So my dad has always been a right wing gun nut guy like super into the NRA and stuff but growing up that was pretty much all he was, he didn't talk about taxes or all the other stuff typical Republicans cared about before trump, he never wantrd gay marriage banned, he was a true single issue voter. Then he quickly lost his mind around trumps presidency and became a big time Q anon guy, like t shirts, phone cases, bumper stickers, bringing it up obsessively, that type of bad. It was rough for most of the family like I had a dozen different big time arguments with him constantly, he was insufferable. My brother cut all contact too.
Then eventually after it was clear trump lost and there was no storm and the Q anon stuff fizzled out for most people and he finally admitted that Q was a fake and it was all a scam. Pretty big of him honestly, he almost never admits fault or being wrong ever before this. But he started really getting into vegetable gardening and working on old motorcycles out of no where last two-ish years and he is like a normal person now. He still loves his guns and is gonna be right wing but he became more libertarian type like less government, "live and let live" in a way. He is really solid on LGBTQ rights and stuff tho actually, and didn't fall for the groomer culture war thing. He has just really taken a step back on all the culture war stuff and practically never talks politics anymore which is wild considering how deep he was. He also thinks DeSantis is a absolute tool. It sounded like he wasn't even going to vote next election lol.
I never really thought he'd get out of that hole but I'm glad he has shifted his energy to more real things that are pretty cool. While I'll never be able to convert him to the left it does feel a lot better not having a raging weirdo as a dad anymore. Like he has come around to the idea of socialized Healthcare ever since someone close to us got cancer. But all he talks about now is gardening and rebuilding old Triumph motorcycles.
Idk I just felt like sharing cause I don't read too often of something like this happening. The Q stuff broke so many people's brains it's just nice to have him be pretty normal now after years of crap.
Hobbies are good folks 😂
"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" may be a hack, pop-buddhism, a bit orientalist book, but it's true that there is some really calming, mindful effect to working on motorcycles. They're simple enough they don't need a ton of tools or aren't frustrating to work on (you don't need to spend half a day taking apart something to do a "small fix" like in a car, and they're complex enough to hit the puzzle-solving part of your brain. Plus, you get to ride a motorcycle afterwards.