I have made a point to not make any new friends with average liberals. The type of a person who gets their worldview told them by browsing, say, a CNN or BBC website once every few days. Everyone's so emotional, and of course world events are exacerbating this more and more, there is just no way to have a normal conversation when it comes to politics or interpretation of certain events.
The problem is there is a couple of old friends, decent normal people, who are rabid liberals. And even a bigger problem is my mom is one of them. So I cannot get rid of them all.
And I just put so much energy into trying to avoid certain topics with them. But you probably know how it is. They, on the other hand, have made this particular lens or worldview a huge part of their personality, without even realizing it often, so it keeps coming out. They keep saying things that make my blood boil.
So of course I cant but push back sometimes. Even full knowing that this is completely useless. Even having many things to say to back up my views. But the darnest thing is they never ask to go that far. They just get mad that for some bizarre reason I don't think the way they do, the only correct way(tm). They psychologize away, for themselves, that I must have been reading the wrong things, must have fallen under the influence of propaganda, must be under some illusions.
I always stop myself from saying back that, well, this is exactly the other way around. Because I realize that this would only confirm their point for themselves. That this will sound insane to someone so sure and secure in their worldview. Someone who is not accustomed to doubt. They'll conclude, and probably already have, that everything is upside down for me. I am the insane one.
How do two upside downs talk to each other? This is a rhetorical question. But it does make me feel insane realizing that I am the insane, damaged, one from the perspective of certain people I love dearly. I want them to open up a bit, but I know they cannot. So they defend their worldview, their personality, in this most primitive way possible. "You are the crazy one." It's exhausting. And as someone who is accustomed to doubt, it does make me feel sometimes that, well, what if, I am indeed the insane one.
Best thing to do, I think, is work to tear down their idealization of the neoliberal system by relentlessly pointing out its numerous flaws and shooting down their excuses for those flaws. Don't try to advance your worldview at all until you've made them less certain of their own beliefs. If they're fond of a specific media source (say, NYT), make sure to hammer on that source to them whenever it publishes something really shitty.
Also, start slow. Stick to issues they care less about at first. They will be less likely to fight as hard if it's not an important issue to them.
Finally, if you can, get them exposed to some better media. I highly recommend Means Morning News, which just does the actual basic news (mostly US news) but with an unapologetically socialist bent to it. Quoting comments from this site can also be effective; people post some good stuff here.
I’d say the best shot is to recommend a few books (blackshirts and reds, Jakarta method, principles of communism, state and rev) to show them where your ideas are coming from. If they refuse to read them and still think you’re the brain washed one at least you can point out they won’t even engage with opposing ideas
I feel you, OP. :soviet-heart:
FWIW, you're not "insane." I don't know how to help you, but just know that the ENTIRE world economy is dependent on the perpetuation of neoliberalism. So the forces you are against are vast - it is entirely valid to feel inadequate, or even "insane".
But you have to stay confident and secure in your worldview. Whenever you begin getting confused or feeling lost, always go back to basics - capitalism: the exploitation of labor, the class war b/w workers and employers, labor being the source of profit, exploitation of the global south etc.
