I think it’s important to show respect for the beliefs of other people. For example, I believe the January 6th insurrection was an act of treason. I think it’s important that everyone respects my interpretation of those events.
When people don’t respect my beliefs, I block them. It’s as simple as that.
Some people say, “It’s a shame that you let politics get in the way of longstanding relationships.”
But I’m not the one ending the relationship. They are. The problem is that they don’t respect my beliefs. Why would I have somebody in my life who doesn’t respect my beliefs?
I first started blocking people from my life during the pandemic. Early on, my family lost somebody to COVID. It’s always hard to lose a loved one. It was especially hard to lose somebody during the pandemic because half the country was so disrespectful about it.
When you’ve just lost somebody to a disease that can be largely prevented by wearing masks, you lose patience for anti-maskers. Everybody has a right to process their trauma however they see fit.
I lost all patience for anyone who posted anti-mask propaganda on Facebook and began blocking those people. On several occasions, those people tracked me down on other social media platforms.
“Did you block me for saying I wouldn’t wear a mask? Shame on you!”
Honestly, when you’re already processing the loss of a loved one, it’s unpleasant to receive hate mail from former friends. I sent the following answer.
“I recently lost somebody to COVID and it makes me angry to see people spread fake news about the ineffectiveness of masks on social media. Please respect my family in this moment of grief. I hope you stay healthy. Goodbye.”
Then I would block them on that platform as well.
It’s interesting that none of these people who were so willing to talk tough on the internet, ever tracked me down to offer an apology. They could have sent me a letter or a card, but none of them ever did.
It seems to me that decent people should take responsibility when they step on somebody’s grief, even when they do it inadvertently.
Since those days, I have continued to block a lot of people. As I watched the attack on the Capitol that took place on January 6th, I felt our country was under attack. In many ways, the insurrection felt much like the September 11th terrorist attack except that the insurrection was carried out by American citizens.
To this day, many people try to defend the events of January 6th. In my opinion, that’s the same as defiantly justifying your actions when you disregard the pain a family feels when it grieves the loss of a loved one.
I don’t have patience for people who behave like that.
I’ll get comments on this article that will accuse me of lying. I’ll get comments from people that denounce my behavior. But what am I doing that’s so wrong? I’m simply choosing not to listen to people who make false and insulting statements. What I don’t understand is why insurrection apologists are so entitled. Why do they think I have some obligation to listen to them?
It’s almost as if insurrection apologists can’t comprehend that you have a right to kick them out of your life forever. They often throw tantrums and require you to block them on multiple social media platforms.
Where is this sense of entitlement coming from?
Sometimes insurrection apologists leave comments like, “Well, we don’t want to talk to you either.” However, that’s not true because they’re leaving comments for me. If they didn’t want to talk to me, they’d remain silent.
I wish insurrection apologists would stop obsessing over me and get a life of their own.
For our country to move forward, a large percentage of the population has to learn how to behave with greater responsibility. The problem with acting like a defiant jerk is that you might insult somebody who has just lost a loved one. When a person is processing grief, they don’t have the energy to tolerate rude and immature behavior.
Over the last two years, I have severed relationships with many people I’ve known for decades. I feel better today than I ever have in my life. The thing insurrection apologists fail to recognize is that the majority of Americans disagree with them. We won the election, and the fortunes of the country have greatly improved over the last two years.
If you don’t like what I have to say, I’m fine with that. But I’m tired of the entitled attitude that I have some sort of obligation to listen to your unsubstantiated beliefs. I don’t respect anyone who is allergic to facts. I won’t waste my time listening to disrespectful nonsense.
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