The brain washing is complete

[Ohioboy]

My mother, and one of my brothers believe the 2020 election was stolen. Their proof? They saw more Trump yard signs. Yep, that's their proof...that, and the way Trump drew large crowds to his rallies.

Forget about actual proof, branding is all they need to join the cult.

I'm sorry my family is part of the problem in this country. I'm working on it.

[mucifer]

1. Yes, and I believe they are not just the elderly anymore. A lot of younger people are drinking

the kool aid.

[Ohioboy]

2. There is so much Kool aid to drink these days

[Duncanpup]

3. I feel for you ohioboy

I have magat cult members in my family

[Ohioboy]

4. Thanks

The sad thing is my family members used to be reasonable people-- good debaters even. There was a time when anecdotal evidence would have been considered a weak argument in their eyes. Now, anecdotal evidence is all they are going on. Very frustrating.

[GoCubsGo]

5. The rallies and boat parades were also Trump's "proof."

Which is who they got this nonsense from. He's still spewing that bullshit whenever he gets a chance. Because, you know, Biden was "hiding in his basement," rather than deliberately keeping his rallies and their attendance to a minimum, due to the pandemic.

I actually saw more Biden/Harris yard signs in my deep red district than Trump signs.

I'd say your mother and brother are already in the cult. I feel your pain. My brother and his wife are in it, too. They also helped foist the imbecilic Lauren Boebert on us. I gave up working on long ago. It became glaringly obvious that it was an act of futility when even my mom couldn't talk any sense into him.

[Ohioboy]

6. I'm sure there would have been more Biden signs in my area too...

but Biden signs were being stolen. We had several stolen. I got tired of replacing them.

Plus, I was starting to get concerned about intimidation from a certain large pickup truck going around the neighborhood with Trump flags all over it.

Frankly, I wimped out and just didn't feel like advertising my politics during that election.

[GoCubsGo]

7. I suspect the element of intimidation was a big motivation.

I'm sure a lot of people feared their homes being vandalized by the Red Hat Cult--or worse. That's one of the reasons I never put up yard signs. Or, put bumper stickers on my cars. Those people are nuts, and always have been.

[deurbano]

12. My MIL and her neighbor had their Biden signs (we gave them) and signs for other Democrats

stolen in their Modesto, CA neighborhood. No Democratic candidate is legitimate to the MAGAts, so all's fair...

[themaguffin]

8. There is no way that Jacksonville St beat FL state on Sat. There are waaay more FSU fans

[Evolve Dammit]

9. Hide their Trumpy Bear Doll and tell them you saw a guy with a MAGA hat take it.

Then send a ransom note filled with disgusting Biden/ Harris slurs asking for big bucks. List any other demands that hurt and reflect poorly on Cult 45. Be creative and Hit 'em where it hurts.

[chowder66]

10. If you aren't in a room with them do they believe you exist?

[lambchopp59]

11. Most of my extra-whitebred maternal side of my family have fallen down the rabbit hole.

To the extent I'll never know now which ones are dead or alive. There was rift that began long before my birth-- teasing about my genetically "bad blood".
An attempt to bridge the gap 20 years ago ended in spectacular failure. Although we'd made connections on Facebook, shortly after the election of President Obama, my requests to please tone down the racist posts resulted first in being de-friended by all that side of the family unexceptionally and the next day getting so massively attacked it made Facebook unusable. I de-activated my profile and won't be back.
I don't think it has occurred to them how ashamed many of the long-gone progenitors of these fools would be of them, of the harsh words they'd have, who visited our west-coast family and enjoyed the perks of their visits immensely. Now that California's been so demonized by the right, all regard the entire region and everyone there gets is lowest-common-denominator trash talk, made worse by the idea that our sliver of African blood, our hispanophile history... hmm... didn't bother the Ricky Lucy Fred and Ethel crowd.

[IronLionZion]

13. And the reported numbers changed as votes were counted

mail in ballots are proof of fraud, etc. It's the same way people "prove" that I'm not a US citizen if they ever met someone who looks like me but wasn't a US citizen.

[Grins]

14. I went looking for Trump signs before the election..

On a whim. In my neighborhood*. Just got curious. In previous elections there were signs for Republican candidates.

This election?
- For Senate and House seats there were some.
Not as much as in the past but they were there.

- For Trump?? NONE! Zero!

The homes that had Trump/Pence signs in 2016 did not have them in 2020. That was a sign.

Please share my not-so-scientific ‘study’ with your mother and brother. It’s as accurate as theirs!

* Northern Virginia.

[sop]

15. Has anyone noticed the glut of conspiracy theory cable tv programming in recent years?

It used to be the History or Discovery channels would educate viewers with actual history and facts. These days it's all about UFOs, paranormal activity, bizarre political theories and a host of other absurd fantasies. They should just call themselves The Fabulist Channel and be done with it.

There's a series entirely devoted to "investigating" how ancient civilizations were the product of extraterrestial visitations. And another where a group of "scientists" earnestly attempts to explain "unexplained phenomena" at some place called Skinwalker Ranch. Or the one with a bunch of ghost busters with PhDs after their names setting up cameras and listening devices in abandoned structures to capture strange apparations in the night.

It's everywhere. There's no escaping it. Small wonder we've become a nation of gullible idiots.