General Insanity
Offline I'm hoping this is the right place to just vent a little. I took my son to visit my dad this past week. It was good for him to see the wildlife in the area and newborn calves at the "ranch." The family he shares the property with is very nice - former Mennonites who realize I am not going to be christian. However, both the family and dad listen to way too much talk radio. I tend to forget that people do actively believe things like:
1) If Obama is elected you will only get to keep 37 cents of every $1 you make (for annual incomes of +/- $50,000 or less). Also, he is a racist who will actively work against caucasians.
2) In 15 years I will apologize for believing in global climate change - unless the apocalypse has occurred first. (Apparently society has recently checked something of the list in Ezekial. I didn't ask what.)
3) Oil prices have dropped solely due to the psychological effect of talking about offshore drilling. (Recently released reports noting consumption drops and fundamental overvaluation by speculators has NOTHING to do with it.)
4) The Iraq war has been totally won. We're just doing a little bit of clean up and the soldiers will no longer be needed at all in a few months.
The fact that I do know at least some of the facts behind each issue is completely disregarded. (I have a degree in math, have studied some chemistry, physics, and biology, and am registered with the SEC as an investment advisor representative.) You can't let facts get in the way of belief. I find myself at a loss for words when they come up with such things and are unwilling to listen to any data related to the issue.
What do you do when you find yourself in such situations?
"I am that I am." - Proof that the writers of the bible were beyond stoned.
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Weep as hard as I can.
I think that sums it up right there.
As far as what I do, depends on the person. Somtimes I'll laugh it off, other times I try and let them know I think they are an idiot.
Do they know that would include half of his family? Or are they completely ignoring that he is half black? Wow, a 63% tax rate huh?
Again, I refer to your quote: " You can't let facts get in the way of belief."
Oh yes, those pesky news reports saying that drivers are driving less than they have in what 30, 20 years or something like that? If you have too much supply and less of a demand, prices do typically lower for that product.
That's a new one. Things have been more 'quiet' for sure, but, totally won? Based on what?
It's really hard to talk to people when comes to things like this. I read stuff like this and I instantly think of Holocaust deniers and 9/11 conspiracy nuts.
Where does this even come from? Seriously. Obama has talked about reducing the deficit, and also talked about bringing the wage gap back into line. He's not mentioned a 63% tax, at least, not last I read.
Cool! I want to be part of the apocalypse. I'm gonna market T-shirts that say, "My saviour made me suffer through the end times, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."
I wonder if there's an end-times checklist somewhere on the intertubes?
Oh my God! There is! I'm so happy.
Isn't that a kind of squishy left-wing thing, talking about your economic issues to help resolve them? "Gee, Doc, if only I could get this off-shore drilling thing off my chest, I'm sure it will reduce the economic pressure that's been building up inside of me."
It has been totally won. We just don't have the decency to admit we lost.
It's scary how truthful Stephen Colbert is when he talks about following his "gut." It makes me laugh every time. It's funny 'cause it's true.
You can't really blame them, though. They are deliberately being fed misinformation. It's hard to know the truth when the world is so full of lies, and what hurts most is that the lies are being spread by people who know they are lies. The lies are used as weapons in the fight for a "higher ideal," but that just means the higher ideal is based on lies.
As much as I hate willfull ignorance, I deplore the intentional pollution of the knowledgescape even more.
"Yes, I seriously believe that consciousness is a product of a natural process. I find that the neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers who proceed from that premise are the ones who are actually making useful contributions to our understanding of the mind." - PZ Myers
Start the launch sequence of my rocket ship.
...Oh. Or did you mean for cases in the immediate future?
I've pretty much convinced myself that there's no winning with these individuals. Just smile, nod, walk away and try to pretend tomorrow will yield a smarter populace.
- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940
I try to remember how afraid they must be in order to distort facts so badly.
That's what I do.
Just look at the ideas they throw at you....
1) If Obama is elected... (fearful idea, so spread it around so he gets fewer votes)
2) Global climate change... (fearful idea so let's be prepared to beg forgiveness)
3) Oil prices have dropped....(fearful idea that the recently released reports could be right)
4) The Iraq war... (fearful ongoing battles and deaths so let's ignore that it could go on for a very, very, very long time. Did I mention fear of death. Oh, so I did)
Choose your battles. I just got a similar speech from a customer friday. Obama's evil, W got a bad rap, Democrats hate America, blah blah blah... I tried to get a word in edgewise but he steamrolled me and what little I did say was passed right through like he was Robert Patrick in T2. The only thing I could have done to counter him would be to turn it into a shouting match. I decided since I live in a state that will probably be decidedly for Obama it wasn't worth risking my job trying to change his mind.
If that's what you're up against and it won't cost you your job just dismiss them like you would a crazy bum and move on.
"Faith, Faith is an island in the setting sun,
but proof, proof is the bottom line for everyone."
Proof, Paul Simon
Nothing this hard should taste so beefy.
That is awesome!
And, Wonko, you're right. I forget how scared you can get when you don't know what's really going on around you.
Thank you all. I think the answer is just come here and bitch about the family after I visit!
(For those who asked, I think this information is coming from Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, et al. Yeah. I know. I swear, they really are nice people at heart, just really uneducated.)
"I am that I am." - Proof that the writers of the bible were beyond stoned.
Coming from someone who almost gave my father in law a heart attack by voicing my views on abortion, I say just stick to your guns. Most people want to live in a little bubble where they are comfortable in their opinions. The truth is just too scary for some folks, but all you can do is point out the fatal flaws in their arguements. If they schoose not to research both (or more) sides of an issue itsn't worth my time trying to fix them.
"Always seek out the truth, but avoid at all costs those that claim to have found it" ANONYMOUS
Anyone want to bet we can clearthe entire checklist right now?
...No takers? Well, okay - but let's just give it a go for fun:
War? Check
Earthquakes? Check
Famine? Check
Pestilence? Check
Fearful events? Check
Signs from Heaven (See: Comets & meteors)? Check
People fed-up with Christians? Check
Divided Christian followings? Check
Blooming Figs? Check
Jerusalem Being Attcked? Check
Atheists? Check
Bad people? Check
Preachers / Missionaries doing their dirty work? Check
Wow, look! All of the vague prophecies are fulfilled!
So where the fuck is Jesus, already? That guy owes me money.
- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940
you forgot 1 thing Kevin...
Nazi's riding on dinosaurs...
>.>
<.<
maybe next week
What Would Kharn Do?
bwa-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaa
Yea. IMO the worst thing you can do is stay silent, because they think you are agreeing with them. I always voice my opinions and I do it in a calm fashion. If you get shouted down it doesn't matter.
"A proof is a proof. What kind of a proof? It's a proof. A proof is a proof. And when you have a good proof, it's because it's proven." -- former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien
This is why I have made it my life's vocation to think of new, creative and interesting ways to tell people to go fuck themselves.
www.RichWoodsBlog.com
Your website is fuckin awesome!
I spend the rest of the weekend arguing with my family about it. Oh, and about global warming, and about religion, and about economics and politics and... well, you get the idea.
"But still I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me!" ~Rudyard Kipling
Mazid the Raider says: I'd rather face the naked truth than to go "augh, dude, put some clothes on or something" and hand him some God robes, cause you and I know that the naked truth is pale, hairy, and has an outie
Entomophila says: Ew. AN outie
Speaking only for myself, I've mostly given up. My family has made it clear they will never, ever, ever, EVER, EVER, change their minds no matter what. They've even told me so. Instead, I'm going for the "let's not talk about these things" approach, at least with my mother who will never ( ever, ever, EVER, EVER) change her mind. Talking with some people is an exercise in futility.
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