Sometimes I wade into the right-wing hashtags to see what they are going on about now.

Every time I do I leave depressed, confused, and frustrated.

The conspiracies and vitriol and denial isn't funny; it's sad and scary.

They have been brainwashed into fight or flight.

I always try to keep myself in check too. I am just as capable of being tricked/lied to.

It staggers me how hateful & frightened it all sounds. These people are genuinely scared & mad about things that are not true & have been conditioned into accepting violence as a solution.

The Trump team had lost the election and dozens of court cases related to it. Judges, both "liberal" and Trump appointed, have agreed. Trump supporters who work in elections have agreed. Yet people are still making death threats and refuse to hear the truth.

It's frightening.

It's got to be scary to them to have bought in to the lies about Democrats and Biden and the liberals and the destruction they would cause. It's probably horrifying to think they are in danger because they have been taught that they should be. How sad and awful that must be.

To be confronted with evidence everything you've been told it's not true had to be a blow to your mental state, your belief system, your ego, and whatever else was affected. Buying hats & flags & going to rallies & realizing it was not worthwhile or was actively foolish. Tough.

I'm trying to be sympathetic to their point of view. It can't be fun, but the evidence is there. Some of them will never change or accept it and that is scary. How far will they be pushed in the wrong direction? A lifetime of rage? To violence? There are no guarantees.

And for what? To feel like they won? To protect themselves? To excuse their behavior for the last 4 years? To bolster up a con artist?

Is it because accepting the truth shows they were tricked and are wrong? Will the fear of admitting a mistake destroy the country? I hope not.

I know it can feel satisfying to see people face the consequences of their behavior or actions, but these people may never come back for the rest of their lives. This may be a scar for a generation or multiple generations because of that guy and his enablers.

Try to help. Try to love. Try to correct without spite. I know that I am guilty of not doing those things, but the long-lasting consequences of not doing these things may not be undone for the rest of our lives. There has to be an effort to bring as many people back as possible.

Screaming into the void again. The worrying got to me again.