Color me speechless
I'll never talk to that person again
Remember when you shared that “never again” story with your good friend?
It was just after your mutual (now former) friend “Sally” quoted something Trump said. As you told the story, your voice rose: This person thought it was the TRUTH!!!!
You probably swore you would never talk to “Sally” again, and you haven’t.
Oh, OH! It’s time to start talking again. It is likely that Sally is beginning to admit to herself that she was wrong—wrong on a lot of things, but it is just too embarrassing to admit it, even to herself.
It’s time to start educating Sally, but where do you start? What do you say? Try this!
YOU: Hi Sally, How are you? ‘haven’t seen you for ages.
SALLY: Hi YOU. I’m okay.
YOU: And the kids? How are they doing? What grades are they in now?
Note: This is pretty boring. Right? This means you’re setting the right tone … no theatrics, no comments losing your Medicare, etc.
YOU: Chat. Chat.
SALLY starts to get into the conversation … more boring nothing-ness. Chat. Chat back and forth.
Note: This is good, but now it's time to add a bit of a teaser.
YOU: Did you happen to see that story online about that Senator from Iowa? I think her name is Joni …. umn … Joni Ernst. I guess she told people in a town hall that “We all are going to die.”
SALLY: Die? Why?
YOU: I think in the meeting, someone asked about cuts in Medicaid. Apparently, some 700,000 people in Iowa are going to lose their Medicaid because of a bill that Joni is voting for.
SALLY: Oh my.
YOU, looking at the time: Oh gosh, I gotta go……… but oops, I should finish my Joni story — Would you believe Ernst apologized standing in front of a cemetery, told everyone in this YouTube that she thought everyone knew about how they would all die, and then she talked about the tooth fairy. You just can’t get any funnier than that!
YOU … unless SALLY asks you a substantive question about Medicaid, it is time to very politely say, “I’ve got to run. Great to see you. Let’s get coffee soon!” and walk away.
Later, YOU can send her an email — Great to see you today. I’m still laughing about Joni Ernst. I do worry about those people who are losing their insurance, though. Did you see Jimmy Kimmel? Let’s catch up soon. When do you have time?
YOU … pat yourself on the back. You chatted. You were friendly. You did NOT get into an argument. YOU planted a factual “seed” —something to think about. You did NOT say “Trump” even once. What YOU did was break the ice.
THIS! is where we start. Try to pick a factual subject each time you meet a former friend/Trumpster. Maybe it’s the Farm Bill — over 600 days since the Farm Bill expired, but again, be gentle. The idea is to sprinkle a fact here and there. No arguments.
If you sense an argument coming, just back away, saying, “Oh, I don’t want to talk politics. I’m sick of politics. I was just worrying about how Joni Ernst doesn’t understand that people without Medicaid, without healthcare, will die sooner than expected.
“It’s really kinda funny, isn’t it? Joni just doesn’t get it.”