I have been married for decades to the most wonderful, caring, worldly and liberal woman who grew up in Memphis and whose family have lived in Mississippi for 30 years. I grew up in NYC and am Jewish but have lived in many places, currently GA.
Somehow I have managed over the years to never discuss politics and societal subjects with my mother in law because I knew we are polar opposites and so why create the disharmony.
We crossed the Rubicon last night and it did not go well. I have to say it was amazingly disheartening because while I knew her feelings on so many topics or at least could take an educated guess, actually being confronted with someone from the FOX world saying these things out loud was both disturbing and disheartening.
Not because I have not heard all this before but rather because it was coming out of the mouth of someone who is not stupid and in general is a caring person. It also pinpointed in my mind the total waste of time to try and speak with those so far gone or to try and reason with them or discuss in an intelligent way. My learned message to those who say we have to coddle the Republicans and try and win them over, for a large segment they are too far gone and trying to do so is both a waste of time and resources.
Let me share with you some of the pearls of wisdom I was dealing with:
- The Civil War was not about slavery (Yes my mother in law, although she would swear she is not, is an abject racist). I heard all kinds of excuses such as well it is their own fault because their own countryman sold them to us. Of course as I tried to focus on facts such as the fact that 100% of the states that seceded sighted Slavery as the reason, facts fell on deaf ears
From Mississippi Declaration of Secession
Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery - the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product, which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. That blow has been long aimed at the institution, and was at the point of reaching its consummation. There was no choice left us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union, whose principles had been subverted to work out our ruin.Let me begin with some background.
- She also felt that the inability to impose her version (because of course she hates Catholics) of Christian values on society violates her protection from the constitution of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. My efforts to point out that I support 100% her right to live her life however she chooses but that right does not extend to imposing those beliefs on others was a waste of breath
- Business should have the right to refuse service to gays. All efforts to point out how problematic this was, i.e. so then it is also ok to refuse service to blacks etc fell on deaf ears
- She lamented how terrible it was that the government has forced all these cities to rename historic roads MLK. Of course my effort to point out that there is no law requiring this and it is instead a local issue decided by each municipality was met with, “no this is the Federal Government forcing the cites”. I said let’s Google it and see but I am pretty sure there is no federal law as it would totally violate state rights. Her answer, no don’t look it up because you are only trying to prove me wrong. So I said to her, you know there are roads, streets and schools all over the country named after John F. Kennedy does that bother her or has that ever entered her thought process
I could go on and on but what I learned is that those who are in the Fox Cult are for the most part lost to any sense of reason and in this dangerous time we live in I am no longer willing to coddle or ignore these dangerous and disgusting thoughts. Society needs to spend less time trying to bring these people along and instead unmask them with the door open to return if they wake up.
It is impossible to reason, discuss or make sense with someone whose thought processes have no basis in reality and we as a country are wrong to coddle them in the hope they will wake up, they will not.
I am an avowed liberal and I will no longer hide in the corner and not speak out to keep the peace, instead I will speak out at every opportunity. The survival of the country rests on invigorating the silent masses and totally steamrolling the 25%-35% who are crazy.