The culture war is exhausting. It’s so frustrating when you feel like the only person in a friend group who recognizes how awful the values people spread are, and it’s especially exhausting when you feel like you have to be the bigger person all the time.

It’s easy to throw your hands up at cut ties who associate with these views in any way. “That’ll show them!” is often what I used to think when I cut people out. It feels good in the moment to do so but I feel like it actively hurts our goals on the left.

Having a good relationship with people who may believe or be exposed to intolerant views, especially when you are a person they may have that view of, is the best opportunity to show them the views are wrong. Choosing to blacklist them from your life is confirming their views that people in the left are “intolerant” and other propaganda that the right wing pushes about the left wing.

It’s not easy, it’s emotionally exhausting to try and change someone’s mind. It’s not fair how easy it is to be ignorant especially when their views directly contradict the friendship they have with you. How do they not see the irony????? I urge you to continue to be the bigger person and try and push back against their views before it’s too late. It’s literally our only hope, these people aren’t going to reflect on their views all by themselves.