The Before Time

By Sharon Synowsky

I got roped into a Twitter…*ahem*…exchange…with a rabid MAGA. Now, because I said in MY post that he would come at me with insults, he was restrained. Well, for MAGA. Aside from saying he hates liberals, we’re all brainwashed, and calling me a liar, he did pretty well.

During the exchange, I asked him to think about this. Prior to 2015, did you hate liberals? Prior to 2015, did you call us liars? Prior to 2015, could you talk about politics without it devolving into an insult-filled rant?

He said yes, he did. I, of course, said I didn’t believe him because I can remember having civil political discourse with Republicans prior to 2015. I can remember talking about abortion and gun control (the 2 HOT BUTTON issues) without it turning into a shouting match.

And that made ME pause, and really THINK…

Guys, I don’t think MAGA remembers The Before Time. They don’t remember a time where they weren’t stewing in their bad feelings. Trump has been stoking their anger and hatred of the “Thems” – immigrants, non-Christians, Democrats, “the deep state” – for nearly a decade. They’ve spent the better part of the past decade transforming themselves into mini-Trumps. I can’t imagine how exhausting it must be to maintain that negative energy for so damn long.

They don’t remember when it was not only OK, but normal for Dems and Republicans to work together. They don’t remember it wasn’t always US v. Them. They don’t remember when politics weren’t front and center. They don’t remember that politics used to be boring, when no one who wasn’t IN politics only paid attention every 4 years.
They don’t remember when they paid little attention to immigration and the border. They don’t remember when they had no idea what CRT and DEI is. They don’t remember when they didn’t know about Drag Queen Reading Time. Or if they did, they don’t remember that it didn’t bother them.

They don’t remember that they loved their liberal family members. They don’t remember nice holiday gatherings where no one argued about politics. They don’t remember that their estranged family and friends pulled away from them. They think that they were the ones who “banished” them.

They don’t remember that they once believed the EXPERTS in science, medicine, economics and that their skepticism was aimed at politicians. They don’t remember when they didn’t get their news from Fox, Charlie Kirk, Benny Johnson, Newsmax and OAN. They don’t remember when they questioned the things they were told.

They don’t remember that they didn’t hate – or even pay much attention to – the things that now make them angry, sometimes to the point of violence. They don’t remember when their very identity was not tied directly to their politics. They don’t remember when politics wasn’t their religion and Trump was just a man and not their god. They don’t remember when they could think for themselves. Hell, they don’t remember that they still can.

Most importantly, they don’t remember that they, and America, weren’t always like this.

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