I knew what I was getting myself into.
Twelve years ago I met this guy, he was younger than I was, but he was a sweetheart. Tall and a bit goofy, especially if he had been drinking...but cute, and kind, and we quickly fell in love and he moved in.
His very conservative parents let us know right away they did not approve of cohabitation, but for the most part treated me kindly. I don't think that they thought it would last long, and I am sure they didn't want to alienate him, because they felt he would need the loving support of his family when the inevitable happened. I think they hoped it would happen pretty quickly.
But they had me over for dinner with the family, and chided me for my politics at every turn, one night even blasting a little stereo with a parody tape marketed by that bloated Nazi gasbag, Rush, mocking Clinton while they stood over me and yelled about how evil democrats were. Like I said, I knew what I was getting myself into.
Beyond the jump....
Well I am still here. We have been married for 10 and a half years, and have four of the cutest kids you have ever seen.
Clearly, I am not going anywhere.
But even though we have formed a family, my politics are still a sore point with my in-laws, and theirs' sure are for me. Yesterday I called my mother-in-law because of the whole "Barack The Magic Negro" thing, and was treated to a 54 minute, 17 second diatribe about how the left twists and manipulates everything Rush says, and how that song was taken out of context.
"Really?" I asked, "Exactly what context can you even put that in that would cast it in a favorable light?" At that point she started yelling at me. "CARA! CARA! Do you even listen to Rush? I listen to him EVERY DAY! You don't know what you are talking about!" She insisted that Rush had never told a caller to take the bone out of his nose, and had not called Chelsea Clinton the White House dog. She got REALLY angry when I called him a "hillbilly heroin addled drug addict" and "Captain Viagra."
She also got pretty snarly when I mentioned the 100 Least Sexy Men list and how Rush was pretty close to the top, but that Ann Coulter also made the list, much to my amusement (I would like to pause to ask that the LGBT community not hit me on this one, It isn't my list!) and hit me with the Godless Liberal stuff.
I have had many such conversations, some lasting hours and hours, where I have wished for a gun so that I may end my misery. I have listened to her defend the likes of Dick Cheney, George Bush, Rush and Ann. I have endured her calling ME a murderer because I didn't think that Terri Schiavo should have been removed from her husband's care. I have listened to her talk about abolishing the Department of Education, and her endless rant supporting the war, which always begins with, "I have seen the enemy (please someone tell me where this line comes from) and I don't want to have to fight them over here..." and ends with, "If we lose they will kill your children and force you to wear a burqua."
I have told my husband his mom is crazy. I try to tell him gently, but sometimes you just have to be blunt.
I am not sure where I was going with this anymore. I think I needed to vent in the company of liberals. I am sure I am not alone in this, so maybe you want to vent too. Tell me about your crazy inlaws, or your conservative wingnut uncle (yep I have one of those too). Or whatever. Share a pic of your kids. I am here.