Oh, the irony!

[ROakes1019]

I'm here in Mississippi where nearly all my friends, including my husband, are rabid conservatives. A lifelong friend came over to use my cutting tools and expertise to cut quilts for her twin great-grandchildren, coming soon. She said they had a fabulous shower for the wife of her grandson but the grandson had to come because the wife has been ordered bedrest until delivery. I asked whether the wife was still working and she said oh, no, that she hadn't worked since she got pregnant. Then I wondered how they had insurance, since the girl isn't working and the boy has a part-time preacher job. She said there was no problem because they had Medicaid. Now the irony is that they'll all pro-McCain and think Obama is a socialist but have no problem depending on a social program that McCain would cut to pay for his private health care plan. I had told her to bring her rotary cutter blade because cutting a whole quilt can dull a blade. She couldn't find her rotary cutter but brought her mother's. After we'd finished she said she had to get her mother's blade back. Add to this that I lent her a sewing maching because she had a cheap Singer that wasn't working right. To me, this is the way a lot of these rednecks here in the Deep South think. They're very parochial and think only they and theirs deserve consideration; yet they're more than ready to take handouts without any gratitude. Oh, I'll not say anything because she's already said that Obama isn't patriotic because of not hearting the flag or wearing a flag pin. One thing--none of the lifelong friends have much education, although my husband has post-graduate degrees. I just get so tired of ignorance. One of my lifelong friends, who now lives in Illinois, is very liberal and my daughter and her husband, down in Florida, are liberal. Well, I don't try to convert husband or friends because I know that it would be impossible. I suspect some lingering racism but I know they wouldn't consider any Democrat for any public office. I voted early for Obama and Musgrove. It would be such a delight to see either or both of them win. End of rant.

[King Coal]

1. Thanks for sharing.

[midnight]

2. ROakes1019 you are a saint.... I don't know how

you managed these last eight years knowing what you know. Thanks for sharing your storing and how you continue to extend yourself to those on the narrow path.

[ROakes1019]

3. Thank YOU

I'm so glad somebody heard my rant and replied. Yes, it does get very lonely here in the Old South. My daughter has said that if I never had left Mississippi I might not have seen the light No, I was liberal at an early age. I felt very alone, although I had superficial friendships. I'm so glad my daughter has been influenced by me, or maybe she just saw the light on her own.

[SmokingJacket]

4. I realized recently that some people just don't respect logic.

Even if you did point out to her the inconsistency of calling Obama "Socialist" when they depend on social programs, it wouldn't matter, because logic has no power for her. It's all about narrative, instead. She wants a good story to tell herself.

The story she's telling herself is she and her family are strong, independent people who have no need for government help, and that those "other people" who do want "handouts" are lazy and inferior. It must make her feel better about her life to have this narrative.

It doesn't matter that the story doesn't exactly conform to reality -- they like the story and it works for them!

[Brewman_Jax]

5. A Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican

by John Gray

Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and work as advertised.

All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn’t think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

Its noon time, Joe needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.

Joe is home from work, he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dads; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republican’s would still be sitting in the dark)

He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.

He turns on a radio talk show, the host’s keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn’t tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day) Joe agrees, “We don’t need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I’m a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have”.

Here are some of what those "damned liberals" have done for this country. You can always ask your neighbors what have the conservatives done for them?

[southpaw]

6. Yeah, I feel ya.

Alabama is chock-fucking-full of those same types.

Ignorant, inbred and indoctrinated. Willing sheep for the republican slaughter.

I have a theory that they hate 'social programs' as a generic concept, but don't really understand what a 'social program' is.

They truly don't seem to realize that social security (hello!), medicare/medicaid, WIC, headstart, etc. are all social programs!

The thing about being hyper-loyal to family and treating all others as outsiders is so true. Before my awakening, I attended a church where every member of the congregation was related. Only the pastor and his family were not related by blood or marriage to the rest of the congregation. Any non-relative who visited the church would realize after a few weeks that they would NEVER truly be a part of the church. Even the pastor and his family were more like 'employees' of the congregation than members of it.

Southern hospitality, likewise, is largely a front. Visitors from other parts of the country may go back home feeling like they were treated like royalty by those charming southerners, but they don't get to hear the insults those good-old hospitable southerners use against them as soon as their backs are turned.

[ROakes1019]

7. the church-goers

I'm glad you brought up the church inbredness. This friend and her family belong to a Methodist Independent church, started back when the Methodist United church allowed intergration. And, just as you said, hardly a member of the church isn't a member of the family. She sent all her grandsons to a Bible-believing college nearby and all came out wanting to be preachers. (Lord knows how they afforded tuition for this private college. Probably why she can't afford a new sewing machine.) She once told that her sister-in-law divorced her brother because the family was just a clan. Oh, I understand what that woman meant.

[susanna]

11. Dead on, especially the "southern hospitality" part.

I am the first generation of my family born in the north. I have visited the rest of our family (Alabama and southern Missouri) plenty over the years. Even with my mother and father - both southerners by birth - the southern part of the family began to close ranks and "push them out" as the years wore on. Why? Because my parents lived in the north and were unapologetic about it. My immediate family came for the jobs and made a decent living and retirement, and that irks the southern family no end.

And I know most of the southern code words and phrases; they think I don't, but Mom and Grandma (who also lived up here for twenty years) taught me the playbook. So when my southern relatives say something that I know has a double meaning, I call them on it. The look on their face is priceless. "How'd she figure that out? She's a Yankee!"

[southpaw]

13. What are some of those 'code words and phrases' of which you speak?

I'm well aware of things like 'Bless your (his/her) heart' and things like that, but those are used on other southerners as well as on non-southerners.

What types of codes are you referring to? I may have heard some of them.

[susanna]

14. My extended family...

Uses "Canadian" for black people. Yes, really. It's pathetic. "City folks" is also a euphemism for same.

They also have a boatload of religious ones that essentially are meant to shut down discussion if you disagree with them ("if you believe in Jesus, then A is true" or "If you respect the word of the Lord, then B is true" implying that if you believe A/B are true, you're going straight to Hell. Come to think of it, those run into the double-digits, and may not be true of the entire south...they may be unique to my family.

But "bless your heart" is a big one, as you note.

on edit: punctuation

[southpaw]

16. Canadian = black?

That's a new one on me. Hell, I have several family members who just say 'ni&&er' to refer to black people!

The religious stuff is pretty familiar. As an athiest, I can pretty much shut that shit down with a quickness.

Aunt Myrtle: "Well, if you love the sweet Lord Jesus, you just can't vote for candidate A! He's for abortion and letting the gays get married."

Me: "Well, since 'the sweet Lord Jesus' never even existed, it's kinda hard to love him. And I most certainly can vote for candidate A, because I agree with his/her stances on pretty much every issue, added to which, candidate B is an bible-thumping ignoramus! Would you pass the potato salad, please?"

[susanna]

17. Yes, they do use Canadian as a code word. I found it odd too.

It is sort of recent, though - maybe the last five years or so? One great uncle told me it was because they censor themselves on my account, as they heard from other family members that I was one of them "liberals." Nice of them to look out for me, huh? :crazy:

As for your dinner scenario, I can attest that I've been there LOL. But I'd ask for them to pass the biscuits. (Not one of my extended relatives makes a decent potato salad, and that's a point of great shame for me as I thought ALL southerners could make potato salad. I feel like I may be missing the all-important potato salad gene as a result.)

[radfringe]

8. knuckle dragger next door to us

with a 6-pack or more in him, and his buddies around him loves to hold court in the backyard. he goes on about "all the people who want to suck the government tit at the expense of the rest of us"

the irony is lost on him as he was on SSI for a back injury, and the family was also receiving food stamps, WIC and heating assistance

[southpaw]

15. Those are some pretty fragile glass houses they live in...

And these dipshits seem to enjoy playing hand-ball with fist-sized rocks.

I guess it's not a social program if they make use of it.

Sucking at the government tit, indeed.

Ignorant goddamn rednecks.

[unpossibles]

9. My father in law is the same way

My wife's family has had to depend on more than one social service, such as food stamps and welfare in the past, yet consider them evil now that they have jobs.

[Glorfindel]

10. I feel your pain...I'm a Georgian living in Mississippi

I just have to keep my mouth shut most of the time. :hide:

[Fumesucker]

12. I'm in Georgia..

It's much the same here..

I had a long talk with my semi-fundie but also semi-liberal sister in law a few weeks ago and she told me her family is exactly the same way as what you relate. She told me of one of her relatives that is voting Republican because of the abortion issue and yet she knows for an ironclad fact that the relative drove her niece to the abortion clinic.

With these people it's all about *them* and *theirs*, they have a very hypocritical world view wherein whatever they do is beyond question no matter if they rail about exactly the same thing when others do it.

I have this feeling that no one would be more dismayed to find out that abortion had truly been made completely illegal than some of the most vehement anti-abortionists. They really and truly think that they can make abortion illegal for everyone else but still have access for themselves and their family/friends.

The point another poster made about these people just not "getting" logic is absolutely true, trying to argue with them is like nailing jello to the wall, no matter how many logical nails you pound they just ooze right by it without even really noticing.

[susanna]

18. I enjoyed your story.

I also wanted to tell you it happens everywhere. I am in Michigan, and have one close relative who accepts money from the "socialist" system to care for herself and her son, but who wails about "handouts" to everyone else. So I think certain people, for whatever reason, just delude themselves into thinking "but it's different when I need help." :-(

on edit: punctuation

[snake in the grass]

19. You have my respect.

I grew up in Florida but left when I was 20 and haven't missed it since. I honestly don't think I could stay married to a 'conservative'. When I see these people, I see blood on their hands. They truly make me sick.