We empower people to leave MAGA and tell their stories. We foster reconciliation with friends and family. We develop movement leaders to help others leave. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zJl1lBGMUw&t=15sA Message from our Founder Meet the People Leaving MAGA Steve Vilchez Illinois Read His Story Erica Roach New York Read Her Story Justin Yu California Read His Story Deanna
It doesn’t really give good follow up questions though. So when a MAGA spouts something incredibly racist and you ask “where did you hear that?” and they just respond by saying “probably from the news, or an article, or podcast somewhere. Lots of places are all talking about it. Even CNN is saying that!” Where do you go from there? Do you stop the conversation to Google shit to try to refute them only to see that, yes, CNN is saying that same thing? Do you try to explain that the media has been captured by rightwing billionaires, or that their sources are problematic and unreliable? Do you think that will go over well? Or do you think that you’ll sound just like they do to us when they talk about the “leftist controlled” media?
Like, how the fuck do you expect that kind of question to go? Does the author expect their answer to “Where did you hear that?” to be something along the lines of “My God, I never once stopped to consider the sources of my prejudices. I will certainly reexamine my biases now. Thank you for shining a light on my ignorance.” They will either hand wave it away by saying they heard it somewhere, or they will give a source and then the conversation becomes about the reliability of that source rather than the actual topic at hand.
You, and many other people in this thread, sound like you’re mentally defeating yourself before you even try. Just because it MIGHT go the way you say means you shouldn’t try to reach people who might just need that hand an excuse to take it?
PS, talking about the reliability of sources actually is a pretty good way to expose the cracks and break down the shitty beliefs.
Here’s a link to the guy’s free ebook so other people don’t have to put in a fake name and temp email
https://leavingmaga.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/E-book-Leaving-MAGA.pdf
It also came with a guide to talking to magats
https://leavingmaga.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Reaching-Out-Guide.pdf
Neither seems very compelling, but good luck to the guy I guess.
The guide basically reads, “Treat them like idiots and pretend to be one yourself.”
Surprisingly effective from my experiences.
I mean, it’s no dissertation, but that guide is not wrong at all.
It doesn’t really give good follow up questions though. So when a MAGA spouts something incredibly racist and you ask “where did you hear that?” and they just respond by saying “probably from the news, or an article, or podcast somewhere. Lots of places are all talking about it. Even CNN is saying that!” Where do you go from there? Do you stop the conversation to Google shit to try to refute them only to see that, yes, CNN is saying that same thing? Do you try to explain that the media has been captured by rightwing billionaires, or that their sources are problematic and unreliable? Do you think that will go over well? Or do you think that you’ll sound just like they do to us when they talk about the “leftist controlled” media?
Like, how the fuck do you expect that kind of question to go? Does the author expect their answer to “Where did you hear that?” to be something along the lines of “My God, I never once stopped to consider the sources of my prejudices. I will certainly reexamine my biases now. Thank you for shining a light on my ignorance.” They will either hand wave it away by saying they heard it somewhere, or they will give a source and then the conversation becomes about the reliability of that source rather than the actual topic at hand.
You, and many other people in this thread, sound like you’re mentally defeating yourself before you even try. Just because it MIGHT go the way you say means you shouldn’t try to reach people who might just need that hand an excuse to take it?
PS, talking about the reliability of sources actually is a pretty good way to expose the cracks and break down the shitty beliefs.