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0 pointss1artibartfast5y ago0 comments

Since you brought it up, what factors do you think made you ex-wife susceptible to qanon ideas?

0 comments

She was always susceptible to misinformation. When we moved to Central Florida a decade ago, they have what’s called “Love Bugs”. An invasive flying beetle from Central America. While on the job as a barista, someone told her they were genetically engineered at UCF. She believed him. Arguing with me that was the truth until I pointed her to science articles and Wikipedia.

Fast forward a few years and the thought of sex-trafficking rings took root. She was convinced that girls were being abducted for sex slavery and that people in government were supporting them.

This twisted even further when I confronted her about it, told her that what she thinks is real isn’t, and she immediately jumped on me for gaslighting her.

Needless to say, it was she that filed for divorce. I’m way happier now.

Those that downvoted my comment above because my ex-wife, you should meet her, she’s completely crazy now.

pavlov5y ago

Thanks for sharing, it’s really interesting to hear your firsthand perspective on how people end up in these circles.

Btw, the downvotes are not related to the specifics of what you posted. It’s simply that there are a bunch of people on HN who downvote every single comment that’s somehow critical of Trump or the alt-right. They come back even into old threads to do this. It’s absurd.

s1artibartfastOP5y ago

Thanks for the candid response! Sounds like a possible psychological disorder.

gabereiser5y ago

Yeah. I’m sure it is. Borderline personality disorder or something. We need to talk about this though because it’s not an instance of someone waking up one day and thinking “save the babies”, it’s a slow systemic grooming with ever increasing outlandish claims. Slowly warping the mind to believe what you want them to. To control their actions and behavior. It does no one justice to fight them head on. You have to acknowledge their views, empathize, and slowly unravel the web of lies.

I don’t have the qualifications or experience to know how to do that effectively. I’m happier now.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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gabereiser5y ago

Fast forward a few years and the thought of sex-trafficking rings took root. She was convinced that girls were being abducted for sex slavery and that people in government were supporting them.

This twisted even further when I confronted her about it, told her that what she thinks is real isn’t, and she immediately jumped on me for gaslighting her.

Needless to say, it was she that filed for divorce. I’m way happier now.

Those that downvoted my comment above because my ex-wife, you should meet her, she’s completely crazy now.

pavlov5y ago

Thanks for sharing, it’s really interesting to hear your firsthand perspective on how people end up in these circles.

s1artibartfastOP5y ago

Thanks for the candid response! Sounds like a possible psychological disorder.

gabereiser5y ago

I don’t have the qualifications or experience to know how to do that effectively. I’m happier now.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse