Are you living in one? I ask this because at one time it would have seemed alien to me.
The truth of the matter, there are probably more of us than folks realize. There was a time in America and maybe somewhere there still is, a place in the homes where life is surrounded by peace, honor and respect. It does not seem to exist even in the hallways of our own homes, and I blame it on divisive government, high cost of living, stress, trying to maintain a standard of living while pretending your are not eating catfood.
God Forbid if there is a disabled person in the home because then your family is really alienated. It is even harder as you get older, more slow, and especially if you have mental illness or emotional illness in your home. I asked a Kossack once at our meetup what happened to family and the response seemed strange but now it is all true. The Nuclear family is what happened. How did one get stuck in a Fractured family as I call it?
I think social media like facebook makes things even worse. Facebook and the like take the family out of the traditional setting and people vent their frustrations online or confide in strangers rather than talk to one another. When Navajo started New Day, she did a great thing. She brought people together and many of those people are not accepted anywhere in any comfort zone except at Daily Kos.
I started reading comments on some social media places and found that the people I thought I knew had become self serving, appearing judgemental, closed minded, racist, homophobic, and just downright mean. This swelled blender type feelings in me. Were these people always this way? Were brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, inlaws, always so opinionated with their predjudices? Were there lines in the sand stemming from inequality and was there bitterness over how life just didn't turn out the way it was planned?
A Mother, Father , 2 children, a family church, a local membership at Sams Club, a few yellow magnetic stickers that says, We Support the Troops on the two Toyotas and couple of baseball or bowling trophies and picture galore of children and grandchildren achievements is their world. These folks live for the high school reunion, a tea party gathering and that 500.00 a week paycheck. This is your average republican voter that is younger than 50. These are the nieces and nephews that at one time looked up to you. These are the younger cousins who respected your opinions. These are the families that gathered at the Elders homes and played with their toys at Christmas and
gazed in your eyes with joy as you told them stories of The Headless Horseman. These people your recognized when they were children but somewhere along the line, after grandparents either died or became somewhat dependent, these folks turned into something else. They never phone. They never stop by. They don't have time anymore for a visit or taking you out to a nice meal. They don't want to be bothered with wheelchairs, frequent stops to a bathroom, or God forbid, if you need something that might cost them a dime of their money.
The nieces and nephews and even children who have survived and actually made a somewhat successful living want to hang on for dear life and treasure every dollar and minute with extravagant vacations or gifting to their own children and church family. They poo poo the thought of being associated with food stamp receipents or even folks who haven't found gainful employment, even if it is close family. Somewhere in time, you or your own kids who do have problems with disabilities, finances,the judicial system, or addicition mayhem, or gay, just don't fit into their way of life anymore. It doesn't matter that these very people they shun had a huge hand in giving them so much. They gave them everything from confidence to ice cream money or tickets to the fair when they were young or even paid their rent a time or two. It doesn't matter that they took time to pull out a fishing pole or give them a prized trinket off the mantel or a copy of The Time Machine to read.
This whole scene that I feel those compassionate conservative brought us is a shame. It is disgraceful. Veterans Days is approaching and most will send a card but few if any will call or check on well being. These fine 2.4 children parents will readjust that yellow magnet, go out to eat, watch Tora, Tora, Tora or Saving Private Ryan on the tube or net and pop popcorn. They won't visit the Veterans homes or call that family member suffering from agent orange or PTSD, and forget most everything they remember about that person and bash the president and how things are not getting better. Thank you George W Fucking Bush ! Thank you Rush Limbaugh. Thank you Fox News.
This way of the American family has been fractured . This happens when the middle class disappears and one has to look deep inside and see where their appreciation really is and it is not with that aging, supporter of this president and anything that goes against their own mindset. Pity....and who said , I love you with lying lips to folks as they begin to age or have problems? I don't know about you, but I feel we have more than a divided country. We have divided families and people are being shunned every day of their lives. God have mercy on their souls. One day they may grow up and be at the mercy of their own selfish spawns and their kin. Sarah Palin has a book out about the war on Christmas. Bah !!! Yes Sarah there is a war on tradition period, and you and your kind fired the first shot of breaking up families and yes that includes the once a year gathering but only includes those of the same mindset and no tolerance for anything different of your own ideals.
When you younger than 40 reading this think of that crazy old uncle, or aunt, or messed up cousin, consider, who is really messed up? The people shunning are looking for times past of heros or leadership... A line from The American president said, " They don't drink the sand in the mirage because they are thirsty....They drink the sand because they don't know the difference. Fitting in these fractured families... They don't know the difference between tolerating or ignoring and unconditional love . Somewhere along the way to adulthood, they lost their way of good and decent and most of all, they lost the meaning of respect.