spouses/family & politics

[SaucyJack 3487]

1 hour ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Yeah! And she likes Spiderman Thanksgiving!

[Henry Hill 3156]

[Degenerate Gardner 4081]

A sad truth: most anyone still supporting Trump and moreover the GOP won't change their minds. 

Trying to talk sense into them is like teaching calculus to your dog: no matter how good your explanation is, it's just not gonna happen. 

May this bring peace to your holiday table.

[formermav43 4599]

8 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Or....you could just not sit down to eat with cruel people who get their jollies from other people suffering ("he's hurting the wrong people!").

I like that choice better.

Meh. I don’t want to hear anyone discussing impeachment at Thanksgiving period, it doesn’t matter what their feelings are on it. I like that choice best.

[Celery Man 20886]

3 hours ago, Chrispy_ said:

The hiatus was very good for me and couldn’t have come at a better time. I lost my father and was borderline depressed for months, but I’m ready to get back on the horse. Respectfully, of course. 

Sorry to hear that and hope you're starting to feel more normal (those are earnest comments, I was trying to find the joke line there and don't think it can be balanced).

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

12 hours ago, Chrispy_ said:

The hiatus was very good for me and couldn’t have come at a better time. I lost my father and was borderline depressed for months, but I’m ready to get back on the horse. Respectfully, of course. 

I am sorry for your loss; the first holidays w/o a family member can be very rough. It sneaks up on you, the remembrance and grief, so be good to yourself and those around you.

[Iceman 2640]

My MIL passed this July.  My wife and her sister & brother's families will all be here today.  It will be beautiful and sad at the same time.  She LOVED when family was all together for the holidays.

I don't recall her ever bringing up politics on such occasions.  Hopefully for today, people will just bring booze and pies.  Leave the arguments at home...

 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13414]

19 hours ago, bad_teammate said:

Sister isn't coming. She and her son-in-law got into an FB blowup about him posting some lame liberal meme about the impeachment witnesses and she called to tell me to disinvite him. I told her I don't do that, so she gave me a "him or me" ultimatum knowing I don't do those either, so unless I can convince her when I call her later today (give her some cool down time) then she's probably not going to have another chance to see her grandkids until next Thanksgiving.

I'm a prick, as you all know, but it breaks my heart that she's doing this to herself and her family. They live about 30 minutes apart. Her daughter bought that house anticipating lots of grandma/grandkids time.

Sad story that grandma and grandkids don't interact because grandma and dad have political differences. She probably shouldn’t come over to your place, even if you could convince her, given this fight just occurred. However they need to find a way to keep their political opinions away from each other. Or one of them has to be the adult and not take the bait.

 

[bad_teammate 13132]

Called her last night and honestly didn't even try to talk her into it. I had planned to, but she's not in her right mind.

No one in our family ever engages with her constant political talk on FB. I think most of us have her unfollowed, to be honest, so we probably don't even see it. She jumps on anything we post, though (I only post weird shit, like a poor man's Canecutter), and 90% of the time no one even responds to that. He posted some really unfunny meme about how honorable the different witnesses were in the impeachment trial and how much of a joke Nunes is and she went ballistic (he didn't tag her or mention her). The son-in-law unfriended her rather than responding and posted a vague screed about cutting toxic people out of your life (both this and the meme were lame as hell, good god). Sister went onto her daughter's Facebook to rage at the son-in-law. Daughter deleted that off her timeline and posted a vague thing about love and family.

There's always more, and it's always dumber.

I'm probably going to throw food in a cooler and go see her after the Cowboys game. Might bring an overnight bag if she'll let me stay over and a bottle of something cheap to see if I can get her sociable. Loneliness is hell.

[Texas73 420]

28 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Sad story that grandma and grandkids don't interact because grandma and dad have political differences. She probably shouldn’t come over to your place, even if you could convince her, given this fight just occurred. However they need to find a way to keep their political opinions away from each other. Or one of them has to be the adult and not take the bait.

 

You hit the heart of the problem.  People are no longer acting like adults.  Instead they are acting childish, petty, and small-minded.  Family and loved ones should be able to enjoy each others company without politics ever coming up.  

I'm a grandfather, a liberal Democrat as are my adult children (2) living in Austin. My only brother and his extended family all live near Tyler in east Texas and are all Republicans with abortion and Democrats want free stuff as their mantra to never vote for a Democrat.  Just before we were about to eat our Thanksgiving meal in 2007 my brother told me he could never support Obama because he wants to redistribute the wealth in America. His wife announced we are about to sit down for Thanksgiving, no more talking about politics.

My brother and his family and mine have gotten together for almost every Thanksgiving and Christmas since 2007 and not once have we mentioned our political beliefs.  I know I'm not changing their beliefs and they damn sure know they aren't changing mine so why discuss politics? 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13414]

A problem people have is that they immerse themselves in 24/7 echo chambers about their political beliefs. Tv, Facebook, internet, etc.  Then when they’re around others, they may really have nothing else to talk about. And if they’ve chased off everyone else in their life, they’re desperate to have a face-to-face conversation about their beliefs.

if they had other interests, they could probably satisfy themselves in public talking about those interests. 

[Prepuce of Doom 20988]

I hope that many of you are taking this opportunity to change your home WiFi password to "FuckTrumpInTheGoatass6969" or similar for the day so that visiting Trumpy relatives will have to type that into their phones. 

[BLKNSTY 289]

Those that speak of beating ass, rarely do. Besides, that’s against your Hippocratic Oath. 

I’m not a doctor but I’ll fuck you till you love me homeboy.

[pyrohornIII 4809]

On 11/26/2019 at 7:15 PM, Mrs Whiggins said:

This is powerful. Maybe people could watch this for six minutes instead of Fox:

 

This falls right in line with what Reich is saying.  It's detailed, but succinct.  It is lengthy, but then so is the list of Trump's fuckups.  

I know you can't change the minds of any of the died in the wool trumpkins, but it's nice to have a cliff's notes on his presidency and a scorecard against other presidents, mainly Obama.    And surprisingly it's from The Hill, which often leans right, IMO.

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/472254-how-to-shut-down-your-trump-supporting-family-member-at-thanksgiving

 

[Francisco 2.0 32341]

 

[Message Board User 12389]

 

[bad_teammate 13132]

5 hours ago, Message Board User said:

 

None of this is going to make your father love you, Don.

[Celery Man 20886]

I wonder if they ever had Thanksgiving dinner.

Just got back from ours.  No politics mentioned in the slightest.  My dad and stepmom are probably the most conservative people there, and i haven't talked about politics with them in what now feels like eons (since the midterms when they voted for Beto, but also for Kevin Brady who they know very well), I assume they're in the same state of disgust as they've been but who knows.  Instead, interesting people having interesting conversations about dogs, developments in their professional lives, which pie is best, what kind of desserts are justifiable as breakfast, my cousin's new boyfriend (at the table), just good normal stuff.

Wife's family is more of a mixed bag but also fine.  Her oldest brother is a MAGA idiot but otherwise a good dude who I'd like to see get his shit together (instead he's going to embark on a career in truck driving where he'll soak his brain in more Rush Limbaugh and wait out automation).  He respects the family time truce, so I just ignore him on Facebook and it's all good.  Her sister (liberalish but definitely anti-trump) will poke a little bit and bring up politics but nothing ever personal and it doesn't escalate.  Her dad who doesn't have much of a relationship with her asked if we were for or against Trump and I said "against" and that was the last of that.  I guess all in all they're OK.

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

8 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

A problem people have is that they immerse themselves in 24/7 echo chambers about their political beliefs. Tv, Facebook, internet, etc.  Then when they’re around others, they may really have nothing else to talk about. And if they’ve chased off everyone else in their life, they’re desperate to have a face-to-face conversation about their beliefs.

if they had other interests, they could probably satisfy themselves in public talking about those interests. 

I like this perspective and I think there is truth there. Like @Celery Man was saying, there are so many other topics to discuss that are fascinating if one has a little balance. It seems so lonely to only want to be angry and afraid all the time.

We had guests from all over the globe today and politics was never discussed. It was a grand time and I have so much butter and wine in my system right now I am a happy slightly tipsy human. 

Happy Thanksgiving.

[bad_teammate 13132]

Discovered today that my oldest sister is slowly turning MAGA. Her kids were shocked and horrified when she brought up, out of nowhere, how glad she is about Kavanaugh. She read the room well and dropped it. Other than her, everyone here is fine. A few of us stepped outside for drinks and political conversation, all of us either Pete level or further left.

Older sister told me not to come and that's she's enjoying the time alone and doesn't want my pity.

Feeling very guilty, but I think I'll just keep drinking with this pleasant company and let her wallow.

[bad_teammate 13132]

double time

Edited November 29, 2019 by bad_teammate

[RDCanecutter 26276]

14 minutes ago, bad_teammate said:

double time

Pics of both sisters or gtfo.

[Js1 85110]

9 hours ago, Prepuce of Doom said:

I hope that many of you are taking this opportunity to change your home WiFi password to "FuckTrumpInTheGoatass6969" or similar for the day so that visiting Trumpy relatives will have to type that into their phones. 

Make sure you rename the Network “Impeach 45”

[atomheartbevo 89447]

I mentioned this in the Trump thread, but I dealt with a few family members this morning who are on the MAGA wagon.  In regards to Giuliania, the attitude was "he didn't do anything illegal, even if it looks shady, and even if he considered it."    That's pretty cult-like.

The other one, she claimed she didn't watch the hearings and avoids the media because of "fake news", and doesn't have time to look up testimonies and all of that (I know she has the time), and that she didn't vote for the people testifying and/or some were Obama employees.  There is a slight amount of hope with her (even with her mental issues), because a year ago, she would have went full-on in defending Trump/making excuses for what was done.  Instead, she feigned ignorance and a lack of interest in the events of the past month or so.  As big of a Trumpkin as she was/is, I take that as a slight acknowledgement that she recognizes some seriously negative shit about Trump and Co. came to light.  This is a woman who would get publicly upset (in person or on Facebook) over this or that talking head on TV complaining about Trump, and seeing everything said by Schiff and Co. as well as the witnesses should have really sent her over the edge.

Our actual Thanksgiving dinner went just fine though, and no politics were discussed, which is a welcome relief from previous years.

[Irwin F Fletcher 3550]

It has been a challenging week. My parents took my family (myself, wife and two teenagers) up to DC for the week. My mom is a Fox News junky and MAGA fanatic. Dad is more reserved, but I imagine he'll vote for Trump again, though I haven't had a discussion with him as to why he would.

I've done my best to behave, though I have taken pleasure of a few things. I've noticed that as I've come down in the morning the channel is quickly changed from Fox News to the local NBC or CBS station. I've also taken pleasure in the following.....while touring the city we've come across numerous people wearing Trump or MAGA gear. My mom likes to complement them on their hat/clothing. Hanging towards the back I've enjoyed pointing out to these folks their taste in clothing and political affection sucks. My kids get a kick out of it as well. It's amazing my kids that can see the corruption, while their grandma is completely oblivious or in denial of it. I took the following photo from the Holocaust Museum as a reminder to send to my mom at a later date. The other photo is a favorite statute of mine.

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

Love your pics. The first one is spot on. Eerily so.

[Guest Lobo]

I was looking above my cousins' heads at their table on Thanksgiving at this new frame above them with what looked like fancy invitations from some recent event.  Two sets of 'em in two separate frames.  And in the corner of one of the frames was a $20 bill.  I figured it was either the family wedding they just attended in Chicago or maybe something announcing my cousin's new position at a new company here in Texas.  And then I figured the $20 was from his first paycheck or something.  It was hard to see because they keep their house pretty dimly lit and I was at the other end of the table.  He was out of work for a few months so they had really tightened up their budget especially since they just sent their youngest off to Texas Tech. 

At this point, there's been no political talk.  Some current events, but it manages to not have one mentioning of his name, nor the term "Republicans" nor "Impeachment."  My other cousin there is ultra-liberal, has worked in state government or schools her entire life.  My uncle is 91 and thinks all politicians are insane and one of the daughters is about 24 now and is kinda apolitical.  At least around us.  But their youngest, just at freshman now at Tech and did manage to drop how she joined an all-white sorority and that they she likes to make fun of the Campus Democrats club members.  She is still very sweet and compassionate, but the Trump shit is starting to get to her.  Doesn't help that the neighborhood she grew up in between Austin and Dripping Springs is as Trump Country as it gets here in Central Texas.  But the brainwashing is starting to take effect on her despite having some of our Hispanic blood.  

Anyway, we're all into the wine now and I'm proud of myself for not talking about Captain Fuckstick.  So as we're clearing the plates and preparing for pie...I casually ask, "Hey Rick, what's that behind your head with the $20 bill in the corner?"  His wife chimes in that's her newest treasure (I'm confused because it's starting to sound expensive and they just came out of a rough financial patch).  It's at this point, he turns his body to show me three fingers, which I'm assuming means $300 (turns out to be correct).  She went on the web and bought this three panel series of copies of the invite to the Trump Oath and Inaugural Ball and some other calligraphy card for $300 with the tacky frames and bullshit.  And as a free gift, it came with a "$2020" Bill with Trump's likeness over Jacksons (the impeachment of Andrew lost in ironical pie-eating).  That's what the whole mini-shrine over their family dining table, where a photo of her parents wedding used to hang IIRC.  He was always a Chamber of Commerce type Republican.  She grew up in two Democratic strongholds, the Rio Grande Valley and then Chicago.  Now the eat their meals under Trump's watchful eye, out the cost of a semester of books at Texas Tech for their daughter.  

I swallowed an entire glass of wine in one chug, said something about how nice the navy blue matting against the dark wood frame, and put my head back down.  

I think the term for sanctifying preachers as they ask for your sacrifice is "The Prosperity Gospel."  Now Trump's merchandising shop is doing it to voters.  He thinks his brand extends to worthless Presidential swag, and I guess he's right.  The worst part, the dagger as it were, the part that made me feel sad for them is she thinks her husband got a new job because of Trump.  The good luck of buying this overpriced shit and reveling in it, is what made them financially whole again.  not because he pounded the pavement for two years looking for a new job and being a well-respected man in his narrowing field for the last 35 years.  Nope, it was the magic of Trump.  My cousin is the first one to say "Praise the Lord" when something good happened to her and her family.  And very humble about it, giving deference to Jesus or family.  Now everything good coming their way from her oldest daughter's new job, to her husband's new job, to her daughter at what she apparently thinks is an all-white college in Lubbock......is because of Trump.  The man who could not care any less about us if he mailed us some contraband election day shit made in Mexico and charged us $300 for it.   

[GRHorn 105]

I feel bad for y’all that have families that want to talk about politics when they’re around relatives they don’t often see. The closest we came to political topic was my mom mentioning she’s not a Jimmy Fallon fan. She thought some of his campus show involved laughing at Texas, rather than with us. Like big city people trashing us. Didn’t see the show myself. 

[bolverk 29399]

2 hours ago, GRHorn said:

I feel bad for y’all that have families that want to talk about politics when they’re around relatives they don’t often see. The closest we came to political topic was my mom mentioning she’s not a Jimmy Fallon fan. She thought some of his campus show involved laughing at Texas, rather than with us. Like big city people trashing us. Didn’t see the show myself. 

I didn't get that sense at all. While there was a tiny smidgen of poking fun at the Austin (not necessarily Texas) persona, Fallon seemed to genuinely enjoy his time here, openly praising just about every aspect of our city. Maybe she's too sensitive or paranoid about what outsiders might think.

The whole show is on YouTube if you'd like to watch various clips. It's a lot of fun as he even gets in a good jab at aggy and also throws out an ousux.

 

 

[gmr548 16513]

Spent a lot of time with my mother in the car this weekend. Previously voted for Trump in 2016, then Beto over Cruz in 2018 (???). Evidently she is still considering Trump, but also Bernie Sanders, Michael Boomberg, and "Tulsi Harris," which I believe is Tulsi Gabbard based on her description. This may shock you, but no there isn't really anything rational behind that. Of course, at the end of the day that's a Trump vote by default because none of those three will be the D nominee. 

If you're under 50, please for the love of God get out and vote. My mom has very little grasp on how the world works anymore, but it's a guarantee she'll be there. That's true of a lot of people, particularly in this state. Don't abdicate your voice, unless you're cool with President Tulsi Harris.

[JimmyJames 12271]

41 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

Spent a lot of time with my mother in the car this weekend. Previously voted for Trump in 2016, then Beto over Cruz in 2018 (???). Evidently she is still considering Trump, but also Bernie Sanders, Michael Boomberg, and "Tulsi Harris," which I believe is Tulsi Gabbard based on her description. This may shock you, but no there isn't really anything rational behind that. Of course, at the end of the day that's a Trump vote by default because none of those three will be the D nominee. 

If you're under 50, please for the love of God get out and vote. My mom has very little grasp on how the world works anymore, but it's a guarantee she'll be there. That's true of a lot of people, particularly in this state. Don't abdicate your voice, unless you're cool with President Tulsi Harris.

I’m voting for kamala gabbard. She looks like tulsi Harris, except better. 

[bad_teammate 13132]

Maybe she meant Tulsi/Harris where Kamala is the VP.

Ever think of that, Mr. Know-it-All??

[GRHorn 105]

1 hour ago, bolverk said:

I didn't get that sense at all. While there was a tiny smidgen of poking fun at the Austin (not necessarily Texas) persona, Fallon seemed to genuinely enjoy his time here, openly praising just about every aspect of our city. Maybe she's too sensitive or paranoid about what outsiders might think.

The whole show is on YouTube if you'd like to watch various clips. It's a lot of fun as he even gets in a good jab at aggy and also throws out an ousux.

 

 

She is a little overly sensitive I think. I think it’s partly based in her working at the University and having to hide her politics. 

[Texas73 420]

8 hours ago, GRHorn said:

I feel bad for y’all that have families that want to talk about politics when they’re around relatives they don’t often see. The closest we came to political topic was my mom mentioning she’s not a Jimmy Fallon fan. She thought some of his campus show involved laughing at Texas, rather than with us. Like big city people trashing us. Didn’t see the show myself. 

Your mom is wrong about the Jimmy Fallon Show in Austin. He loved his time here and talked about how great the University and Austin was.  Why don't you watch it?

[RDCanecutter 26276]

9 hours ago, Lobo said:

I was looking above my cousins' heads at their table on Thanksgiving at this new frame above them with what looked like fancy invitations from some recent event.  Two sets of 'em in two separate frames.  And in the corner of one of the frames was a $20 bill.  I figured it was either the family wedding they just attended in Chicago or maybe something announcing my cousin's new position at a new company here in Texas.  And then I figured the $20 was from his first paycheck or something.  It was hard to see because they keep their house pretty dimly lit and I was at the other end of the table.  He was out of work for a few months so they had really tightened up their budget especially since they just sent their youngest off to Texas Tech. 

At this point, there's been no political talk.  Some current events, but it manages to not have one mentioning of his name, nor the term "Republicans" nor "Impeachment."  My other cousin there is ultra-liberal, has worked in state government or schools her entire life.  My uncle is 91 and thinks all politicians are insane and one of the daughters is about 24 now and is kinda apolitical.  At least around us.  But their youngest, just at freshman now at Tech and did manage to drop how she joined an all-white sorority and that they she likes to make fun of the Campus Democrats club members.  She is still very sweet and compassionate, but the Trump shit is starting to get to her.  Doesn't help that the neighborhood she grew up in between Austin and Dripping Springs is as Trump Country as it gets here in Central Texas.  But the brainwashing is starting to take effect on her despite having some of our Hispanic blood.  

Anyway, we're all into the wine now and I'm proud of myself for not talking about Captain Fuckstick.  So as we're clearing the plates and preparing for pie...I casually ask, "Hey Rick, what's that behind your head with the $20 bill in the corner?"  His wife chimes in that's her newest treasure (I'm confused because it's starting to sound expensive and they just came out of a rough financial patch).  It's at this point, he turns his body to show me three fingers, which I'm assuming means $300 (turns out to be correct).  She went on the web and bought this three panel series of copies of the invite to the Trump Oath and Inaugural Ball and some other calligraphy card for $300 with the tacky frames and bullshit.  And as a free gift, it came with a "$2020" Bill with Trump's likeness over Jacksons (the impeachment of Andrew lost in ironical pie-eating).  That's what the whole mini-shrine over their family dining table, where a photo of her parents wedding used to hang IIRC.  He was always a Chamber of Commerce type Republican.  She grew up in two Democratic strongholds, the Rio Grande Valley and then Chicago.  Now the eat their meals under Trump's watchful eye, out the cost of a semester of books at Texas Tech for their daughter.  

I swallowed an entire glass of wine in one chug, said something about how nice the navy blue matting against the dark wood frame, and put my head back down.  

I think the term for sanctifying preachers as they ask for your sacrifice is "The Prosperity Gospel."  Now Trump's merchandising shop is doing it to voters.  He thinks his brand extends to worthless Presidential swag, and I guess he's right.  The worst part, the dagger as it were, the part that made me feel sad for them is she thinks her husband got a new job because of Trump.  The good luck of buying this overpriced shit and reveling in it, is what made them financially whole again.  not because he pounded the pavement for two years looking for a new job and being a well-respected man in his narrowing field for the last 35 years.  Nope, it was the magic of Trump.  My cousin is the first one to say "Praise the Lord" when something good happened to her and her family.  And very humble about it, giving deference to Jesus or family.  Now everything good coming their way from her oldest daughter's new job, to her husband's new job, to her daughter at what she apparently thinks is an all-white college in Lubbock......is because of Trump.  The man who could not care any less about us if he mailed us some contraband election day shit made in Mexico and charged us $300 for it.   

You may or may not remember how back in the 80s The Franklin Mint would mint silver into any damn thing and sell it to rubes for 400% value.

Well, eventually even that Franklin Mint crap recouped its value as he price of the metal went up.

And a much larger fraud, the Confederate Dollar? If you find real ones today, they're worth more than US Dollars.

So don't throw that Trump crap away. You may get the last laugh, wallet-wise.

[bolverk 29399]

14 hours ago, RDCanecutter said:

You may or may not remember how back in the 80s The Franklin Mint would mint silver into any damn thing and sell it to rubes for 400% value.

Well, eventually even that Franklin Mint crap recouped its value as he price of the metal went up.

And a much larger fraud, the Confederate Dollar? If you find real ones today, they're worth more than US Dollars.

So don't throw that Trump crap away. You may get the last laugh, wallet-wise.

True story: I have the Civil War chess set from the Franklin Mint - except the pieces are made of pewter. It was the best birthday present I ever got.

[Gatorubet 30105]

The thread running through this is the stupidity and gullibility of the Trumpkins.   How ya gonna have a conversation that changes the minds of stupid, gullible people?

My ex-BIL is a Trumpkin, quotes how Trump was exonerated in the Mueller report, and how Hillary ordered a stand down in Benghazi.   I asked him if he had ever read the Mueller report or the GOP House Committee Report on Benghazi, which would refute both of his claims.   He replied that he was not going to read either, and did not need to do so.   The non-fake news reported it fairly.  

That microcosm in my family expanded to half the country is the problem.   We are just a stupid, non-curious, intellectually lazy collection of marks as a nation.   Best to focus on hookers and blow and football as the end of America continues.   We have a powerful military, so we will hang around as a nation for awhile.   

 

[atomheartbevo 89447]

On 11/30/2019 at 12:17 PM, GRHorn said:

I feel bad for y’all that have families that want to talk about politics when they’re around relatives they don’t often see.

Some of these people, their identities are wrapped up in the whole Trump phenomenon.   It's not like my Oklahoma relatives, where they can make a crack about "how's the People's Republic of Austin?" or "We hear a huge sucking sound to the south of us, is it your state or your football team" and I can respond back "pretty good, how is the Land of Meth and Incest?" and we all chuckle about it.  We can talk all kinds of shit towards each other, about sports, our politicians (at least in the past), etc. and nobody gets butthurt about it.  We can even toss around some religious jokes (bunch of my Okie relatives are Lutheran or Southern Baptist, my wife and other from the Texas bunch are Southern Baptist, Methodist, etc.) and it's all fun.

But if something even comes close to touching on Trump, and one of the Trumpkins is around, it's almost no longer family for them.  An uncle mentions my cousin is looking to change jobs, because he's in agriculture, and there's been some financial problems because of some of the stuff that happened the past year or so.  Trump is never mentioned nor tariffs or trade wars, etc., but it doesn't matter, it's like the fucking bat signal went off, and a Trumpkin has to jump in and a) claim that it's not really a problem and b) if it is a problem, it's the fault of Democrats.

This year, when we were around Trumpkins, we made sure the TVs stayed off.  That helped a lot.  Last year, we had a relative get extremely upset that we asked them to turn down Fox News and close the door to the den, and claimed it was because we were a bunch of liberals.  Extremely upset, even though we explained we were filming an interview with an older relative and didn't want a bunch of background noise.  They closed the door, but made sure to crank up the TV even louder. 

20 or 40 years from now, our kids/grandkids are going to be looking back at home videos where Fox News is blaring in the background, and wonder what the fuck was this country thinking.

[UpperWestside 6136]

I am very glad I do not have to see family during the holidays. My mother always votes Democrat. The rest of them voted MAGA in 2016. I have completely stayed away from my family outside of my mom. If any of them renounce that racist clown I'll be glad to be around them. If not they do not really exist to me.

I text one cousin only because I think he is better than being a Trumpkin. His older brother is a full-blown racist who somehow had three kids with an Hispanic woman before showing his I hate brown people side. My younger brother voted Dotard because he hated Hillary. I think he is redeemable because he now has a daughter and his perspective has changed. I guess I will see how he votes in 2020. He votes for Dotard again and we will never speak going forward and I am okay with that. 

Edited December 2, 2019 by UpperWestside

[Iceman 2640]

Fuck family.  Politics rules.

 

LOlz.  Some a y'all cannot be for real.

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

12 minutes ago, Iceman said:

Fuck family.  Politics rules.

 

LOlz.  Some a y'all cannot be for real.

Why would you say that? Are you surprised? We cannot go back in time and perform live interviews during the months leading up to the Civil War,  but one could imagine other turbulent times in history where families were rived by events and views with which they did not agree. 

You don’t have to go back to the Civil or even Vietnam Wars, or even the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Do you remember when the news of a virus was spreading in the 80’s?

Families can be strong but those relationships can also be tested during times of stress.

[NameAlreadyInUse 5106]

I lost my uncle a few months ago.  He was the guy that taught me to pitch since we were both lefties and he had pitched when he was younger. I grew up living a few houses down from him, and have many many fond memories of the guy.  I found myself thinking of him often this Thanksgiving and being glad he'd died, because 10 years ago he told me he was looking forward to being older, looking forward to getting a terminal illness, because he had a list of judges he was going to go take out once he had nothing to lose.  He died suddenly of a stroke instead.  Somehow people I used to love and admire got radicalized, and its fucking hard to watch.  At least my inlaws live in Asia and aside from the random, "Some guy got killed in Montana, are you ok" calls, their grasp and interest in what's going on here is minimal.  On my side, my parents both do not bring up politics, though they both voted for Trump and will again.  My 90 year old grandmother is the only loose cannon left and she's the type that just does not have the ability not to talk about politics.  We tell her to stop.  She stops for 5 minutes then hears another dog whistle and off she goes. I try to keep my time with her as limited as possible now.  

[Iceman 2640]

1 hour ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

Why would you say that? Are you surprised? We cannot go back in time and perform live interviews during the months leading up to the Civil War,  but one could imagine other turbulent times in history where families were rived by events and views with which they did not agree. 

You don’t have to go back to the Civil or even Vietnam Wars, or even the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Do you remember when the news of a virus was spreading in the 80’s?

Families can be strong but those relationships can also be tested during times of stress.

I say it because while there's more than a handful of relatives I have whose politics are different than mine, I'm not severing that relationship because our views differ on taxes, the Ukraine, or a wall.

I don't buy the seemingly very recent trend of " we disagree, so i hate your guts. You're not worth the effort."  Maybe I'm the one who is out of my fucking mind, and I absolutely recognize there are showstoppers, but the hyperbole over the Trump presidency is little more than a polar opposite of the folks who hated Obama at every turn.  

So we (theoretically)disagree on a president...  that means we're not related any more?

That does not compute.  The value of each situation in life is not remotely approaching equivalency.  this thread has quite a few folks claiming the high road vs hate... yet they are filled with it.

Edited December 2, 2019 by Iceman

[Larry T. Spider 1740]

If this was just disagreeing on political issues, it would be easy. This is complete brain rot that has taken over many of our loved ones. They have become hateful, terrible people that are far from silent about their beliefs. These people cannot have a conversation for more than 3 minutes without some talk radio jab about Hillary or some other nonsense. Not every trump voter is like this. I still get along with my parents and they voted for him. 

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

23 minutes ago, Iceman said:

I say it because while there's more than a handful of relatives I have whose politics are different than mine, I'm not severing that relationship because our views differ on taxes, the Ukraine, or a wall.

I don't buy the seemingly very recent trend of " we disagree, so i hate your guts. You're not worth the effort."  Maybe I'm the one who is out of my fucking mind, and I absolutely recognize there are showstoppers, but the hyperbole over the Trump presidency is little more than a polar opposite of the folks who hated Obama at every turn.  

So we (theoretically)disagree on a president...  that means we're not related any more?

That does not compute.  The value of each situation in life is not remotely approaching equivalency.  this thread has quite a few folks claiming the high road vs hate... yet they are filled with it.

I dunno, it's hard because none of us are having these conversations with each other in person and yet, the people here are having conversations with their families in person so you and I aren't there to nuance tone, etc. And that can be important. My parents are deceased, but would I have refused to speak with them over taxes? No, that's money and easy come easy go. But people? That is tougher. My parents absolutely loved my husband, but if I had brought home the talented, smart, and handsome Mr. Cory Booker instead and announced our engagement, it would have been a rough go and it would have had nothing to do with his politics. Would they have come around? I'd like to think so, but in the meantime, if I was walking in the door with their grandchildren and Fox News was blaring Tucker Carlson (praise the Lord my parents didn't watch that) and they began quoting some of his racial rhetoric, what if the conversation didn't go smoothly? I believe, as you say, in making an effort, but I also believe in giving the posters here the benefit of the doubt. We don't always know the comments, nor do we know the past issues that families have. If your own family was repeating hateful hurtful things especially about your other family members or friends, you might rethink continuing the relationship and yes, coming here to vent about the anger and frustration may seem hypocritical, but that may be an outlet because saying angry things back to the people you love can make the rift worse. Secondly, some of the political viewpoints are much more complicated than simply taxes and race and immigration and Ukraine. They are like trying to untangle knots in filament fishing line. When tempers flare because each knot leads to another, stepping back and cooling off gives both parties time for reflection. What I see many here worrying about is the fear that a loved one is becoming sucked into a vortex of fear and hate that pushes people away. The fear rhetoric is very strong with this Administration and it is being used quite capably.

You mentioned earlier, losing your mother this summer, and I offer my condolences to you.

[LABEVO 928]

I alternate subscriptions but about a decade ago I started having either the Economist or the New Yorker sent to my parent’s house.  Their political views have changed drastically over time, and I like to believe in some way I contributed. 

[Junior Miller 1502]

Watching this country slide right down the toilet is sad and leaves a feeling of helplessness. Unfortunately we're getting to a point where, like Germany under Nazi control, the only thing that can cleanse this country of this horrible hatred is it's near destruction. As shitty as it is only real problems of starvation, invasion, and mass death may be able to bring people back to some semblance of fucking reality. As long as most everyone is sitting comfortably in their home getting constantly inundated with garbage it will only get worse. 

At this point we don't know how many holidays we have left before the cracks in America really start to show in a tangible and severely life altering way for each of us. That's why I'm just going to enjoy the stuff I can now while I can. We can't stop it, all we can do is hope the foundation that was laid is strong enough to keep it together just long enough for us to die first.

Edited December 2, 2019 by Junior Miller

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

Cover of first edition (hardcover)

[Guest Lobo]

That was a great book.  Took place in the town I went to college in in Florida.  It was one of three books we read in junior high about nuclear war that really fucked with my little head.  /csb

[Js1 85110]

I, too, have read that book.