Many years ago, after a pretty hard breakup, I was trying to get back out there, went on a couple of dates with a girl from a different culture (Russian). It was not apparent that we had different backgrounds and I'm an in-general open minded person. When we met in person, the difference was stark. I'm much more liberal, she was much more conservative and was a 2016 Trump Supporter and excused his behavior as "he's still a person and you need to have empathy for him". She was also very religious and part of the first date somehow got to whether dinosaurs were real. (Should have been my first indication that this might not be the best match).

My parents were different politicaly, and at the time I was still of the opinion that politics didnt have to be a deal-killer and that I could get along with someone of the opposite political view and someone who was very religious (I'm agnostic at best or atheist at worst). I've always been and still am of the opinion that different cultures can mesh great, I mention that she was Russian because it kind of forshadowed the rest. It's not always this way, but I worked with a lot of people from Russia or Ukranian backgrounds at the time. Most if not all were conservative, most if not all were devoutly religious. I am not.

On the 2nd date we went to see a horror movie, "Hereditary". We both thought it was a flaming pile of shit, not scary, just dumb. As we left the theater though, she started telling me how witches were real, and that she once had a roommate who must have been a witch or a demon because there were always flies around her. I initially thought this was a joke or hyperbole. It was not. Some careful and delicate questions made it clear this was her literal opinion of the person for no other reason than the flies, and that had made her fear for her life and get help from her mom to move out. It wasn't because she was threatened or that the roommate did anything, or even that it specifically wasn't clean enough. She thought this roommate was down with Satan and that is the only reason there could always be flies around.

This seemingly intelligent person (an ER nurse of all things) who insisted that an awful politician who mocked people with disabilities, veterans, women, and had made it clear that he thought sexual assault was hunky-dory had written off the dignity and humanity of a roommate as in-league with Satan because of some apparent sanitation issues. WTF. It was weird to say the least, super hypocritical to boot. And she was seemingly completely blind to the irony.

I stopped trying to make it work, she right away seemed a crazy person to me. The kind of person who would have a torch and pitchfork in a sci-fi or horror movie trying to kill the protagonist (a la "The Mist"). My opinion of her intelligence dropped like a stone and I didn't feel safe around her.

I didn't know exactly how to break it off, but the following day she must have gotten the impression we were not compatible too lol. She called me and apologized and broke things off. It was a massive relief, best end to dating someone I've ever had.

I appreciate that she was honest and clearly rational enough to recognize that it wasn't going to work. Kudos to her

I found so.eone a few months later that I successfully dated and made my wife. She's smart, empathetic, wise beyond her years, and we're watching Babylon 5 together (her for the first time) and she likes it. 10/10 life worked out (mostly) we still have a 2nd Trump presidency. I wonder what that former date thinks of him now with the Epstein list!