i think this is the insidious thing about polarization:
people in the middle get caught in the crossfire of harsh rhetoric. and it is hard to blame people for this, an eye for an eye is so easy and tempting.
I've had right wingers criticize me with patronizing "anti-commie" rhetoric, but the worst has been shaming (yes actual shaming and exclusion) from my peers because i (mostly) agree with them in a contrarian way that they dont like or attempt to understand.
i don't really interact with many right wingers day to day, so this difference might just be a result of that bias.
I'm curious if this kind of thing happens to right wingers as well, or if there is less such "friendly-fire" on the right.
Yes, I have experienced the rhetoric from both sides. I have already doxxed myself as a Christian here, so I'll restate it again. I have a tremendous amount of disdain for Christian nationalists and, specifically, the Republican appropriation of Christianity for harvesting votes. This has alienated me from a large number of people just in my own faith.
It appears to be the plight of critical thinkers in this culture. You are not allowed to have a complex set of beliefs that may cross both sides of the culture war.
people in the middle get caught in the crossfire of harsh rhetoric. and it is hard to blame people for this, an eye for an eye is so easy and tempting.
I've had right wingers criticize me with patronizing "anti-commie" rhetoric, but the worst has been shaming (yes actual shaming and exclusion) from my peers because i (mostly) agree with them in a contrarian way that they dont like or attempt to understand.
i don't really interact with many right wingers day to day, so this difference might just be a result of that bias.
I'm curious if this kind of thing happens to right wingers as well, or if there is less such "friendly-fire" on the right.
P.S I'm European.