I’ve had several conversations/arguments recently with my brother making clear my system of values and my hatred for the wealthy. He is nearly diametrically opposed on all accounts and often makes light of their actions. He goes so far as to say that poor people and people in need of social services should have to figure things out for themselves. He often defends Elon Musk and champions him for being self made.
He is getting married in a foreign country soon and I have been able to put aside our differences and have been planning on going
…up until yesterday that is. I asked him of his thoughts on Musk’s seig heil maneuver and he sent a right wing meme of democratic leaders caught mid wave, saying that “they did it first”. He continued to be avoidant and didn’t respond to me calling it a strawman.
In this moment it feels necessary to cancel my plans to send a message that this is not ok. Am I the (or an) asshole for not going to his wedding because of this?
Either way some people will think you’re an asshole.
In a vacuum, yeah obviously he’s being a piece of shit. I’m honestly not really sure what his point is in saying Democrats did it first? So… it’s ok because they did it first? Or it’s bad, but we’re only saying something because the other team did it (“it’s [d]ifferent”)?
Frankly, your brother might just be a fucking idiot that believes whatever is put in front of him. That sucks, especially when you have to hear his regurgitated Nazi apologia, but it’s fuzzier whether that means you shouldn’t go to his wedding.
I mean, it’s also possible that he’s actively malignant, but his response indicates to me a lack of critical thinking.
And if you want to skip your brother’s wedding because he’s an idiot, then that’s ok! You get to set your own rules and boundaries based on your values and what you are willing to tolerate.
Personally, I’d probably go. Sure, he has shitty beliefs, but if that’s only because they were spoon fed in meme format to him, is that his fault? Or is that the fault of whatever algorithm he’s subjected to (which is likely under pro-billionaire influence)?
Either way, I’d recommend spending some time thinking about it before you decide.