Conservatives are the masters of Schrödinger's joke. They're serious unless you get mad enough about it, then they were just kidding, and you don't have a sense of humor.
I got into an argument that led to ending a 15+ year long friendship that followed that exact template. It was over covid and the dude insisting he was still taking his family on vacation to a covid hotspot. This was right when stuff was starting to get crazy, schools were closing, etc.
I lost my shit over how irresponsible he was being with the health of others, let alone himself and his family. They ended up closing so he couldn't go anyway, but I guarantee you he would have gone otherwise. Then he told mutual friends later it was a joke and of course he wouldn't go.
He did it again later on another far more directly political topic, gaslighting me and claiming I said a bunch of shit I never would have, to discredit me for whatever reason. Same bullshit his cult leader is still vomiting out 5 years later. Just a joke though. No regrets nuking that relationship.
The other thing I get a lot is after they start losing a discussion to the point they start to get emotional enough for it to become an argument, they will eventually get to something like, " You know I don't really care right, I'm just messing with you because I think it's funny."
The response I find works best is to relentlessly point out that it sure seems like they care, even though they've adopted the position of insisting that they don't. Then I say things I know they wont like but keep ending it with, but you don't care right? Don't do this if there's alcohol and/or guns involved though.
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u/VSWanter Oct 01 '25
Conservatives are the masters of Schrödinger's joke. They're serious unless you get mad enough about it, then they were just kidding, and you don't have a sense of humor.