To think my Dad has been radicalised?

[Februaryrat]

My Dad was a teacher back in the day. A Guardian-reading, mostly apolitical teacher.

He has a (hate to use the word) redneck friend in the USA whom he Skypes regularly, and whom I believe has radicalised my Dad. Over the last three years, my Dad now believes:

• Climate change is a hoax (obsessive hatred of windfarms)
  
• Hilary Clinton is a murderer
  
• Brexit is the way forward because some of "them" (mostly Romanians when pushed) are committing 70% of offences around here (they aren't) and the press isn't allowed to report on nationality of offenders (they are)
  
• The NHS is being brought to its knees by health toursits
  
• Trump is a businessman who is likely to give the USA exactly what it needs, and will be re-elected to great acclaim at the next election.
  
• The Mexican wall is a good idea
  
• Why don't more Muslims condemn terrorist attacks?
  

I am a hard-left feminist, who is finding it harder and harder to have conversations with him that don't end in mud-slinging.

His "source" of news is often what I would consider to be conspiracy websites. I am willing to accept sources of news from anything I consider reputable - and would consider any mainstream media including (spit) the Daily Mail, but the websites he comes up with seem to me to be run by nutters spouting nonsense.

As a previous teacher in a subject where critical thinking and reading was key, it astonishes me that he isn't able to see past the bullshit - but perhaps he thinks the same about me in my left-wing bubble.

Anyone else's parents been radicalised? Any hope, or do we just have to stick to conversations about the weather now? Shit, we can't even do that because of climate change.

[Morphene]

My favourite fact of the day for deprogramming the brainwashed is:

What proportion of the UK population is Muslim?

Answer: 5%.

I think it is shocking because it's so small given the huge amount of fear mongering that goes on.....

I have already woken up several older men so far today...though admittedly they are work colleagues rather than family.

[Serin]

They are not all the same though!

I live in a street of retired people and some of them came round pre Brexit to ask how my teenage DC would vote if they could. They recognised that my DC would have to live with the consequences of that referendum far longer than they would and said they would vote remain on their behalf.

Also I think we can take some comfort from the fact that most young people wanted to remain in Europe, all the young people I have met hate Trump, hate racism and support feminism and equality.

[DoloresAbernathy]

No advice either...decided very stupidly to see what my parents views on Trump were and wish I hadn't.
To me it seems their arguments are just based on fear/prejudice I felt I gave them reasoned arguments as to why some of the things they were saying were well just racist but it did no good and they think they are doing me and future generations a favour by voting Brexit to keep 'the foreigners' out.
We agreed to disagree otherwise it would have gone on all day... think that is the best you can hope for OP.

[DesolateWaist]

I pay for a sub to The Times now so that at least some of his right wing info is properly researched.

Don't be so sure. The Times is just the Sun with less obvious tits and longer words.

If you want a properly researched paper then go for a subscription to the New York Times. Brilliant paper and a subscription is £3 a week.

[DJBaggySmalls]

YANBU and you are not the only one going through this.
I was subjected to a rant recently from a male relative who has come out as pro Trump.
His points were all American. About Trump and what a 'good job' he is doing, and how white men are now an underclass. He glossed over the fact that nothing he said applied to the UK.
He now believes men in the UK are forced to pay child support for children that are not theirs because of Feminism. He refuses to believe that DNA tests are standard in the UK, and believes Feminists are opposed to them here.
I cant talk to him any more. He's turned into a sneering, condescending twat. This despite the fact his own father is a deadbeat absent parent who never paid child support, and he was raised by a lone parent...

[GabsAlot]

my dad started this crap and said obama was giving palestine the go ahead to attack israel or something and trump has gone against it so thats makes him ok!

sorry if ive got the actual reason wrong i was trying not to engage with him
he also wants immigrants out mainly muslim even though his gp were immigrants themelves

[Farandole]

Yes, some of the things mentioned on here could be symptomatic of dementia. A noticeable change in personality, language becoming more inflammatory or rude - these are things I would want someone to look into.

My mum is also becoming less inhibited about her bigotry. I don't think the sentiment itself is new, but she doesn't seem to hide it as much as before. Which is most unfortunate considering DH is not white and children have mixed heritage.

[Alachia]

It seems to be common. My DDad has inexplicably gone from a Tory hating labour voter, to thinking David Cameron and Theresa May are the best thing that ever happened to the UK. Apart from Brexit, he's a remainer.

I point out that I'm on PIP which he agrees I should be, but it's all the other fakers. He says I am being stupid to be afraid.

I haven't dared ask what he thinks of Trump.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

How can the NHS be being brought down by centre left governments? We've had centre right governments for years (including New Labour).

I think many people become more right wing as they get older and lose that idealism of youth. And if you have trusted the media your whole life then it is difficult to embrace the idea that just because something is in a newspaper or online it isn't necessarily true.

My own parents were on the losing side in Thatchers Britain and the whole miners strike, lying press thing was blatantly apparent to us, so they tend to be quite cynical about what they read now. DH's family, for instance, were completely shocked when the Hillsborough misreporting and police lying was exposed. My lot had always believed the survivors side.

[Februaryrat]

Perhaps I need to revise my description of myself as "hard-left". I'm no communist. I agree with most (not all) of Corbyn's policies, and would never entertain voting Tory.

I have sympathy for the poor, realise how fortunate I am myself, and would be happy raising taxes to subsidise the NHS or benefits (less so for weapons). I am an atheist.

Having said that, I am able to hold reasoned discussions with most of my friends, many of whom hold differing views on religion, politics etc., without it being quite so painful. Perhaps it's because he's my dad that it's harder to accept.

I don't buy the argument that it's OK for him to have his opinions when his opinions are very often, if not almost always based on untruths.

[olliegarchy99]

YABU
you are as radicalised into the 'hard left' position with the guardian and independent (and mirror) readers as he is
you sound very ageist (and so do a lot of the responses) just because he has differant views from you ( and no doubt you see all brexit voters as morons/racists/xenophobes/bigots and so ignorant) does not make your views more important.
Some of the rubbish spouted by those who think the EU is wonderful suggest thay have been radicalised and unable to distinguish truth from fact (they believe everything on the internet and the MSM without questioning).

[glueandstick]

My parents are getting a bit... how do I put it. Less tolerant? In their old age.

Conversations usually go something like this:
'I read x,y,z. Isn't it awful...'
'Was IT the daily mail?'
'Well yes....'
'Let's stop right there'

[NotYoda]

If you can, get him to watch this.

[motherinferior]

You sound perfectly normal to me.

And I don't think it's inevitable that 'it will happen to us/me' - plenty of us retain our politics. (I can argue about Corbyn but from a distinctly lefty perspective.) Hearteningly not all quite old people have become like this either: I know various splendid old lefties and my own octogenarian father, though maddening, has stayed maddening in the same Labour-voting way.

What's wrong with swanning around saying "smash the patriarchy" anyway?

[ShoutOutToMyEx]

They struggle to navigate and assess any sources and just think if it's 'on the internet' it must be factual.

MIL is like this. She posted an article from The Onion on my FB page the other day to try and back up some rubbish she'd been spouting the other day.

[PigletWasPoohsFriend]

Hard anything, including hard-left is ignorant and blinkered. See Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot.

I agree.

[Februaryrat]

@NotYoda, I have tried and tried to get him to watch John Oliver, but he won't, he "can't stand him" because he felt he tried to influence the outcome of the election unfairly (probably by using facts)

He tells me that Fox is the only news channel telling the truth, particularly when Obama was in power, they were the only ones being honest about the situation.

@olliegarchy99 I don't buy that I'm ageist, and I think that's an unfair accusation. At no point have I said that everyone who is over 60 is stupid, or that Brexiters are morons or racists. I have merely stated that this ONE person whom I know well has had a radical change of views, and wondered if anyone else was going through similar.

[Zaphodsotherhead]

Why does it happen? My mum, who worked all her life with a very mixed group of people, race and religion wise (and even had a best friend from Sri Lanka) started making very pointed racist remarks before she was 70. She now has dementia, but that's reasonably recent (and she's 85), but her opinions on immigrants and 'furriners' of all kinds was well set before then.

Is it fear? As people get older they become more afraid of the future and want to 'freeze' life as it is now (whenever their 'now' is) so they don't have to face the prospect of change...

[SunshinenSparkles]

I see lots of mentions to the daily mail here and just wanted to add that my FIL completely does my head in because he believes absolutely EVERYTHING he reads in the daily fail. It results in him yapping complete bullshit 98% of the time. Everything from health matters to politics.

It's like people throw out everything they have learned in life, school, uni etc and put all faith into the total gobshite DM as their sole source of knowledge & learning.

Can you tell this is a bugbear of mine?

[SansComic]

and would never entertain voting Tory

Well, that is the fashion, dharling.

You may perhaps do better to do a little reading and get a better grasp of politics. Hating a party because it is fashionable is ridiculous. You should spend a little time understanding their policies. I'm a paid-up member of The Conservatives but don't agree with everything they say. I've been a member of Labour in the past. Forming your own idea as opposed to finding a label you like the sound of would be great.

I am an atheist.

I should hope so but what does that have to do with the price of bacon?

What's wrong with swanning around saying "smash the patriarchy" anyway?

You'd do better shaving your armpits and realising feminism has won. The remaining 'hard-left feminists' are, as is the case with any movement, increasingly extremist and focused on minutiae, ignoring the bigger picture and aspects society beyond your blinkered and monomaniacal perspective. HTH.

[user1484750550]

I'm not gonna say a lot about this, and I am not a fan of political arguments, as there is no right or wrong.

All I will say 'februaryat,' is whether you like it or not, everyone is entitled to their own views, and your father isn't 'wrong' about anything. His views are just as valid as yours ...

Also, IMO, people with very left wing views, who rant at people for having the temerity to think differently, and call brexit voters thick little Englanders and so on, are just as bad as anyone with far right views.

I find far left people actually more annoying than people who are far right, because they label anyone and everyone who doesn't agree with them, a thick bigot, and insist they are 'wrong.'

[PartyPolitics]

but perhaps he thinks the same about me in my left-wing bubble.

You said it. This thread is hilarious, anyone on the wrong side of 40 with any political leaning other than far left is developing dementia??? I've heard it all now.

[PigletWasPoohsFriend]

I am an atheist.

And

Not sure what that has to do with anything.

[BeyondUnderthinking]

Oo yay, another opportunity to share the (it's a YouTube link)

[Februaryrat]

My point re: atheism was that I manage to have reasonable discussions with friends who have religion. It was meant to underline the fact that I am not generally intolerant to people with different views, but manage to have reasoned debate. Sorry if that wasn't clear.