VerdantSporeSeasoning

When I went to price it out at the store, the line for a dumb phone was going to cost $30/mo more than a smart phone. It was dumb.

I've found periodically cleaning mine with rubbing alcohol and a qtip vastly improves charging, fit, and sound. Still thinking about upgrading sometime soon tho.

And I'm sittin here on Capitol Hill

Yeah, conveniently that's about the time that it got real offensive to be openly racist. Closet racists hated abortions as the new code. Then kids grew up learning AbOrTiOn StOpS a BeAtInG hEaRt and that it's always murder. And here we are.

Mental health is a squishier standard. Let's say I had depression and decided to talk to someone about it, get the help I needed to become mentally healthy again. Should that necessarily be penalized if I want to go buy a gun to go out to the range or hunting with my buddies? Should seeking help disqualify someone entirely? Does that prevent people from getting help they think they might need, stigmatizing an already stigmatized practice?

Meanwhile, if Dave down the hill has a record, he's already shown he was willing to do an illegal thing, whether or not the record is fair. If he already has reports against him for domestic disturbances, that's pretty cut and dry violent behavior that ought not be allowed to intensify.

I'm not saying mental checks aren't a good idea or aren't worth it. I'm saying that they're a harder sell because a) they take more nuance to formulate well and b) the propaganda machine will have an easier time telling people how those checks are overreach.

That sounds like the kind of conversation worth recording and taking to a lawyer. I can't imagine a call that goes "Hi, I'd like to cancel my service. What do you mean you can't do that? No one at the company can help? I've been on the phone with 4 different reps. Fine, I'll just call my card to stop paying. What do you mean you're going to send me to collections?!" wouldn't get done kind of positive movement.

I wasn't advocating that a person should quit. But there's a far cry between the people I'm polite to because I see them at work everyday vs the people I'll invest emotional energy in, converse with about more than the day's weather. It's really hard that OP has emotionally invested in a person who listens to bad people. That divide--where OP wants to put attention and conversation--is what I was trying to highlight. Have rational, honest conversations--if it's safe to do so.

If you're privileged enough not to be threatened in that situation (ie you're not a younger woman, an immigrant, LGBTQ+) and it's not emotionally damaging to maintain the relationship, do. Be there, but be open about different and willing to answer questions. Either they'll be an ass eventually, or maybe, just maybe, you can show them the rabbit hole is just their head in the sand. Cult deprogrammers say over and over that the best way to get people to see reason is through personal conversation. But don't have expectations that it'll work all at once, or if they go back and forth in their beliefs. Unlearning worldviews is hard work.