I just want to be very clear about something. I don’t tolerate the presence of Trump supporters spouting their nonsense in my personal space, which includes my email inbox, social media, and personal friendship circles.

On social media I unapologetically unfriend, block, and banish Trump supporters on sight (or smell). If I happen to have missed anyone, please let me know, and I shall remedy that promptly.

I also enjoy it each time, much like people derive pleasure from popping bubble wrap. If you identify as a Trump supporter and would prefer to self-pop, that’s fine too. I’d genuinely prefer it if you would unfriend and block me – please do kick me out of your life.

I don’t want Trump supporters as customers either. If you’ve already bought something from me, you can continue to use it if you so desire. But please don’t patronize my business going forward unless you’re actively seeking to up-level your ethical standards and move beyond any Trumpian nonsense. I don’t want to take on the risk of potentially having to interact with you if we can safely avoid that.

If you want to keep reading my blog, you’re free to do so, but don’t email or otherwise contact me.

No matter how often I express similar sentiments, Trump supporters and apologists seem to take it politically. Their usual response is to complain about the “other” party or whine about Biden. Much of the time they vomit up a bunch of falsehoods much like Trump does each day – the kind of stuff that makes non-Americans ask incredulously, “Holy shit – are some Americans really that dumb?” Unfortunately yes, the USA’s educational system ranks well below that of Finland, Russia. 😢

A political decision this is not. I’m not a member of any political party and never have been. My stance on this isn’t political. It’s entirely personal. The words and behaviors of Trump supporters deeply disgust me. My immune response is to purge them from my space.

Trump supporters and apologists are enabling someone who’s taking actions that are incredibly idiotic. They’re blatantly risking the lives of people I know and care about. They’re enabling the weakening of environmental standards which will undoubtedly cost many lives and cause tremendous suffering as well. I could write thousands of words on all the damage they’re doing and how this affects people’s lives, but there’s really no point. These issues are already reasonably clear to those who feel as I do about Trump, especially non-Americans who look upon this country with a mix of pity and disgust. And Trump supporters will just continue to regurgitate delusional falsehoods. So those would be wasted words in this case.

Supporting a corrupt and incompetent pandemic denier (among many other issues) isn’t a matter of free speech. It’s a matter of basic reason and ethics. I know someone who’s lost a family member because of this, and you’re encouraging more of these types of effects. You’ve crossed a line here, and that line takes you out of any potential friendship or friendliness with me. No hugs for you! You’ve earned yourself an ejection instead.

I don’t just not support what you’re doing. I oppose your actions. Your behavior disgusts me. Your politics aren’t the issue here. My stance is due to the effects your behavior is having on myself, people I know, and the world at large. You’re damaging what I care about.

If you feel the same towards me, that’s understandable, and it’s no skin off my back. Since I regard you as a special blend of asshole and moron, your opinion of me is of no consequence. But if you assume that I’m supposed to be friendly or civil with you despite your serious lapse in judgment, think again. You’ve dropped below the minimum standard for securing my respect, and so you’ve lost that respect. You could regain it someday, but that will require some serious about-facing from you. You’ll have to work hard to undo the damage you’ve been causing. If you do outgrow this nonsense, I’ll be happy to welcome you back, but I’d rather not cling to false hope about that.

This holds true for 10+ year friends just the same as anyone else. I have dumped long-term friends over this, and if other friends go that route, they’ll be ex-friends as well. If you cross this line, let me be abundantly clear – you’ve ended our friendship. If I can’t respect you, I won’t pretend to be your friend. Whether or not you’d like to keep the door open doesn’t matter – rest assured that it’s closed. My standard for friendship is “mutual respect, or disconnect.”

Engage in your political interests however you will. That isn’t the issue here. Have you ever seen me take a stance like this regarding your support or lack thereof for previous politicians? No, you haven’t. This situation is different and goes way beyond politics.

This is about your behavior and its effects. It’s not about your political viewpoints or beliefs. It’s about the ripples you’re creating and how those ripples land with me personally. Having me as your friend, ally, or cheerleader is incompatible with your support for Trump because his goals are in opposition to mine. Pick one or the other – you don’t get both here.

If you choose Trumpism, then let the cord between us be cut. You go ahead and lean into that reality if that’s what you want to experience, but I won’t be joining you there. I can’t be part of that picture with you. If Trump is your light these days, then I’m going dark in your reality, and I actively encourage you to push me away. Swear me off and be done with me.

I at least want you to follow your path with a heart. If that includes your support for Trump, then go invest in that path fully and see where it leads. Accept that it leads far away from me and what I teach and share. You don’t get to support Trump and still be on good terms with me.

If you’re going to support and enable someone who’s so ridiculously out of alignment with the principles that I teach and who’s repeatedly harming people without concern for their well-being, please know that I will take it personally; you’ve successfully secured yourself a place on my shitlist of deplorable scum. I won’t pretend to like or respect you.

Otherwise if that isn’t you – if you’re one of those characters who’d be drawn with a permanent WTF thought bubble over your head in the presence of Trump supporters – then let’s continue to engage with each other like rational human beings in our own nausea-free space. I’m delighted to continue serving you – the smart people of this dimension. Perhaps we all had to dip into this other dimension to experience some contrast, so we could appreciate basic rationality and human decency like never before. And perhaps this serves as a nice wake-up call for us to do a better job of consciously creating a more sensible reality together.

I actually have tremendous hope for the future, and I truly believe we can co-create an even better world than we have now – even for Trump supporters (who are their own worst enemies).

What would you like to see us create after this rabid phase?