#*based

First of all, why am I sharing this here instead of any other community. I know people might say hockey shouldn't be political and the base or the people in it are largely conservative. So, why bother? But that's kind of the reason why. I mean being a progressive in a conservative community isn't at all new to me. So I've thought about it a lot.

I feel like now is more relevant than ever to be talking about this, I'm new to hockey but I'm not new to sports. I don't think anything like Heated Rivalry ever happened to any other sports before where there's just this much influx of new fans that is for inclusivity and progress. So, I feel more comfortable to have people that are on my side. Additionally being in this conservative space allows us to connect to people we usually don't connect with. Of course not for me, I'm surrounded by conservatives in real life but here I feel like I'm not alone.

I don't think the fact that they're conservative is a lost cause. I felt that with my real life community, even though it was a hard and long journey to get there. And I'm obviously not saying that because I don't want anything to change. I have faith that they can change their mind.

And I know some people might think that it's not worth it to bargain with people who doesn't agree with us, and I'm not forcing them to. I'm just saying this, again, as someone who grew up around conservatives. It doesn't feel as exhausting anymore and so far, and it has been a while, it hasn't diluted my beliefs by tolerating theirs (and being honest, it was something I feared at first when I realized the gap of beliefs) and it felt more like a necessity to not leave them behind.

Now, I have watched a video that said The Overton Window is shifting, though I haven't seen it for myself. And so that did gave me even more hope.

I have to remind you guys that speaking up as someone in the NHL isn't easy. The culture doesn't make it easy. Especially as the athletes. From the little time I've been a fan I've recognized how much they value uniformity. It shows up in good ways, like having each other's back (players and wags alike), amplifying the team's achievement instead of ones own, and of course it benefits them because hockey requires teamwork. But it also shows up in ugly ways, no one in the NHL has come out because it wouldn't only ruin their reputation but the whole team's, people covers up scandals, and they live in a bubble of people who shares their ignorance.

I feel like if you ever want to reach out to any of them, I am debating to as well, you and I have to be cautious. A certain way of "educating" could create more opposition than actually changing their mind. You also need to realize that they are masters of cognitive dissonance. They have to play for several times a week and they have to be there mentally, they're not gonna easily engage in mentally challenging conversations. On the other hand, realize that the normal response to all of this is to be mad. Just because they're conservative, doesn't mean they already have a narrative to counter the truth, they might not even have an opinion about it. This is not about left or right anymore. This is about truth.

@christabelmintahgalloway explained very well why I feel the need to do this:

I feel like I should continue this later if anyone is even interested but I feel weird using the normal tag, I acknowledge that recreation is important to recharge for the cause so let me know what I should use instead.