I have no idea. I am trying to shock them into understanding there is another way of looking at things by being very blunt. I tried being polite for many months. I've found both strategies elicit insults and hate toward me. But I'll do anything to chip away at the force field they've erected around themselves, or has been erected around them, that makes it impossible for them to see that the narrative they so fervently believe is too simple and infused with hate for half of Americans to be true.

I point out the inconsistencies (they don't want to hear them), that the covid measures are discriminatory ("You are selfish! What about me?!" they cry), that we are harming an entire generation of children for no reason ("not one teacher death is justified!" they insist), the numbers are manipulated ("you don't believe in science!") and the motives are political ("we aren't doing that, Trump is doing that!"). My fellow liberals disgust me at the moment, and I them. It's not going well.

I think what is most important is to find the allies. I do that by being vocal and removing the mask whenever possible (I don't want the small business owners to incur the huge fines they get here if I am not masked while inside) and not caring who gets mad at me. Although I have started to encounter a great deal of animosity and am starting to fear for my safety.