My Dad was reading a book tonight and when he described it to me I was thinking it sounded like something I might enjoy. He said that he bought it because the author said that he was curious about people and decided to actually meet them and visit with them. The people were those with labels. Here are a few of the chapter titles.
The Open Borders Professor
The BLM Supporter
The Radical Feminist Sex Worker
The Emotional Support Squirrel Caretaker
The Transwoman Who Identifies as a Wolf
Each of these chapters are about a real person this author has met. OMG. Where he found these people I have no idea but if you read just one chapter, you will be led to believe that THESE are the people who make up the mainstream of the Democratic Party. In each chapter he cannot help himself but to describe each outlier as someone reflective of any of us with a liberal persuasion. Just listen to this paragraph about the author’s determination on how liberals perceive homelessness. My dad read it to me expecting me…his known liberal daughter to find it truthful.
“Chronic homelessness is a choice for most people. Nearly all of them you talk to tell you that. The problem is the government doesn’t want to listen. Liberals keep spending money on the homeless and homelessness goes up. Liberals then demand higher taxes to pay for more homeless services. Nobody tells you this, but the homeless, “problem” creates a lot of good paying jobs and titles for liberals who “help” the homeless. Homelessness goes down and those jobs and titles go away. Liberals would rather feel compassionate helping the homeless stay comfortable on the streets than address the main drivers of homelessness: drug addiction, mental illness, and permissive city laws that allow camping out on public property.”
I love my dad but I absolutely hate what this last decade with Fox News has done to his way of seeing the world. In 2007 my dad read Barack Obama’s autobiography because he had heard so much about him from others and wanted to know more about him from his own lips. Still possessing that kind of curiosity, he ordered this book called Get It Together by Jesse Watters. Apparently he’s Fox’s idea of a healthy replacement for Tucker Carlson.
In the paragraph I quoted here, it is just incredible how he creates this entire narrative after visiting a few homeless people on the street. Building this entire tall tale that it is the liberals who are NOT addressing the actual causes of homelessness but are instead focused on coddling the homeless really blew my mind into shreds! OMG, the reality couldn’t be further from this man’s perspective. The only way to address mental illness and addiction is to find a way to pay for those services!! What a total dipshit this guy must be! I’m sorry but there is no other alternative. Now my dad is going to be mentally armed to think he knows “the truth” when in reality he knows the exact opposite. He will vote for conservatives with the idea that he is supporting mental health and addiction services by doing so!!
I don’t know if it is worth wasting any anger on my father – actually, I do. It isn’t. My dad is just trying to educate himself and do what’s right. This guy, though. He’s not interested in understanding reality. Not that as a liberal I actually do but I can tell with you much personal experience that when it comes to anyone giving a rat’s ass about addiction and mental health services it is NOT the Conservatives in our government. The Conservatives who do are the ones in the churches where there are mission programs etc. but all of what those people do has to be done through private donations and trust me there is hardly any money addressing actual treatment services for addiction and mental health. I was also disgusted to hear him say that chronic homeless is a choice for most people. He says that with authority and bravado with zero substance to validate the claim. NO ONE chooses homelessness, chronically so or otherwise!
I’m here with my parents because they are both frail and inching toward their most senior years. We won’t be talking about any more of this and have plenty of other topics that we can talk about. It is different this year than either 2016 or 2020 overall. I am no longer surprised or devastated by what I hear and I am much more convinced that at the end of this season, whenever that will be, truth will win out on both sides of this political climate. With the recent vote to support Ukraine and it’s bipartisan support, the crazies are being routed. Let’s hope it’s a new day for all of us…and let’s hope that Trump has to answer for his behavior sooner rather than later.
Geez…what a trip.
Jane Getting Real 
tragic book promoting more division and such false information. Did your dad really believe you’d enjoy it? Sad if he did and sad if he was trying to annoy you. Either way a bad choice.
I’m pretty sure he’s on the spectrum. He’s always had trouble reading the room and being aware of others. He genuinely had no idea in the moment that I would find it horrifying. I honestly think it’s been the root of our knocking heads most of my life. He honestly doesn’t integrate personal/empathic thought into his conversations because he doesn’t naturally go there. I was quite amazed at the way I responded because it was not a big deal. The content of the paragraph he read to me was but I navigated it without any PTSD triggers – YAY for therapy!
Hi Miss Jane!
I went through multiple emotions reading this…initially hope, then disappointment, then sadness.
Honestly, I finally just had to change my mindset from frustration with my parents and trying to rationalize with them – to viewing them as what they are – brainwashed and somewhat mentally ill. It sounds like the approach you are taking with your parents.
Sadly, my mom will tell me every few weeks that “changes are coming soon” – spouts stuff about the “White hats” who are going to be taking over the government. Last week she said that “next week ‘they’ (she can’t fully tell me who ‘they’ are) shutting down the IRS and wiping out everyone’s credit card debit. When I told her that what she was saying didn’t sound correct she snippily told me “Well it’s true”.
She repeatedly tells her sister that Elvis and Michael Jackson and various other famous dead people are really alive and in witness protection (so WP is for the protection of pedos now??). The Qanon juice must be quite strong and tasty.
I just have to shake my head and remind myself that she’s ILL… or I’ll make myself crazy.
Love you and love this posts!
xoxo
We are truly in a new season of acceptance. Grateful that love wins in the end. I am so grateful to have known your parents before the internet 😄. Thanks for being there my friend!