Letters to the Editor
-
Christmas In An Antebellum American Family Home.
Ah, Wil Wheaton, it almost ruined your family dinner, so far it hasn't destroyed your family. How easily your sentiments are transposed to an antebellum American family circa 1860. Herein festers the the legacy of Bush's media hatemongers.
-
Sounds exactly like my family
Wil,
This same scene has been played many times over in my own family. Some of the coincidental details are downright eerie (father is a doctor, had bad perm once, used to oppose nukes, etc.). I'm truly heartened to know that I'm not the only one who feels his family unity has suffered because of right wing hate radio.
Justin
-
The war around Christmas
Don't usually post "Me too" letters, but this time will, Wil. Thank you for your post and may you and others know you are not alone.
After nearly 30 years of what we thought of as good relations with my husband's family, about 9 years ago, things started to go sour. Several of the markers and causes already mentioned here, seemed to be at work: Retirement, right-wing radio & TV, buying into fear, needing someone to blame, needing someone to hate, partial relocation to an area of the country where unhappy people had nothing else to do but complain (these types had always been there, but until they stopped working-they were never an influence), several active "gung-ho" military people marrying into the family, listening to ultra-conservative church hierarchy, lack of critical thinking. We think there is a lot of truth to George Lakeoff's "strong authority" theory.
What Rush, Rove & 'Dr' Laura gave them permission to do, was to call their own family members names. We are traitors, murderers, unChristian (yup!), arrogant, disgustingly liberal, "Mom always liked you best," flag burners, Democrats, etc etc. Probably worse when we weren't around.
The straw that broke the camel's back, was the invasion of Iraq & the way the Bush administration handled it. As a recent ROTC graduate (grandson of a sister) headed to Iraq, they couldn't separate him from the people (and lies) that sent him there. To support the troops, you have to support the policy. The neo-cons know that just a couple of cracks will bring the house of cards down. As others have said, that is why this is so painful, because it is so personal -not just Administration policy. There has been a total breakdown of trust & both sides feel betrayed.
Rove, Cheney & K Hughes knew that the real war this Chunukah/Christmas week-end would not be fought in Baghdad, but at family gatherings. That's why they were busy last week-end calling dissent traitorous. They don't want discussion, they want their sheep to hush others up, to bully, to intimidate, to insult. The pattern is evident from Baghdad to Congress to church to the dining room table. It is grim. They have chosen to bring 2 centuries of Middle East warfare here to the US.
This has been hardest on my husband. He feels he has lost his whole family - the older generation to death and the older siblings & their kids to the far right. He used to be sort of the middle of the road, but this experience & such things as ID, has driven him to the far left.
Thankfully, all in my remaining (death has taken a toll here) family have remained supportive & inclusive of us. Legal documents such as wills & beneficiaries have been changed or are in the process. We have always found in Nature, Unitarianism & Humanism writings, experiences & people - sources of reason, strength and comfort.
Hang in there if you are going through this. It's messy and a difficult path to walk or crawl. We have chosen to not shut up and to not subject ourselves to this abuse, ever again. And Bush/Cheney/Ashcroft & those who support them with $$ & votes will forever be unwelcome in this house.
May the turkeys squawk in their death throes & the feathers fly in 2006!
-Keeping our light shinning!
-
Real war on Christmas
At least with the multitudes of right-wing social and political conservatives that I am encountering, I feel like they can’t think or debate about any other ideas than their own rock-solid hard-right opinions. There is this stick to your guns attitude that is exasperating. They also exhibit this self-congratulatory proud swagger and smirk that leaves me cold. This is Christianity? Whatever happened to meekness, mildness, and humility? Whatever happened to generosity and kindness toward others?
Well, I do remember the old saying, "The bigger they are the harder they fall", so I just try to ignore their arrogance and egoism. Like my grandma used to say, "They’re too big for their own pants". I think it won’t be long before they begin to see the error of their ways.
S. Davis
-
All I Want For Christmas Is A Volume Knob
I live in a very conservative area of the country, and I have many family members, friends, and co-workers who are are either staunch Christians, Republicans, or both. I don't bother to hide my political (leftist) or religious (agnostic) opinions from these people when they ask for them, although this invariably causes them to yell at me.
When on these shows, in order for a guest to get their point across to Hannity or O'Reilly or Rush or whoever, they have to shout, interrupt, scream, insult their opponnents, and otherwise make asses of their selves just to be heard. And now, the people who watch these shows are just used to it.
I find myself trying to soote them with my hand motions and my tone of voice while we're discussing the latest imaninary hot-button issue. I feel like the last sane person left in my postal district.
Thanks, Wil, for confirming through your experience and your writing, what I've been feeling for years. I realized that I'm not alone, and that the people with me are really smart and nice, and that makes me feel a lot better.
-
"What did I have to drink?!"
I just wonder what it's going to be like when we wake up from this, collectively speaking. I suspect "Oh, yea, I heard about those talk radio guys, but I never listened to them" will be as common in a few years as "Oh, yea, Titanic? Pfft, I never saw it!" was among people who'd seen it three times when it wasn't "cool" anymore.