re: My left wing brother in law was hit in the face with reality during his trip to Europe

It's a classic case of the Progressive mindset. Their ideology is based on emotion, a fantasy land per se. They have good intentions (I truly believe that), but it is not based on reality. Once reality slaps them in the face their tune changes quickly.

Present them with statistics and facts, and they shy away from debate or just call you racist and hateful.