Seems dorkzilla needs help countering her mom's RW talking points. This ought to be good. Large bonfire.
The Link:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026429756The OP:
dorkzilla (1,906 posts)
Help me out guys; how to YOU counter stupidity from RW relatives?
I just had to listen to my mother yelling about how Obama “clearly hates America†and is a “racistâ€, how he “hates Israel†and how the letter from the 47 Senators was justified because “Obama did it first†and all this nonsense. I kept asking her to give me CONCRETE EXAMPLES of Obama’s hatred for the US, or what Obama did to violate the old rule that politics stops at water’s edge. She stammered through the entire conversation and then told me I should just not talk to her anymore.
She’ll be quiet for a while but she’ll eventually come back around, and this stupid cycle will begin again, where we agree not to talk politics but SHE will bring it up again, then I will try and get her to quantify shit she allegedly believes (only because Fox told her to) and she’ll give me a non-answer and shut down.
My mother is 73 and I know she’s not going to be around forever, I love her and want to have a relationship with her but I cannot ignore shite like “the President hates Americaâ€. I don’t know what to do to get around or through this.
Any suggestions/advice apart from putting her on ignore?
pangaia (3,518 posts)
1. Throw out her TV.
Censorship!!!!
Fred Sanders (11,944 posts)
5. Remove Fox from her cable package and buy her a DU subscription.
Sherman A1 (15,050 posts)
2. Well,
it is Mom. So that makes the ignore thing pretty much out of the question.
I would simply tell her that before she starts on one of her rants to be sure that she has examples along with facts and figures at hand, because you will indeed call her on it.
Yep that is the ticket!!!!
HERVEPA (4,690 posts)
8. Won't work.
Probably not.
Sherman A1 (15,050 posts)
14. Might be worth a try
one never knows.
dorkzilla (1,906 posts)
25. HERVEPA is right, it won’t work
because I’ve tried it. She know she can’t say stuff and I’m not going to ask her to back it up. After all I am her big-mouthed, opinionated, liberal daughter.
Maybe she is wondering where the hell she went wrong raising such a freaking moron?
salib (1,682 posts)
3. Probably worth while to remind yourself that love requires respect
If your love for her is going to be a strength here, be sure you have and show her respect.
Dummies with sanity?
HERVEPA (4,690 posts)
10. Respect is earnerd
Says the dummie. I bet his/her family does not want to be around this dummie.
betsuni (1,157 posts)
21. I agree. Walk out, hang up.
Explain the rules and why (angry rants are bad for her health, bad for everybody), then enforce them. Reward good behavior.
Treat your mom like a child!!!! That will teach your damned mom!!!!
Mariana (3,606 posts)
61. That's what I do with my dad.
It took a long time, and I had to hang up or walk out many times, but it has worked.
It is worrying how the Faux addicts et al. obsess. This bullshit is on their minds all the time, day and night. It's literally bad for their health to be so angry and upset all the time, it raises the blood pressure, among other things.
Dummie will be disappointed when she finds out Dad left all his assets to her siblings.
dorkzilla (1,906 posts)
41. Thanks for understanding
I’m trying hard to be a good daughter and a responsible citizen at the same time. I’d love to enlighten her but she is, as most Fox addicts, impervious to facts.
Dummie never considers that SHE might be the one impervious to facts.
elleng (54,239 posts)
54. Very sorry about this,
and glad I had no such.
You are, clearly, both, a good daughter and a responsible citizen.
leftofcool (7,835 posts)
7. Just say okay, Mom what ever you think.
At that age it is pretty hard to convince the old gals of anything and you know mom is always right. Just let her have her rant and smile and keep moving along.
Another sane dummie. WTF? Have aliens invaded the dump?
dorkzilla (1,906 posts)
28. Would that I could!
How can I smile when the hate is seeping out of her? Its very difficult.
Translation: How can I smile when I hate the bitch!!!!
antigop (10,611 posts)
59. "at that age it is pretty hard to convince the old gals"... HRC is 67
only 6 years younger
Wait for it....
dorkzilla (1,906 posts)
67. Except one is an accomplished woman who keeps herself stimulated and the other is watching Fox
There IS a difference. If you don’t keep your mind occupied and learn things all the time your brain turns to mush. Watching Fox isn’t challenging, engaging and you certainly aren’t enlightened by new information.
Wait for it...
antigop (10,611 posts)
74. BWAHAA! You made a blanket statement. nt
valerief (43,946 posts)
9. Avoid the relative. nt
Dummie has experience in this. His family pissed him off bad enough that he will have nothing to do with them... and they like it that way.
SheilaT (17,401 posts)
11. Other than throwing out her TV or fixing it so she can only watch Rachel Maddow and Amy Goodman, my suggestion is to be VERY firm about the not discussing politics rule. Every time she brings it up or just makes some snarky comment about Obama, repeat the rule, and if she persists in the topic, walk away from her. Eventually she will get it that you won't engage with her on the topic.
Unfortunately, people who listen to a lot of Fox news are impervious to factual information.
You might want to bombard her with information about how it's *Republicans* who want to cut Social Security and turn Medicare into a voucher program. However, as I've already noted, facts don't seem to get through the wall of Fox.
Yep. Typical dummie. Can't refute the facts so they want censorship.
Star Member haikugal (1,740 posts)
40. Your mission, should you choose to accept it.....
Is to develope a thicker skin, well defined boundaries and appreciation for a strong willed, opinionated woman (I'm guessing she passed that along) whom you love, even when she's very, very wrong.
It's not easy...are there other things you can do together that get your minds off the differences? Just a thought.
I'm working in the other direction now, with my adult son. We're getting there...LOL actually we've made great progress over the last few years and I'm so glad.
Be well and keep us posted.
I bet the adult son is a train wreck.
jwirr (28,444 posts)
50. I am 73 also and she probably has trouble understanding a lot of things about what is going on
around her. This world has changed and is a mess. We have been through a lot in our 73 years. Then along comes faux news and gives her what she considers a good explanation of what is happening.
The idea of her finding facts is almost a foreign idea to someone my age. If I had not gone to college I would not know how to go about finding facts and knowing if they come from a reliable source. And the internet as google is finding out has both real facts and the propaganda.
I really don't know what you can do but to me getting faux news away from her sounds good. However she is going to want it replaced with something. Set down with her and watch some of the news from more reliable sources and talk with her about what you are seeing. Try to make her feel less afraid.
As to hating President Obama - point out what he does good when you are watching news with her.
I am do glad that I have DU and MSNBC in the evening.
Dummie is oh so smarter than everyone else!!!
GoneFishin (1,842 posts)
37. Nearly identical situation. She's too old to change. I tell her she needs to get her news from
somewhere besides Fox because they lie. Then I drop it.
It is a bizarre country we live in which allows what is basically a 24/7 inspirational lecture for the KKK to be broadcast under the guise of news.
The most dangerous aspect of it, of course, is how they have slowly drained the capacity for independent thought from the hosts' brains and replaced their opinions with their own, like some kind of a *******ed alien parasite from a StarTrek episode.
These same dummies repeat verbatim Madcow and huffpo but anyone that disagrees with them is brainwashed.
There is lots more. Won't bring it all over.
