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Meghan McCain joined Gisele Fetterman for a candid talk about how they navigated public harassment, death threats and the challenge of keeping kindness intact in an often unkind world. According to the interview now available on YouTube, the two women talk about their own experiences and the radical opposite ways in which they have learned to respond to adversity.
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With the gentleness associated with her every word, Fetterman shared how she had indeed received more death threats than her husband, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman: “I heard you get more death threats than your husband, which made me very sad,” McCain said, making for a very vulnerable spirit in the exchange. Fetterman revealed she had always gotten away with avoiding conflict: “I don’t like conflict, I don’t want to fight with anybody. I’ve never caused harm to anyone in my life.”
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The contrast was stark: Whereas McCain spoke of being hardened more than ever, “Step back. Don’t fuck with me,” she admired Fetterman for remaining vulnerable and said: “That’s a real gift others should learn from.” Fetterman expressed that she had grown into accepting softness after years of fighting hard to be someone she really wasn’t, and that perhaps “There are more of us out there. The world has broken us down, or we’re afraid to show that.”
The dialogue then turned to parenting, with Fetterman explaining how she teaches her kids how to navigate adversity. “They’re in full control of how they respond,” meaning “That’s the only thing you have power over.” She then stressed the importance of not allowing oneself to respond in anger and laid out the thoughtful steps that follow.
The middle topics began evolving to personal growth and resilience, with the comments section at war over McCain’s friendship with the controversial Tulsi Gabbard soon following. Half were demanding to know why McCain wasn’t addressing Gabbard’s latest remarks: “Your bestie Tulsi is a complete embarrassment.” Others defended Gabbard for “exposing the intel agencies dirty practices.”
The comment section’s political arena was something like, in reply to one saying, “The Right is a danger to democracy and humanity,” a self-defined conservative reviewer expressed admiration for and respect of Fetterman and her husband despite political differences. “I’m a really conservative Republican, and I just love your husband and now I love you.”
Others began disparaging the interview format itself, one anonymous commenter refusing to follow “these wife interviews you insist on doing. Where are the self-made women who are well-known in their own right?” While a few applauded the interview as genuine: “Wow. She sounds so honest and vulnerable. Good job!”
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The interview and ensuing comments attest to the overwhelming difficulty faced by any public figure trying to keep personal boundaries in the largely hostile public arena. Both McCain and Fetterman have forged their own, very different ways of dealing with criticism-one confrontational, the other vulnerable-proving there’s no single right way to be in the spotlight: From the spirit of the conversation, it’s clear that even people in similar life circumstances can arrive at strategies totally opposing each other, each being right in its own way.
You can view the original article HERE.
