Did You Block Your Family?
How different people are responding post-election.
Do I Need To Block?
I wrote this Thread and shared it on IG, and I’ve received a lot of messages in response.
Some people read it as a mandate from me and feel pressure to block people themselves. Others want advice on how to handle interactions with people who they can’t block for one reason or another. So let’s talk about it.
And let’s begin with this: My aggressive blocking does not mean you need to do the same thing. I am an online creator blocking internet strangers. Even when I block someone, as a public writer, I am still accessible to them whether I want to be or not. I can’t stop them from reading my books, I can’t stop them from reading my work or excerpts of my work that are found on a dozen different public platforms. There are even workarounds to access my social media accounts if I’ve blocked them on Instagram or Threads. So you don’t need to spare a thought for anyone I’ve blocked. At most I’ve just made it a bit more inconvenient for them to access me.
Blocking family and real life friends is a whole different thing. It may or may not make sense for you. Blocking is a tool, and it’s only one tool. You can block today, but unblock tomorrow. It really depends on your what goal or intention is. If it’s about safety — if you don’t feel safe with this person in your life — blocking may be the best option. But if the goal is more about creating space or distance in the relationship, blocking may not be necessary.
Non-Blocking Consequences?
Please remember, the people in your life who voted against your rights, don't give a care about your safety or comfort. You can stop making their lives easy.
Some examples of less aggressive and more aggressive responses you might consider:
-Unfollowing or unfriending may be enough, without having to block anyone.
-Simply saying: You are different than I thought you were. I don’t know what kind of relationship I want to have with you. I need some time to think about this.
-Letting the relationship fade. This is something that happens all the time whether there is an election or not. Maybe you’re at a party and a friend says something you find troubling. And in response, you just stop giving that relationship attention — you stop texting, stop extending invitations — until it fades away. Maybe you tell them about the change, maybe you just stop reaching out, stop nurturing the relationship. You didn’t officially cut them off, but you also aren’t seeking out their friendship. You’ve probably already done this before and may not even recognize it. Relationships change and that’s fine.
-Regularly texting Maga voters with direct quotes from the president elect. Remember when you voted for the man who said, “I did try and fuck her. She was married, and I moved on her very heavily. I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything.”
-Reading words from the president elect aloud during gatherings and meals. Or, when someone passes you the mashed potatoes, you could mimic giving the serving spoon a blowjob. I was just remembering when he gave the microphone a blowjob during a family-friendly rally. That was so neat. Not sure what I’m talking about, kids? It’s when our president elect was giving a big speech and pretended to suck on someone’s penis.
-Bring up things you’ve learned from the president elect. Something important I learned from Donald is that when you’re a star, you can just kiss women without their permission, you can even grab them by the pussy and they can’t do anything about it.”
-Save conservative sound bites to your phone, and play them when someone wants to fight with you about politics or defend the president elect.
-This thread has hundreds of response ideas if a Trump voter tells you, “I love YOU no matter what.”
-This is a question my son, Ralph asks: We now have official documents showing Donald and Jeffrey Epstein were besties for a decade. What do think they did for fun when they were together?
If and how you choose to interact depends on what your goal or intention is for the relationship. Do you want to make them so uncomfortable that they do the blocking instead of you? Are you hoping they express regret for their vote, and that they are able to take accountability and you can work toward unity? Do you want to embarrass them because you’re angry? Do you want them to know you no longer respect them? Do you just want to put some distance in the relationship and no longer speak with them?
If your reactions draw complaints, the response is: There are consequences for voting for a serial sexual predator. One of those consequences is having the fact that he is a serial sexual predator pointed out to you so you can’t ignore it or pretend it’s not true. If you don’t like this consequence, you should not have voted for a serial sexual predator.
They knowingly voted for that man. They knew who he is and what he has done. They actively sought out soothing lies and willingly believed them. And they can deal with the consequences of their actions.
What About Patience & Understanding?
There are some voices encouraging people to keep all relationships intact, that we need to be patient and keep the dialogue open so that we can change hearts and minds. I know it sounds like an appealing, lovely idea, and I’m not trying to be a downer, but it doesn’t work. It has been tried. It has been tried for years. It’s been tried by me, it’s been tried by others. It just does not work. There is no information or data or harrowing personal story that will jolt someone from the Maga alternate-reality.