That’s a good, and hard, question. I unfortunately don’t know. I’ve lost both friends and relationships (including my father) over blatant racism and no amount of talking helped in any of those cases.
I tried for years to talk any kind of sense into my father but he seemed impervious to any kind of sense regarding this. We haven’t spoken for years at this point.
At a certain point, a specific individual doesn’t want to change and there’s nothing you CAN do, except be there as a kind place to go when they decide it’s time. It takes a fucking lot to do that, but if you want to make a difference in the world, it’s one thing you as an individual can do. And keep talking.
If you cannot do that, then I’m going to be a bit dirty again, and ask: what do we do about your dad, your ex friends? Do we murder them? Do we exile them? Or do we hide from the unpleasant reality, ignore any actual solutions and hope they don’t just blow up?
I tried to reach him for years, but he also drinks, refuses any kind of help and he gets violent.
He messed up my spine by throwing me through a bookshelf the day my mother left, and that was 18 years ago. I tried to have some sort of discourse with him for almost 15 years after that, but after he threatened my wife I simply had enough and threw him out.
In his particular case I think the problem started with his parents dished out, and they’re long gone. Maybe all we really can do is foster our children to be better?
To that end my wife’s a teacher and I worked with disabled and disenfranchised people until my body gave up.
Man that sucks. First thing is safety for sure. If you cannot safely communicate with them, I’d absolutely recommend not personally trying to bear that burden.
It’s possible you’re right, racism, Nazi beliefs, all that shit is so often generational. We’re the products of the environment we were made in, after all.
Keep doing good work, keep talking, keep spreading messages about how utterly important it is to extend basic human rights unambiguously.
That’s a good, and hard, question. I unfortunately don’t know. I’ve lost both friends and relationships (including my father) over blatant racism and no amount of talking helped in any of those cases.
I tried for years to talk any kind of sense into my father but he seemed impervious to any kind of sense regarding this. We haven’t spoken for years at this point.
At a certain point, a specific individual doesn’t want to change and there’s nothing you CAN do, except be there as a kind place to go when they decide it’s time. It takes a fucking lot to do that, but if you want to make a difference in the world, it’s one thing you as an individual can do. And keep talking.
If you cannot do that, then I’m going to be a bit dirty again, and ask: what do we do about your dad, your ex friends? Do we murder them? Do we exile them? Or do we hide from the unpleasant reality, ignore any actual solutions and hope they don’t just blow up?
I tried to reach him for years, but he also drinks, refuses any kind of help and he gets violent.
He messed up my spine by throwing me through a bookshelf the day my mother left, and that was 18 years ago. I tried to have some sort of discourse with him for almost 15 years after that, but after he threatened my wife I simply had enough and threw him out.
In his particular case I think the problem started with his parents dished out, and they’re long gone. Maybe all we really can do is foster our children to be better?
To that end my wife’s a teacher and I worked with disabled and disenfranchised people until my body gave up.
Man that sucks. First thing is safety for sure. If you cannot safely communicate with them, I’d absolutely recommend not personally trying to bear that burden.
It’s possible you’re right, racism, Nazi beliefs, all that shit is so often generational. We’re the products of the environment we were made in, after all.
Keep doing good work, keep talking, keep spreading messages about how utterly important it is to extend basic human rights unambiguously.
Thank you for the kind words and the discourse, I’m glad we found common ground. I wholeheartedly agree with your last statement.