My mom and I have a running joke when we go out to eat: are you going to leave a Tina tip or a Bob tip. My late father, Bob, overtipped. He had been a country club manager and knew how overworked and underpaid waiters were. Tina is my mom's neighbor. She not only looks for a reason not to tip, she looks for a reason not to pay: the food is overcooked, undercooked, inedible. After she has eaten most of it, of course.
Tina is the new conservative: always aggrieved, always inconvenienced, always annoyed. When we first met her, she was a Democrat, and her husband was a Foxfan Dittohead. But by the time Obama was elected, she was a rabid conservative. Was it racism? Partially. But it was more. She was angry about a school bond vote, because she doesn't have children. Selfish? Sure. She was enraged about the government shutdown because her husband, retired military, works as a civilian at Ft. Rucker. Hypocritical? Uh huh. She hates Nancy Pelosi. Why? Because.
But the incident that to me most exemplifies the Tina conservative mindset involved a patio set. She had a patio set she wanted to get rid of. She called my mom to see if she wanted it. She was offering to give it to her. Mom didn't need it, she has patio furniture. She suggested Tina give it to Goodwill, they would even pick it up. Tina said no, she would put it on the street for trash pickup. But first, she said, she would smash it. When mom asked her why she said that she paid for it and she didn't want anyone to have it for free. Tina Conservatives are selfish, racist, hypocritical, but most of all, vindictive. They will destroy it, even if they don't need it, before they will let THEM have it.
New ending: Tina Consevatives are not the majority. They are just a loud aggressive new voice calling themselves conservatives. Most conservatives want what is best for their communities. But this new group is given power by their agression and their volume. Traditional conservatives, at least up to now, have been slow to correct them.