I know this term seems to be popular with conservatives lately, but I am curious if anyone has ever persuaded someone to completely change their views (whether you are right, left, moderate, republican, democrat, conservative, liberal, libertarian etc)?  If not, how about partially? For the sake of the discussion, let's say the person you "red pilled" must be an actual working adult.  College students and younger are easily influenced.  I think most of us (if not all of us) are 30+ years old. 

If you have never red pilled someone, has somebody red pilled you?   

Edit: Tell your story.

I kinda red-pilled myself after being put through a Secret Service investigation 11-12 years ago. It's a long story that I'm pretty sure I've touched on in the past. Basically, I put down a cash deposit on my wife's engagement ring. Only one other person used cash that day at the jeweler. They received counterfeit bills that day, so the investigation started. In the end nothing happened, and I have no idea if I was even the person that passed the fake bills. If I was, I had no clue. But overall it was an absolutely stupid process, and the polygraph test was a fucking joke that I will never forget.

Since then, I've red-pilled my wife, and at least partially red-pilled some friends, family, and co-workers. I've convinced some anti-gun folks to back off on their strong views. I've convinced some anti-drug folks to change their mind on legalization.

I put partially.

Had several political discussions with a few liberal colleagues that ended with "that can't be true".   You know, said like "I'll concede if that's true but hahahaha you got that from Fox News".  To which I replied "go look it up and get back to me".  They never got back to me.  Not once.  I was, of course, right and those topics never came up again.

I went with GFY just because!

I doubt I've pilled anyone simply because I find politicians in general to be annoying, self-important twats and don't really care enough about either side to want to persuade anyone to do anything other than tell them all to fuck off. Which bleeds into pretty much anything that's poli-related, so even if it's a cause I'm interested in, I still probably come off as a dude who just doesn't care.

And I doubt I've been pilled because while I know a lot of people who feel strongly about politics (at least strong enough to clutter my social media feeds with their damn PropagandaMemes), I tend to go to the beat of my own drum. Which probably explains why, when everyone was acting like Trump vs. Hillary was this super-important "THE FATE OF THE COUNTRY DEPENDS ON THIS!!!!" climactic battle, I'm over there voting third party because both of those two made me think puking in my mouth and swallowing it would be more palatable.

posted by Heretic

And I doubt I've been pilled because while I know a lot of people who feel strongly about politics

I'm kind of the same way.  I don't tend to have strong political opinions about stuff I'm not very informed on.  Generally if I have an interest, I've researched a lot more than whatever idiot wrote in the paper or said on tv.

And I stick mostly to fiscal/economics.  I don't tend to get into debates on foreign policy because I don't know anything about it.

Most of my family has been "blue-pilled" by CNN and Trump.  I keep telling them to stop watching CNN.  My dad gets so worked up by the TDS they push I worry about his health.

the only time I was pilled was in college...someone roofied me.  Woke up the next day with a sore bhole

posted by gut

Most of my family has been "blue-pilled" by CNN and Trump.  I keep telling them to stop watching CNN.  My dad gets so worked up by the TDS they push I worry about his health.

My pop is this way with Fox.  It is crazy how insanely angry he gets about injustices being done to Trump, the media's assault on Trump, the liberal conspiracy to take down Trump, etc.  He retired a few years ago and now consumes Fox, WSJ editorials, National Review, etc daily.  Any conversation can be turned into how Trump's being unfairly screwed.  

Basically when I was young, I was more conservative than I am now.  I think I'm somewhere in the middle of political spectrum.  I don't know that I 've ever red pilled anyone, but I don't really try - except on here ;-) 

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie

My pop is this way with Fox.  It is crazy how insanely angry he gets about injustices being done to Trump, the media's assault on Trump, the liberal conspiracy to take down Trump, etc.  He retired a few years ago and now consumes Fox, WSJ editorials, National Review, etc daily.  Any conversation can be turned into how Trump's being unfairly screwed. 

Yeah, the primetime shows on Fox are terrible - why do they all yell?  But CNN has basically become a 24/7 leftwing version of Fox primetime.  Except there's so many false and misleading stories about Trump they're actually making Hannity look pretty respectable.

Not to say Trump is being screwed, just that there's 10X as many negative stories about him and only about half are true.  I do wonder how much of the fake news is simply because Trump makes it easy to pass off as true.

I've started watching HLN and it's like "ahhhhhh, actual news about something other than politics". 

LOL @ WSJ editorials.....I remember vividly THE DAY AFTER Murdoch bought WSJ their editorial section became right-wing propaganda.

posted by gut

Yeah, the primetime shows on Fox are terrible - why do they all yell?  But CNN has basically become a 24/7 leftwing version of Fox primetime.  Except there's so many false and misleading stories about Trump they're actually making Hannity look pretty respectable.

Not to say Trump is being screwed, just that there's 10X as many negative stories about him and only about half are true.  I do wonder how much of the fake news is simply because Trump makes it easy to pass off as true.

I've started watching HLN and it's like "ahhhhhh, actual news about something other than politics". 

LOL @ WSJ editorials.....I remember vividly THE DAY AFTER Murdoch bought WSJ their editorial section became right-wing propaganda.

Yes, that's the way it was at the WSJ.  Too bad too, because I don't take them seriously (as far as the opinion section goes) as I used to because you know their stance on everything before they even publish an editorial.  I love the rest of the WSJ, but their editorial page is awful. 

I have not red pilled anyone, nor has anyone ever red pilled me. 
 

I used to be an official registrar for new voters. I avoided red pilling. When I was a government teacher, I would have several teachers approach me and ask me how they should vote. I would tell them to look at the candidates and issues themselves and vote how YOU want. 
 

I’ve got to admit, the older I get, the more I’m liking the blue pilling (on life, that is). 😎

posted by Heretic

I went with GFY just because!

I doubt I've pilled anyone simply because I find politicians in general to be annoying, self-important twats and don't really care enough about either side to want to persuade anyone to do anything other than tell them all to fuck off. Which bleeds into pretty much anything that's poli-related, so even if it's a cause I'm interested in, I still probably come off as a dude who just doesn't care.

And I doubt I've been pilled because while I know a lot of people who feel strongly about politics (at least strong enough to clutter my social media feeds with their damn PropagandaMemes), I tend to go to the beat of my own drum. Which probably explains why, when everyone was acting like Trump vs. Hillary was this super-important "THE FATE OF THE COUNTRY DEPENDS ON THIS!!!!" climactic battle, I'm over there voting third party because both of those two made me think puking in my mouth and swallowing it would be more palatable.

If it makes you feel better, you said something on here once about the way people view things and it being skewed by where they stand on the political spectrum.  Since I read that, I tend to filter people's political comments through that statement.  It's here me make sense of a lot of stupid comments.  

What color pill is for libertarian?

My wife grew up deep Southern Baptist Republican, I have convinced her, over time, that libertarianism is the right way. Nothing covert, just sharing my views and why over time. 

posted by jmog

What color pill is for libertarian?

 

My wife grew up deep Southern Baptist Republican, I have convinced her, over time, that libertarianism is the right way. Nothing covert, just sharing my views and why over time. 

Still red-pill, but if we were color coding based on political affiliation, it would be a yellow-pill.

And that's essentially how I converted my wife to a libertarian. She was an apathetic Democrat. Now she hates government with close to the same fervor as I do.

I'm a pediatric pharmacist living in the state with the worst vaccination rate. I would be embarrassed if I haven't converted a few anti-vaxxers.

posted by GOONx19

I'm a pediatric pharmacist living in the state with the worst vaccination rate. I would be embarrassed if I haven't converted a few anti-vaxxers.

I did "convince" an anti-vaxxer once.

Their argument was exactly this...

"Why would they inject chemicals instead of a dead version of the virus so that the body can build an immunity to it?"

I looked at her with the dumbest look...

"Um, that is exactly what a vaccine is. A dead form of the virus so that the body can build an immunity. Don't believe everything you read on the internet."

I've red-pilled two people from being dyed-in-the-wool neocon Republicans into being full-blown anarchists.  One was someone I used to go to church with, and the other is a former college classmate.

I've also been red-pilled on several topics over the years, pushing me further and further away from government authority (and into a more devoted faith as well).  Everything ranging from smaller matters (like allowing restaurant owners to choose their own smoking rules or enforcement of seat belt laws ... both of which were actually changed either on the Huddle or on here) to larger ones (like abortion, drugs, and border laws).

I'd rather wake up tomorrow with a worldview that better reflects the actual world than to win an argument with someone who is actually right today.  The latter just means I'm still wrong, but that I just have better rhetorical skills than the person with whom I was arguing.

It's been my experience that "red-pilling" is most effective when done through thoughtful, dispassionate dialogue over time.