Could you pass the ketchup, you liberal son of a bitch?

[countchocula]

I can keep my cool on a message board, but I make it a rule not to engage in political/religious discourse with relatives. It doesn't help matters that I have nothing in common with my relatives, especially where politics and religion are concerned (though I'll try not to discuss religion here). This is the thread to rant about loved ones who either don't listen to reason or don't know what an opinion is. For instance, my mom knows next to nothing about John Kerry, yet she'll be voting Republican. It's the "good Christian" thing to do, and I posit that she's afraid her ecclesiastical sister will disown her if she leans ever so slightly to the left (sadly, I could actually see that happening). She supports gay marriage, yet she doesn't seem bothered by the fact that Bush is against it. You don't know her, but trust me when I say that she's more liberal than conservative. I don't think that she even realizes it. We've quibbled over this once, and once was enough. I never want to talk to her about politics again.

Have you gotten into charged arguments with family members over social issues? I know I'm not alone.

[TheDeadWalk]

My brother shitloads of times.

One biggie is because I prefer the term "black" as opposed to African-American.

He doesn't seem to realize that the civil rights movement was about equality, and one of the issues pushed was that blacks were tired of being called "negro" or "colored". When they saw a water fountain, it said "Whites" and "Colored". One of the main steps to be on an equal basis was to be called as the whites called themselves; the color that they represent.

I also feel that when you are stolen from your land, stripped of all culture and sense of belonging and thrown into a new land, your Grandchildren(likely) and on will most likely have nothing taught into them to keep in any sort of African legacy. They are not African-American, the same as Jim O'Leary, a baptist in Helena Montana is likely not an Irish-American. I feel as if to call yourself that title, you must have an extensive knowledge of your family's culture to back it up.

So we get into arguments about that often. I will say something like, "Turn the channel back to Steve Harvey."

"Who?"

"That black guy on channel 46."

"You mean AFRICAN-AMERICAN."

No, I don't.

[SLAW]

Most my family is left-wing, so we don't argue too much. Although my Dad is a bit caught up in the right VS. left vail, like a lot of others.

[ANavissi500]

I am very Democrat, my dad is very Republican, and my mom is very uninformed. We are an American family.

[Dignan]

My mom is pretty freakin liberal, so our political discussions rarely end in bloodshed. She opposes gay marriage, I support it-- that's about our only main quibble.

My father is a conservative and, I'm ashamed to say, a rather biggoted man at times. He also does not support gay marriage, and doesn't have very nice things to say about the homosexual community in general-- I don't even want to talk about his skills in the field of race relations. Soemtimes I feel like I'm living with an extremely watered down variation of a minstrel show. Don't get me wrong, he's my father and I love him, but we both like to keep out of one another's political opinions. One day all my scolding will get through to him, and he'll realize what a hateful asshole he can be, but until then... oh well.

Both my parents hate Bush. So thats one good thing we got going for us. A small start, but a start none the less...

[chilli pepper]

Hell, a few years ago my mother voted for governor not on the fact that they were republican, democrat, green party or whatever you know how she voted? by who she thought was the cutest......yep you heard me.

[Grim H.]

Originally posted by chilli pepper
Hell, a few years ago my mother voted for governor not on the fact that they were republican, democrat, green party or whatever you know how she voted? by who she thought was the cutest......yep you heard me.

This brings up an important question...

Who's cuter... George W. Bush or John Kerry?




and by important I of course mean, irrelevant...:D

[TheDeadWalk]

Originally posted by chilli pepper
Hell, a few years ago my mother voted for governor not on the fact that they were republican, democrat, green party or whatever you know how she voted? by who she thought was the cutest......yep you heard me.

Ha. I've debated a few times about how I will purposely vote out of my political arrow if I hear irrelevant mud slinging coming from the side I typically vote for.

[bmain77]

Originally posted by chilli pepper
Hell, a few years ago my mother voted for governor not on the fact that they were republican, democrat, green party or whatever you know how she voted? by who she thought was the cutest......yep you heard me.

So you're saying my voting up Bob Dole only because I thought Norm Mcdonalds impersonation of him on SNL was the funniest was wrong :D (and seriously thats how and why I voted that way even though I heavily lean to the left)

[flowrchild]

Originally posted by Grim H.
Who's cuter... George W. Bush or John Kerry?

That's like putting a gun and a knife on a table and asking which way you prefer to be wounded.

Blech! :p

I choose Option C, John F Kennedy.

[SenorSpielbergo]

Heh...

I told my brother I was going to vote for Kerry and he said "That's the last person we want to run this country. I'm going to vote for the Reverend."

[TheDeadWalk]

Originally posted by flowrchild
That's like putting a gun and a knife on a table and asking which way you prefer to be wounded.

Blech! :p

I choose Option C, John F Kennedy.

Just close your eyes, vote for Kerry, and pretend its Tom Brokaw whispering those sweet nothings into your ear.

[Nate6]

There was a goofy little rumor Kerry would pick Tom Brokaw to be his running mate. Women of America, welcome to flavor country.

My whole family (including myself) are pretty liberal, so we don't get into many disagreements.

[Raymond Babbit]

Well, me and my immediate family are all either liberals or left-leaning moderates. My grandparents are more conservative, though. It usually doesn't get too bad, but it gets bad enough that when me, my dad, and my uncle are all over, we're not allowed to talk about politics or religion (I'm agnostic, my dad and uncle are atheists.)

Also, when we go and visit my aunt and uncle on my mom's side, there can be problems. They're so conservative, it's just gotten to the point where, when they say something we don't agree with, we just smile and nod and say nothing.

[badberry]

Well my family tends not to get too worked up about that kind of stuff, we can disagree without fighting...but we don't differ all that much in general opinion so it's not a big deal. My grandparents though do tend to make some iffy statements sometimes, bordering on racist and\or homophobic....but we just tend to let it slide, as it's not worth arguing about. My brother still objects on occasion, but I've just accepted the fact that that's the way they think and they're not going to change, so why get into an argument about it? I don't hold it against them, they're just products of an older generation.

Luckily most of my family is not religious at all, so we have one less thing to fight about...:)

[Scarface98.9]

My mom's side of the family is very conservative, while I'm liberal for the most part. I don't argue or anything with them since they're very Christian also, which means they're anti-gay marriage and abortion. I get uncomfortable just being around them sometimes, so debating Kerry vs. Bush isn't something I strive for. If they ask me who I'd vote for, I'd say Kerry. When asking why, my only defense (since I'm uninformed about many of the canidates) is "Well, he's not Bush."

[JohnTheHenchman]

My family is conservative pretty much, but no one tries to argue with my because they know my point of view is different. There are people in my family who are christian and conservative but do not oppose gay marriage or abortion, so I don't see how the generalization works.

I'm very much in the center of things, I take the best from both sides. I've told them I'll vote third party since kerry and bush are both douchebags.

[cstroman]

I have debates (mostly on the net) with people all the time. It's because for all the positions they choose, they really can't back them up with deep reasoning.

We start digging deep and their whole argument falls to pieces.

Most people don't realize that Leftists and Rightists have about the same foundation to base their views, which is nothing whether it be religion for the right or the blind "that's wrong but I don't know why" of the left.

It's about compromise and balance.

[countchocula]

THIS (http://home.insightbb.com/~armedforcestribute/) is the shit that my relatives e-mail me. They know where I stand, but they send this stuff in the hopes of "converting" me, I'm assuming. Maybe I'm just a cold asshole, but I don't appreciate being forwarded this dreck every other day. I wish I could tell them this without suffering the consequences, but it will never be that simple.