Politics these days have become so divided and divisive that it’s become the norm to view the other side of the aisle as “the enemy”. People are being told to “pick a side” and that there’s no room for middle ground. We here at Phetasy believe that there are a lot more people in the middle than politicians and the media would have us believe.
We’re collecting stories from the ever growing number of people who are finding themselves Politically Homeless and posting them here on Substack. If you have moved from conservative to liberal, or liberal to conservative, if you feel you’ve stayed in the same place and your party has swerved drastically away from you, if you had a moment that awakened you to the insanity and hypocrisy on both sides, if you keep your mouth shut anytime a political topic comes up because you’re afraid your opinion will cause you to lose friends or your job, you’re not as alone as you might think.
Our goal is to shine a light on people’s earnest, individual experiences and show them they’re not alone.
Some letters have been edited for clarity and brevity. If you’re politically homeless and would like to share your story, please email us at iampoliticallyhomeless@gmail.com. All submissions will remain anonymous.
Letter 112:
June 29, 2024
Hi Bridget,
My wife and I are big fans and recently subscribed to support your work. I've started listening to the Politically Homeless segments and thought I should contribute, below is my story that I would like to share.
I've been all over the political spectrum in my life, starting by default on the right because my parents aligned with conservatives because of their religious ties. Public school indoctrinated me into the left, I hated America and who could blame me after only being shown its most horrific actions and ignoring those of all other countries. I hated the conservatives with a passion and now see how it did drive a wedge into my family as well. On the left I felt I was on the right side of history, I was educated and awakened, compassionate unlike everyone else with different ideals.
In 2008 I voted passionately for hope and change, I was able to get friends who never voted before to vote for Obama, we thought he represented a step away from dysfunctional politics. After 4 years of no change, and no real hope for it I felt incredibly betrayed and fooled, I became black-pilled and found the anarcho Libertarian community where I became politically homeless, unrepresented by any political party with power. We even laughed at the libertarian party, which did not represent true Libertarianism.
When Trump came on the scene I dismissed him as another out-of-touch billionaire who couldn't possibly change a completely broken system, I proudly did not vote in 2016 but did engorge myself on the meme culture around it. I hated the left and the right, I picked apart all their ideas, and I felt there was no hope for the country. But after a year or two of debunking leftist lies around Trump I started to listen to Trump speak, going to the source material, and understanding the policy changes he made. He won my respect. I'm almost half his age and I see his energy and speeches all over the country, a schedule I could not hope to match on my best days. While his rough language was somewhat offensive he did not sound like a politician but he really didn't act like a politician, I saw hope despite the democrats not allowing him to have one good day. I've never seen the democrats in such a bad light before, seeing what they were doing to him, his family and friends, the country and then Covid happened and I really saw the left for what it was. They would burn down the country and throw me into a Covid camp if it meant keeping the power. They accused Trump of election fraud for years then pulled some incredibly shady things. Everything they accused Trump of they did or were still doing! Even the Republicans fought Trump, they acted as a uniparty, it was creepy and Orwellian to see so much of the establishment align against one man, who despite sounding unsophisticated was doing a great job.
I still think I'm partially black-pilled, definitely not a Democrat, and not a fan of the Republican party either. MAGA represents something new, I still feel politically homeless, at least until MAGA is an actual party and not a takeover of a shitty Republican party. But I also feel there is a possibility of real hope and change with Trump. I hope to not be fooled again but in the Trump years I had the best jobs of my life, I felt that my family's financial future was great and the country was on the right track. Democrat lockdowns destroyed my job, my family's savings and outlook of the future, we struggle and I see the country failing faster than I could have imagined under horrific lack of leadership and WW3 looming. Government puts us all in danger, it's incredibly sad that our lives are captured by people who endanger us all with policy more concerned with virtue signalling than helping the people they are supposed to represent. And for those reasons I understand the perspectives of the politically homeless, I've been on the left and the right, and feel like they are both an establishment uniparty that hates me and you.
Sincerely,
Politically Homeless
Some letters have been edited for clarity and brevity. If you'd like to share your story, email us at iampoliticallyhomeless@gmail.com. All submissions will remain anonymous.
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