This exact thing happened to my Pilates teacher of a decade. We used to joke about all the woo. Then she somehow discovered Josh Rogan and things began to go downhill. What if Trump is right about this one thing? Aren't there two sides to everything? When covid hit she went completely down the rabbit hole, antivax, global conspiracies, the works. Just about everything in that article.
I considered her a good friend. She was the only one who brought flowers to my house when my mother died. I haven't seen her since early in covid, after the first lockdowns.
And I read another article about this same phenomena about two years go, which of course my google fu is too weak this morning to find. But the anecdotal point here is that this is not the first time people have noted this phenomenon.
You make some good points, thanks for that. And unfortunately as you allude, this may become the fate of many in the not too distant future, whether they choose the lifestyle of their own volition ...or not.
All that is true, but you forgot to add the part where the person living the life you propose is healthy, quite fit even. Not everyone, even fit young people, would do well living in a tent while they try to understand how to build a house. Let alone run a concessions stand from a van or something. That takes a massive physical toll and not even over the long run.
That's an excellent point! I totally agree harm reduction is the goal here.
However and alas, I have absolutely no excuse living where I live and having the extensive cooking skills I gained over the years. No excuse at all. It's on my mind a lot lately.
You've gotten downvoted, and you'll probably get some more downvotes. But you you took the time to write a thoughtful post, and you made a good point.
But ultimately I feel your point is wrong. Defederating from such an instance isn't the equivalent of dehumanizing people you disagree with. Rather, it's limiting the (potential) scope of harm people with bad intentions can cause.
I get you'd like to see "both sides" or have a fuller picture, but there is enough evidence already that there really isn't any possible "good" reason for their speech, and we should do what we can to limit its reach.
Well, shit.