@GreenFlashlight Yep. That's a big part of why it's been depressing.
It is very hard to get away from dealing with and healing from a certain kind of abuse when it is endemic in every aspect of society at the moment. Everything becomes a reminder, and feels more hopeless with every passing day.
I've started doing some -- in the grand scheme of things, very minor -- work combatting conspiracy theories and the damage being done to people because of them in recent months. (Anything from swarm harassment campaigns to death threats to... worse.) Seeing my parents start to get sucked in showed me how pervasive it is, and that it's a non-trivial and important thing that not enough people are trying to help combat.
I thought I got both of them out of it. Apparently, only my Dad. My mother is bought in, even if she doesn't realize the info she's parroting is coming from those sources, and she's to the point at which it's completely impenetrable. I can't help her, and it's killing me. I'm losing my mother because of a bunch of crazy grifters' lies and propaganda. (Our relationship isn't perfect, but I love my mom, and she's in her late 70s; it's not like there's much time left here with her, and losing lots of it to this is killing me.)
It is also not exactly easy to do. A number of these people are violent, very scary, and simply love doxxing and making serious threats. I'm a known chickenshit about this stuff (see posts about stalker person from whenever).
But, like... somebody's gotta? And not enough people are. And while, rationally, I know it's stupid and untrue, I've internalized enough of the 'I am a worthless pile of shit that I deserve nothing but abuse and people crowing about how it's delightful when I'm abused or is some expression of great justice when someone lies about me or deliberately harasses or hurts me or whatever' message to know there's no real loss if something happens to me vs. it happening to someone else.