If they are your friends, I would say nothing at all. If these are people you physically interact with at work etc., I'd act as though nothing happened (not gloating). They're likely either extremely distraught, depending upon how much they invested in the election, or angry. Time helps both and being able to not think about it for a while, or be not reminded about it constantly would help as well.

Just my thoughts on your question. Not being on Facebook, I have the privilege of only dealing with friends in person, which is nice, so I'm not sure how much different things Might be on FB.

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I understand what you mean. I have to be honest and admit that I found myself giggling this morning because the outcome burned some of my far left friends (and yes, I believe that one can have friends from across the spectrum). But I agree with Chet in that it is best to say nothing or if you must, console them and let them know it is not the end of the world. If nothing else, this should strengthen their resolve and make them become more involved in our government.

"The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury." ~Marcus Aurelius

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I laughed very hard at this:

My natural inclination is to bathe in their tears, but I am trying to be a better man.

I think the problem for many of the distraught supporters is how completely different the election's outcome was than was expected. NONE of the pundits predicted this. They were blindsided.

I think that makes this particular situation worse. If it was expected that Trump was going to win a week ago, this probably wouldn't sting as much for those on the left.

That said, I think a healthy dose of perspective comes in handy in times like these. If your friends believe that Trump is going to ruin our nation, than they should realize that there have been some truly terrible presidents in the past, and our country is still standing.

(That said, I don't know if there was ever an election with 2 more flawed candidates... I digress.)

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That's an easy answer. I only "rub it in" on the friends that have it coming.

I don't know how to console those that are generally frightened. I have friends with gay family members that are terrified of Pence due to his homophobic way. I just remind them that he is a vice president, and all those guys are good for is acting stupid to make the president look more intelligent. LOL

The only thing that is going to sate their fears is time.

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And then a "tolerant" liberal called me out directly in a snide and condescending way. Because I liked a dissenting point of view in his pompous and incredibly arrogant post. I need a drink and several deep breaths.

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Ten years ago I would have been throwing fuel on the fire...just to watch it burn. Give them a taste of their own medicine. Ask, "how does it feel now?"

It accomplishes little and actually perpetuates a misguided belief that those who oppose them are what they think they are. It does little to move the conversation forward in the market place of ideas. It does little to salve fears. It does little to bring understanding.

I have some very liberal friends. Several that are gay. A couple strident feminists. Some I've known since Jr. High. Some I only know through FB. I'm genuinely concerned that they have bought into the lies of the media. The media takes the fringes of both the left and the right and portrays them as the norm. Now I have gay friends who think Trump will brand them with a Scarlet F. I have feminist friends who think Trump will make them turn in their birth control and force them to have baby after baby. They believe whatever Twitter, FB, or the media tells them because they've given up on discovering the true truth of what's going on.

I also had conservative friends who stockpiled firearms, ammo, food, etc. thinking Obama would initiate the zombie apocalypse. They think a good Muslim is a dead Muslim. The think ALL blacks are crooks. ALL Mexicans steal jobs and are lazy. And ALL gays are going to want to have sex with them. They are just as much fools as those they hate.

CNN, MSNBC, FOXNEWS all make money off of advertising. And to get people to watch them must be sensational. BREAKING NEWS! All news now is breaking. And yet all it does it to spool up the fringe and scare the base.

That is unconscionable.

There is a saying that Behaviour Never Lies. Or as I taught my HS Sunday School class years ago, "Behaviour Betrays Beliefs. Actions Betray Attitudes". This is being played out before our very eyes.

I fear that many good people who actually care about their fellow man are being manipulated by those whose only agenda is power and money. Both on the right and the left. I hope they will have ears to hear and eyes to see.

Eric

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I also have a policy that goes something like this:

Educate. Elucidate. Educate. Inform.

And if they still refuse to get it...

All bets are off and they are open to ridicule.

Just ask anyone who thinks chemtrails are real...

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I was doing okay on Facebook till recently. I made the point that if people keep teasing millennials for protesting and having "safe spaces" it is going to come back and bit them when the millennials are pissed and they show up at the polls. The pendulum will swing to the "Trump" magnitude but in the "Sanders" direction and anything the conservatives feel they gained under Trump will be wiped away.

There was a lot of agreement but some of the pushback has been ugly. I think I need to take a few days away. The call for civility and respect seems to elicit the opposite in many. Eesh.

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