Apparently I am an idiot, because I constantly forget that what I find to be obviously reprehensible isn't to everyone. To some, it's just fine. Take my example today.
Today I emailed a copy of the video of the mercinaries in Iraq shooting at civilian cars to the tune of "Mystery Train." I only sent it to four people who I thought might reconsider their stances, or who would be as outraged as I by the video. One of the people I sent the video to was one of my two immediate supervisors. Both of my supervisors are very right-wing, which is odd to find in Massachusetts. However, the office I work in is fairly open to this sort of thing, we'll send joke emails, or every once in a while I'll get one of those chain emails saying how badly the Democrats screwed something up, but which are never truthful, etc., etc. And my supervisor was fine with my sending it, although he said, "Well, better off they shoot them then they get near them with a bomb." I was a little surprised that someone could just toss this aside.
Anyhow, I was NOT prepared for what came next. I went out of the office for a minute and came back to find this email in my inbox:
"Look at the black patch under the U.S.flag...
You gotta love them and their humor.
This SHOULD be on the front cover of Time, Newsweek, etc.
But it won't be.
Let's put it there by forwarding this all around the world.
See below after viewing
The flags are those of France, Germany, and Russia--"
with this picture
The patch between the flags reads "Doing the work of." The image came from my OTHER supervisor, whom I did not send the video to. I turned to her and said it had to be a photoshop job. She then replied, "After the shit you sent out, I thought you needed to see it!" She then began to rail at me, calling me a traitor, and telling me how much better things were for the Iraqis now that we removed Saddam. I informed her that the Iraqi government itself has said things are worse now. She looked at me like I was nuts and then began alternately arguing about how much we've helped Iraq, and then asking why WE should be helping the rest of the world by sending money. First I said, of course, that we are the largest debtor nation in the world, and secondly, I asked her how she could argue against helping the world, but in the same breath defend our being in Iraq as helping them.
I should say at this point that she was heated, actually turning red. She again called me a "goddamned liberal" and a "traitor" and left the office for nearly half a hour. She was still angry when she came back, but eventually calmed down.
So here's my question. How does someone, like myself, who has a very definite political point of view, bite their tounge when someone around them is constantly spouting off incorrect statements, railing against "goddamed liberals," and saying what a great man George Bush is? My review is coming up soon, and I'm not foreseeing greatness.
Do you have any similar stories? How did you handle the situation?
Thanks! Peace.