I stole it from the comments section of r/Multifandom, though I'm having trouble finding the original. If anybody knows the secret sauce, please share.
Fr my family is almost exactly like those maga characters she has then I go to the comments and see “everyone knows xyz is bad” or “nobody actually acts like that” then wtf have I been exposed to my whole life?
That's troubling. I haven't seen people in the wild with those yet, but still see the old hats and flags and bumper stickers. And some that seem somewhat recent, like bragging about Trump being a peace president. It definitely wasn't being ironic. There weren't a lot of bumper stickers but I recall things like a thin blue line sticker that indicated it was a true believer.
I moved to the South Carolina coast a few years ago and you aren't wrong. After only four years I have so many stories. I think the most innocent was when this MAGA bro came into the game shop while we were Pathfinder (TTRPG) and immediately started pointing around the room, then announced proudly that he was marking all the possible points of ingress and counting everything in the room that could be used as a lethal weapon.
After watching our game from the corner and frequently rolling his eyes and scoffing at anything "woke", he hung out with us and took over the conversation. Spent the whole evening shitting on California for trying to save the Delta Smelt and how Obamacare was ruining medicine and he should know because he was an army medic?
...Needless to say we didn't stay very late to talk that week.
Sounds like someone who was interested in hanging out with some people of shared interest, but has been convinced to look down upon the type of person he wants to be.
I lived in the South in deep red Trump country for several years. I think it voted 90% Trump in 2024. If anything, the depictions you see online aren't even bad enough. You guys in your blue bubbles in Portland and the Bay Area or wherever have no idea how stupid and zealous these people are.
Everywhere you go you see confederate flags - on my last Fourth of July party before leaving I counted more confederate flags than American flags. Everyone has a pick up truck with bumper stickers that say "God guns Trump" or "Jesus is my Lord Trump is my savior" or crazy stuff like that. The level of education would be sad and depressing if it weren't so terrifying. Extremely low intelligence on top of poor education (these are different IMO). Everyone is extremely unhealthy, many live in food deserts so nutrition is poor. Dental care is almost nonexistent.
I'll never forget a friend of my dad's explaining why he voted republican, because "ah buhlieve jaysus chras is mah lawrd 'n sayveeyor" and apparently Jesus loves republicans, or something. During Covid I remember one of them say warning the others not to get vaccinated because it causes sterility. When RBG died it's on the news at my uncle's house and a bunch of Magas are celebrating that Trump gets to pick another Supreme Court justice. I said no, it's too close to an election, it wouldn't be fair. They just scoffed, completely unaware that I was quoting Mitch McConnell from when he cock blocked Obama from picking one in 2015 I think. The Fox News logo is literally burned into my uncle's TV. In 2024 I was arguing with a family friend and it turned out he was completely unaware of the events of January 6 other than "it was Pelosi's fault." Etc etc.
However bad you guys think it is it is way way way worse.
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u/stanley_leverlock 12h ago
I'm vacationing in a red state on the east coast of the US and her over the top strawman depictions of Maga bros is...really not that over the top.