I will be SILENT NO MORE-and neither should you!

[liberalhistorian]

I am fortunate to be in a family that is, for the most part, liberal, and that gets along well with those in the family who aren't. But, like all families, there are members who disagree strongly with each other and who delight in pushing each other's buttons to get an argument going, especially during holiday gatherings.

My mom, stepdad, and I, and my uncle and his children, are particularly liberal and have never hid that. We've never forced it on anyone else, certainly, but we've never hid or denied our beliefs and principles. My stepsister and her husband, however, are howling repuke wingnuts who never miss a chance to shove it down our throats knowing perfectly well what we think.

Until now, we've all been very nice and polite, smiling and nodding and letting them rant and rave and whine about "libruls" and how teacher's unions are destroying public education and public education itself is socialist and corrupting minds (and my mom and stepdad are retired teachers, and two cousins are teachers!!!!!!!!!), how, even though they make a six-figure income, the "libruls" are taking it all away through taxes for "lazy people" (knowing that I was once on ADC!), how gays are contributing to the destruction and decay of the family and society, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseaum. But things are starting to get worse and more uncivil, it really does remind me of the beginnings of the Civil War when families were divided among themselves.

Well, I've had enough. I've had enough of being silent and polite at family gatherings, and in other similar situations (work, social situations, community gatherings, etc.) while the repukes and wingnuts are allowed to rant and rave on and on and on, while those like me are expected to be "civil" (i.e., sitting down and shutting up). And I've had enough of "polite" liberals who are afraid to say anything for fear of "causing trouble or discord" or coming off as uncivil or unsocial, or of giving the wrong impression, etc., etc. We simply CANNOT afford to do that anymore, the stakes are too high. This doesn't mean that we join the repukes and wingnuts in their uncivil rantings and ravings and mean-spirited arrogance and ignorance, by no means at all. It means that we begin to stick up for ourselves and our beliefs, and to counteract wingut arguments in a calm manner, but without taking any shit any longer.

We, also, have the right to be heard, just like the screaming wingnuts. And if they're hypocritical enough to start screaming about that, about our no longer sitting down and shutting up, no longer smiling and nodding during their ranting, FUCK THEM! I'm having a real semi-argument with my mom about that. She's always been, God love her, the conciliatory, peacemaker type, who's overly sensitive in social situations as far as people being uncomfortable, and she doesn't want to cause any "trouble." But I've had enough, and so has my uncle and cousins and stepdad. If we have to sit there and listen to that shit again, then we also have the right to speak up and be hear, and if my stepsister and her husband have a problem with that, that's just tough shit. They've been able to run their mouths off for years now, while we've all sat back and taken it. I'm not talking about screaming back at them or being equally uncivil, but simply speaking up for my beliefs as well and not being silent anymore.

I will be SILENT NO MORE, and I suggest that we'd all be in a better position if we all did the same. The situation is now critical, the stakes are too high, and we MUST stop being afraid to speak out for fear of causing trouble or discord, or being seen as "unsocial and uncivil."!