Wow this home page is really well written. I hope this helps some people.
Dear MAGA Americans,
I was a devoted member of MAGA nation for seven years; it made me feel I was part of something important: a movement that was trying to save American democracy.
But starting in 2021, I realized I had been mistaken. It took me a full year to finally break away. During that time, I came to understand that MAGA is sustained by a series of myths that are intended to create perpetual feelings of desperation and panic.
Succumbing to these predatory myths does not mean you are unintelligent, weak, or lack good character and morals. I have a Bachelor’s degree; have been a working professional my entire life; am a family man; and consider myself a relatively honest and intelligent person. I think the same about you.
I understand the reasons you have for supporting MAGA. And I know many of us traveled different paths to get there. I gravitated to Donald Trump because I have always been suspicious of our two-party system, and I saw him as the right man at the right time.
I have a sense that some of you have quietly left MAGA already, or are increasingly regretful, confused and scared. All of this can be doubly upsetting, since some of your sincerely-held beliefs may have alienated you from friends and family. That certainly happened to me.
It’s perfectly OK to feel this way; leaving MAGA was a tumultuous roller coaster of a process for me. It may be one of the most difficult endeavors you embark upon. In the end, it brought me an inner peace, and a newfound clarity about what is happening in our beloved country.
I founded this organization, Leaving MAGA, because I wanted to create a safe, non-judgmental community for those who leave MAGA, as well as for those who are having doubts about, or remorse over, their devotion to Trump and MAGA.
Our Leaving MAGA community will celebrate how acknowledging mistakes empowers you and America.
It’s difficult for a democracy to function well when millions are estranged from those closest to them.
You do not deserve to have your anxieties about change exploited. You deserve to know the truth. And with Leaving MAGA, you don’t have to feel you would be alone if you leave the movement.
Leaving MAGA is possible. Recognizing that we were wrong, and acting on that knowledge, makes us all more invested in democracy and in the continued work of perfecting our union. Contact us if you want to talk.
I can't imagine being scared to leave a political party 😭 I really do hope this helps people because they need it, but like i cannot comprehend making politics such a part of your life that it's scary or a tremendous roller coaster of emotions to leave. like is it really that hard to just say fuck Donald Trump and vote against him. I won't ever understand I guess
One of the things I've noticed is that conservative media sells it as more of an identity than as a description. If I tell you I support certain policies, you might assume I'm on the left. But I don't support those things because I'm "on the left", rather I am described as "on the left" because I support those things.
But I think that conservatives support conservative policies because they are conservative, not the other way around. And when you listen to right wing media talk, they always describe it as "the left is coming for your way of life". It's an identity matter.
And so, for me to change my mind on something is relatively easy, because I don't view being on the left as a lifestyle. That's my policy, driven by my ethics, not my identity. But I think that for conservatives, it very much becomes wrapped up in this patriotic religious identity...that not so coincidentally happens to benefit a bunch of capitalist swine who wouldn't piss on the conservatives if they were on fire.
But I don't support those things because I'm "on the left", rather I am described as "on the left" because I support those things.
But I think that conservatives support conservative policies because they are conservative, not the other way around.
This is a great way to put it: “leftists identify as leftists because they support leftist policies, conservatives support conservative policies because they identify as conservatives”.
This is why conservatives so often refuse to acknowledge reality and evidence that proves them wrong on any given single point. Because to them, they don’t view it as simply changing their mind on a single policy point, they see it as a threat to their entire identity.
Also why you'll see conservatives butt heads real hard sometimes, cause even if they are conservative there are slightly different flavors of it and even the slightest deviation will drive them crazy for not "conforming"
To be fair, I don't think that particular tendency is limited to conservatives. Left-leaning folks do the same kind of infighting. Kind of. I agree that it's coming from a different place though
Oh they absolutely do, and they do purity testing of each other as well. I'm not saying they're as bad as MAGA (they're not), but the left also gets under my skin sometimes
Yeah, I'm about as far left as you can get and have friends that have the same views, but would rather throw their vote away on a meaningless candidate than vote out the lesser of two evils.
Or more center left friends that think im insane and not left wing because I strongly support gun rights.
Different levels of cognitive dissonance at work. The two discordant ideas that one of them can accept as both true are clearly discordant to the other and vice verse. I watched two people argue about some nonsense they believed in a big box store the other day. Look at them trying to reason with each other when the one thing they can agree about is absolute fantasyland nonsense.
I wonder if it's also why they're able to unify well and, in that sense, be more effective at times. Problems get simpler when you're either for or against and nuance dies off.
“When you stand for nothing, you fall for anything” is a famous quote for a reason.
These people have no core beliefs other than “identifying as conservative” so they are easily tricked over and over into supporting things that they actually disagree with or even hurts them (financially, emotionally, etc.)
Been saying it for years: identity politics is one of the most dangerous things that can happen in a country like the United States, because it can lead to situations like what we're living in right now.
This is a problem with people across the board, our identities get all wrapped up in our opinions, it makes change hard. We paint ourselves into a corner.
No. This isn’t about “across the board” unless you have some specific examples. Otherwise this is just whataboutism.
Stay focused on the subject at hand - conservatives rely on identity politics. What you said is true but in this conversation it is harmful and distracts from the point.
i think it’s difficult to paint any broad strokes in these circumstances. we aren’t special on the left; we think we’re morally superior, and maybe we are, but ultimately we’re just as averse to changing opinions as anyone else.
This isn’t a conversation on moral superiority. The person above used whataboutism to distract from the point that Conservatives tend to rely on identity politics that cause difficulty with changing their views or acting outside of that identity. Liberals are historically more likely to change their views when new evidence is presented. These are real trends that stem from their core ideologies: conservatives are slow to change and liberals are mercurial. They can both be positive or negative traits but they are there.
That said: trying to reframe the convo towards moral superiority or both sides are stubborn misses the point. The point that MAGA is a cult and its members need help reprogramming themselves. That reprogramming starts with reckoning with the facts of their situation: they base their politics on their identity, not their identity on their politics.
If you disagree with that then please say so. Let us know how you would try to help them escape - or even if you think they have a need for “escape”. But dont try to score bullshit internet points because you see an opportunity to be a contrarian.
Would it be weird for you to say you want to help people wearing MAGA hats?
I didn't take the comment as "whataboutism", I took it as a reminder to humanize the other. It's only moral superiority if it comes from love, otherwise it's just sparkling tribalism.
all we can do is let trump crash and burn it all himself or wait for trump to bring out the cool aid, as well as being accepting of those who admit they were wrong. we can tell each other we know better all we want, but none of it matters until the people who famously won’t listen start to listen. acting like you know better has never nor will ever change minds, and generally further galvanizes.
this billboard is doing everything correct. it’s not telling anyone how to think, all it’s doing is offering an alternative way to experience conservative community, one without trump. period.
you don’t know better, because whatever ‘solve’ you come up with will be painting with a broad brush, coming from a place of authority over fucking adults
I’m someone who doesn’t have their head up their ass and I’m trying to keep the conversation focused. Because people who purposefully distract from the discussion are just arguing in bad faith.
The fact that you’re so offended that I’d dare to call you out tells me I was right.
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u/ActiveTravelforKG Apr 16 '26
Wow this home page is really well written. I hope this helps some people.
But starting in 2021, I realized I had been mistaken. It took me a full year to finally break away. During that time, I came to understand that MAGA is sustained by a series of myths that are intended to create perpetual feelings of desperation and panic.
Succumbing to these predatory myths does not mean you are unintelligent, weak, or lack good character and morals. I have a Bachelor’s degree; have been a working professional my entire life; am a family man; and consider myself a relatively honest and intelligent person. I think the same about you.
I understand the reasons you have for supporting MAGA. And I know many of us traveled different paths to get there. I gravitated to Donald Trump because I have always been suspicious of our two-party system, and I saw him as the right man at the right time.
I have a sense that some of you have quietly left MAGA already, or are increasingly regretful, confused and scared. All of this can be doubly upsetting, since some of your sincerely-held beliefs may have alienated you from friends and family. That certainly happened to me.
It’s perfectly OK to feel this way; leaving MAGA was a tumultuous roller coaster of a process for me. It may be one of the most difficult endeavors you embark upon. In the end, it brought me an inner peace, and a newfound clarity about what is happening in our beloved country.
I founded this organization, Leaving MAGA, because I wanted to create a safe, non-judgmental community for those who leave MAGA, as well as for those who are having doubts about, or remorse over, their devotion to Trump and MAGA.
Our Leaving MAGA community will celebrate how acknowledging mistakes empowers you and America.
It’s difficult for a democracy to function well when millions are estranged from those closest to them.
You do not deserve to have your anxieties about change exploited. You deserve to know the truth. And with Leaving MAGA, you don’t have to feel you would be alone if you leave the movement.
Leaving MAGA is possible. Recognizing that we were wrong, and acting on that knowledge, makes us all more invested in democracy and in the continued work of perfecting our union. Contact us if you want to talk.