighting over, and that she's just scared because she's an old, sickly, woman who just afraid for her future and the future of her children. I know it's not an excuse for her behavior, and it does frustrate, and anger the shit out of me, but I love her, and she loves me, and I'm not going to let politics ruin that.
With the panicking over Covid, the majority of people did listen because it was something different from the usual bullshit they'd been hearing for the last four years. It was this new, scary thing that people didn't know how to handle, or much about, so they did go out, and panic at first. Now that they do know more about it, and how it isn't nearly as catastrophic as the media and politicians made it out to be, and how we can now effectively treat it, they've gone back to ignoring them again. Sure, they might still wear a mask, but that's out of common courtesy, and just to save hassle, if anything.
