Friend is now full on Trump-supporting, QAnon-believing conspiracy theorist

[Offskki]

I just can't believe it and I'm a bit gutted to be honest. Any advice on how to deal with this?

Duterte calls himself a leftist, but his policies say otherwise. He supports the free market, promotes a violent war on drugs and is a misogynist. Wolf, sheep's clothing if you like. A bit like Hitler calling his party the National Socialists - not because it was in any way socialist, but to take the fight out of the actual left in Germany at the time by sweeping up votes from them.

Shining path isn't a government, it's an acknowledged terrorist organisation. You're either reaching or deliberately misleading.

Same! Not sure about Qanon but is a Trumpy through and through. She is from UK but lives in Texas and seems to be getting alot of her pro trump info from her church. I have heard-
-That trump is a good christian
-Biden will turn USA into a communist country
-only fox news tells the truth
-trump cares for businesses (I mean this is true coz money involved)
-He has truly improved lives of black people in USA
-Obama is awful and she can't stand him

Scary stuff. She grew up with me in small town in UK! Weird to see how her "faith" has blinded her.

That's interesting, I think my friend is more New Age crusty than Christian. She argues, "you may not like Trump, but he's certainly improved X, Y and Z".

My ex partner has just texted me to say that the US is about to announce a war with China in 30 minutes. We’ve split up! And he’s still doing this.

Well looks like some very important people in other countries seem to share my opinion about the whole ban and tech companies shouldn't have thay much power, but you know these people on there positions who share the same opinion as me must also be conspiracy theorists right or a Trump suporter or a liar - just some of the things some of you decided to call me

mol.im/a/9134255

Was he right @SugarbabyMilly ?

cyclingmad what she said isn't quite as simple as that...

'This fundamental right can be interfered with, but through the law and within the framework defined by the legislature, not according to the decision of the management of social media platforms.'

Is one of the points she made. And I don't disagree - social media platforms should not necessarily be the arbiters of free speech. However, the laws needed to do things differently are currently not in place. Perhaps after the Capitol disaster we may get some sensible legislation on this topic - but it needs to be international and well thought out, with safeguards.

Meanwhile, it is what it is - and I note that Merkel seems to prefer stricter safeguards on hate speech rather than unfettered freedom for hate speech to flourish.
Oh, and any answers yet?

@cyclingmad it’s worrying because the tech companies seem to have no legislation or laws to work with. I don’t disagree with what they did but if there were laws to govern hate speech or incitement then everyone would be treated equally and within a framework.
I think it’s hard because we’ve always wanted to stand up for free speech and not censor but we have to face the reality of where that can lead us.
Now the tech companies are concerned, they’ve taken the action that they thought was necessary but it’s also subjective. That’s what the concern is.

[quote cyclingmad]Well looks like some very important people in other countries seem to share my opinion about the whole ban and tech companies shouldn't have thay much power, but you know these people on there positions who share the same opinion as me must also be conspiracy theorists right or a Trump suporter or a liar - just some of the things some of you decided to call me

mol.im/a/9134255[/quote]
Why do you keep hiding daily mail links?

Huh I am not hiding them thats the link I get when I copy and paste it when I use my phone .

Is there a problem with that?

Yes, some people don’t like to click on Daily Mail links.

I'm hesitating because she's told me how she already feels isolated by others.

OP, you really haven't been placed in this world to fix others' problems.

If I had a friend who went down a crazy rabbit hole I would distance myself, just as I would if they got heavily into drugs. it's kind of the same dynamic.

Thanks to PP who posted the reddit link. WOW!

Not quite a conspiracy theory but an evangelical christian I know firmly believes that fossils are planted by the devil to lure people away from following Jesus...shes a pathologist working in my local hospital ..the gap between her scientific mind and her evangelical beliefs stuns me and she wont talk about it other than to say the equivalent of "look it up"...and there are many like her ..

I just read the whole thread intending to write kind of what fly wrote.

Sometimes in life we meet people who are isolated, friendless, alone because of how they behave. Women are socialised to be support puppies. So, you see this woman with crazy beliefs moaning that nobody wants to talk about her crazy beliefs, and your socialisation kicks in to feel you must therefore be her support puppy. No! In this situation you should notice that everyone else ran off for a reason and you should insist on the same no-cult-talk rules too. Yes that makes you a bad support puppy. Ah well, what a pity, never mind.

Today, my friend sent me links to info about The Great Reset.
Not sure what it’s meant to be about but it was a very weak video of unsubstantiated nonsense.

Do you think more people are taking drugs now? Smoking too much paranoia-creator?

Every conspiracy theorist I have ever known was a massive stoner.

@cyclingmad

Wow having different beliefs is now a mental illness fml are you even listening to yourselves when you say that! Seriously, people are free to challenge and believe in something that doesn't fit the status quo and not be mentally ill. Jesus isn't this exactly what was in the press a while back about silencing people who dare to say anything different...hang on isn't that what China does since when did we or America become like China?

And irrespective of what you think of Trump just think about this for one second, we have twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google and apple now silencing a president and anyone close to him. Just put aside your thoughts on trump and think when the feck did corporations have that much power! Why haven't they silenced extremists the left wing fanatics etc.?

This is just the start and its alarming, cancelling people, social media blackouts, rewriting history. I'm no conspiracy theorists but after seeing social dilemma and now whats happening, it'll be a dystopian world soon.

Yes I agree. I am no fan of Trump but there is something really off about what is happening at the moment.

@SlothWithACloth

Today, my friend sent me links to info about The Great Reset. Not sure what it’s meant to be about but it was a very weak video of unsubstantiated nonsense.

Maybe don't dismiss your friend too much the Great Reset is a real thing, perhaps not what the video pertains it to be but its out there for anyone to read up on and has been mentioned by the likes of Prince Charles. You do hear alot of high power people say the word The Great Reset.

www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/now-is-the-time-for-a-great-reset/

You hear a lot of people say the word "asymptotic", too.

It doesn't mean what they think it means.

I am no fan of Trump but there is something really off about what is happening at the moment.

What, like the president of United States encouraging a mob to storm the Capitol to prevent the registering of electoral college votes for his duly elected successor?

Yes, I'd call that a bit off.

He stood there in front of them on a podium and encouraged them to go up to the Capitol.

While they were roaming the Capitol building hunting for people, chanting "Hang Mike Pence", and beating a policeman to death with a fire extinguisher, the President of the United States went on telly and said, quote, "'We love you, you're all very special."

And thank you, I'm not planning to put aside my thoughts on Trump any time soon.

The question of how people like Trump have used Twitter, and what power Facebook and Twitter have given Trump up till now, and what power they have taken away, is one we've been needing to deal with for a good few years.

Good article here from Thierry Breton, for those who are actually interested in the question of bringing stronger organization to the digital space based on the premise: "What is illegal offline should also be illegal online."

Thierry Breton: Capitol Hill — the 9/11 moment of social media
The Capitol Hill riot exposes the fragility of our democracies — and the threat underregulated tech companies can pose to their survival.
www.politico.eu/article/thierry-breton-social-media-capitol-hill-riot/

Link for the Trump "we love you" speech, for those who missed this particular pleasure. I saw this live, amid all the mayhem. He only even made this speech after Biden had appeared on TV telling Trump to call the mob off.

‘We love you, you’re all very special’: Trump tells mob to ‘go home’ but repeats false claims about election
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/trump-twitter-video-today-mob-address-b1783518.html

'This is insurrection': Joe Biden's speech in full as US Capitol is stormed
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/06/insurrection-joe-bidens-speech-full-us-capitol-stormed/
"Therefore, I call on President Trump to go on national television, now, to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege."

And by the way, Trump has in no way been silenced.

He still has at his disposal the White House briefing room, the Rose Garden and all the other settings which he's used to appear before TV cameras and speak to the nation for the last 4 years.

In fact, the same facilities his predecessors used.

Trump has been thrown off Pinterest and is sulking about it.