Reply #85: I'm not really of a mind to try to "help" her

[Laurab]

I'd love to, really I would, but I think she's beyond help. She didn't actually write that one to me - that was to my MOM, who forwarded it to me (and to the rest of the family). I responded, but didn't send it, because I knew it wouldn't do a damn bit of good. It frightened me to know there are people out there living "normal", "successful" lives who can think like that. I cannot imagine how my brother can live with her, and he bashes bush as badly as I do...

She had forwarded some other RW email, and I DID respond to that one, with facts about *, condi and cheney, FEMA, etc. All she wrote to ME was, "well different people have different opinions - that's what makes life interesting" or something like that. I'm sure my mom's email was not filled with facts, just emotions, so she found her easier to argue with.

I'm wondering if you have a background in psychology or psychiatry - it sounds like you may. I'll tell you a little bit about her. She is quite successful, self-employed, around my age (50 or a year or two under), very money conscious, buys 50 thousand dollar cars (pays cash I hear), yet can't afford to stay at a hotel if she were to come here with my brother at Christmas (I have a large family, they all come home for x-mas, she is allergic to dogs, cats, smoke, and many other things, yet still wants to stay at homes filled with all of those things, rather than spring for a hotel). So, she hasn't come back with my brother, and we all kind of like it that way. One of my brothers is gay, one is married to a girl from Lebanon... actually there's a little bit of everything in our family - everything she hates, I guess, so her one visit was quite interesting - what with the gay-bashing, immigrant bashing, etc. She wanted to "fix" everyone. We didn't even talk about politics on her one and only visit here - I can only imagine how that would have gone.

Anyway, the next email she sent my mom was all about how she'd accepted Christ in her life, and while she has many friends who are "deep sinners", and still loves them (whatever "deep sinners" are), apparently this is all in the name of Christ. All I know is that whatever Christ she accepted isn't the one I know about, but I think the shrub might be familiar with him.

I think you might be onto something with the insecurity and fear, but then again, I can't fathom anyone thinking the way she does. When I first met her, I thought she was just a harmless loony tune, but now I'm thinking she's just plain insane, in the same way that the * administration is - all in the name of God or something. Knowing that these people actually do exist terrifies me!