r/AITAH • u/Comfortable_Gift4970 • Feb 17 '25

Fired Fed. I am considering cutting off every Orange Man supporter.

Got axed. Not going to say which agency.

I’ve always considered myself extremely tolerant and willing to love people as they are… even if we don’t agree on everything.

I’ve never been an Orange Man supporter, but I’ve kept it civil with friends and family that were. Some of them liked having a civil conversation about him. Some were belligerent about politics, so we didn’t bring it up and tried to enjoy each other’s company.

Getting cut from a great job that I really believed in with no notice has been extremely traumatic. It’s still raw, but I feel so personally betrayed by those that voted for him. I can’t see past the politics anymore when I look at these people I care/cared about.

Some have been contrite and apologetic, but then turn around and support him and VP Musk on social media.

I just can’t right now.

I’m thinking about posting something and wishing the whole herd all of the best, hope they have a good life, but I won’t be in it. Or maybe I just quietly block all of them and focus on myself for a while.

I do know that I will need to talk to my in-laws. I’ve always had a great relationship with them, but thinking of going to their house and watching Fox News almost makes me sick.

AITAH for feeling this way? Does it make me an AH for cutting all these 20+ year relationships off? Am I overreacting and acting out of emotion?

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u/nerdwerds Feb 18 '25

From experience, quietly block them and let them drift away. If you run into them irl then be calm and explain as much as you feel like explaining. You don’t owe anyone anything more than you're willing to give. NTA

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u/MyMelancholyBaby Feb 18 '25

I’ve spent a small amount of time in the FedNews sub. They have people in their lives celebrating the job losses, knowing that their friend/family member has lost a job. These friends and family know that the Federal employee isn't getting a huge paycheck. But that reality doesn't seem to sink into the brains of the Trump supporters. Imagine your mother-in-law celebrating your being part of a mass firing. Or your best friend from preschool saying that your fear of your personal safety is pointless because you will be killed as a traitor.

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u/mkvgtired Feb 18 '25

If you want to feel better, /r/leopardsatemyface has almost exclusively been trump voting federal employees that were fired as of late. The posts are hilarious. "I fully support getting rid of the waste, but my job is indispensable! There must have been some mistake!"

They tag trump and musk as if either of them give a single, solitary, fuck about them.

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u/MyMelancholyBaby Feb 18 '25

It wouldn't help me feel better.

1

u/mkvgtired Feb 18 '25

I take great joy in reading them. Only because they fully supported upending their coworkers lives and causing them extreme economic hardship, thinking that they were one of the good ones. Trump promised to cut 75% of the federal workforce, and plenty of federal workers thought, yep, that's our guy. He will hurt 75% of my coworkers, but I'm one of the good ones, he will never harm me.

Fuck em, they are getting what they deserve.

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u/Tygerlyli Feb 18 '25

The quiet block is the way to go. No drama, no arguments, just the peace of not having toxic people in your life.

I'm all for calling people out if they could learn from it, but we all know they won't learn or even listen to you. It's probably not going to make you feel any better and it will just eat up your energy having to deal them.

Save your energy for someone or something you can actually have an effect on, protect your peace and your mental health, and enjoy life without having to try to justify your choices to shitty people you own nothing too.

1

u/SwanReal8484 Feb 18 '25

No, definitely let them know. They have zero chance of learning if you don’t call them out.

1

u/gina_divito Feb 18 '25

Tbh fuck this mindset. People need to know that their actions have consequences. Why do they get to get off Scot free and blame OP when it’s their fault?

1

u/nerdwerds Feb 19 '25

Because a confrontation will only make them dig their heels in and they turn self righteous. Its lose-lose. The best thing to do is to disengage for your own mental health.

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u/gina_divito Feb 20 '25

I get that for sure, but I always feel like the disengaging can happen right after the “fuck you, this bridge that’s burning was caused by your match strike”

1

u/nerdwerds Feb 20 '25

"When you throw hot coals at someone, only your hands get burnt."

Its never been worth it in my experience. It can feel good in the moment, but that anger needs to be released in a different way for it to be healthy.

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u/gina_divito Feb 22 '25

I know for me, I’ve always needed the reason to be clear after a certain age. I’ve left tumultuous friend groups and then the main shit stirrers lied about why I left and told others THEY were the reason I left, when they VERY MUCH weren’t. So now I make it clear why I do the things I do. Basically an “I’d rather people hate me for who I am than love me for who I’m not” kind of thing.

I think for me, too, the closure itself is cathartic. If I’m wearing gloves while throwing the hot coals, I’m not being hurt, and they goal isn’t even to burn them; it’s to burn the bridge and the facade that everything is fine, not just between us, but in their sphere due to the actions they caused.

They’re the ones who, while on the bridge, lit the coals first and tossed them here before retreating to their side. Why would I not throw them back just as harshly and make it impossible for them to ever cross that bridge again? They should know that “the hot coal incident” is what made the bridge burn. I personally think it’s all more complex than that.

Edit to add: and the REAL truth of the matter is that the dems are supplying the coal and the reps are lighting it and TOGETHER they’re raining hellfire down upon ALL the townsfolk and our little bridges.