So many of these people I interact with on NextDoor simply haven’t thought it through. It’s amazing.
When you figure out how to detect and handle actual abusers, you find all these people who just mimic abusers because they haven’t been exposed to any other way.
Asking questions really is a super power in these troubling times. Don’t argue, don’t debate. Ask questions. It opens up everything. If they’re a genuine abuser or fascist, they will show their colors to everyone. If they’re just a follower, it gets them to think it through, sometimes for the first time. Even more, the attention you show can get them to trust you, let down their guard, and then anything you say can be actually heard.
(I might post screenshots later. But I have to take this slow to take care of myself.)