I had similar experiences, and couldn’t understand why they would discourage dialog and discussion around various issues. The thing is, they don’t actually want dialog, they want to stamp out opposition to their views as though it never existed.
Do you actually believe this? I know a lot of conservatives, some more extreme than others, but none of them envision this kind of world, not even the ones that wanted to be at the Capitol on Jan 6. It’s contrary to virtually all Christian, conservative values. The whole premise of this story wouldn’t even hold up unless there were an extreme event causing a massive shortage of fertile women. In that case, there is no telling what kind of dystopia would emerge. Frank Herbert wrote “The White plague” in 1982 (a couple years before the handmaid’s tale), where women were nearly wiped out altogether, and it plays out similar in some respects, wildly different in others. In any event, it’s not a “goal” of any sane person, and certainly not the goal of half of the country.
The main problem with this book is in how it is applied by various people to Christianity in general (as opposed to a fringe cult), or used as an analogy of events today. It might apply in some cases, but those are so rare and unusual (back woods polygamist cults and the like), that they really don’t deserve to be discussed in context of current politics.
Stoicism teaches that you should strive for virtue, but cannot expect any particular outcome. You can’t have your happiness and contentment depend on factors outside your control, or you will inevitably be unhappy. Try to be virtuous, try to do the right thing for the right reasons, and if the outcomes are not what you hoped for, then at least you tried. Stoic virtues are wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance.
I vowed to be done with it when it became subscription based, and now here I am. Kind of glad actually, been looking for an excuse for years as the site became more and more stale, unoriginal, and politics began to overwhelm everything. Maybe this is just how it has to be every decade or so.