asterisk
Take your pick.
- The brother who was fired from his job as a prison guard for being too racist. He’s told me on more than one occasion that he’s smarter than any black person he’s ever met… he’s dropped out of college multiple times and now works for a convenience store along with “being his own boss” for MLM, selling shit door-to-door (yes, he will be trying to sell stuff at holiday gatherings).
- The aunt who’s sure that Obama was, in fact, the antichrist mentioned in the Book of Revelations. She believes that queer people are all pedophiles who can convert children and others to “their ways.” Oddly though… not a Trump supporter, because DJT “let that beautiful daughter of his marry a Jew.”
- The cousin who is a flat earther and won’t shut up about how the Jews run everything with their power tied (somehow) directly to convincing everyone that the planet isn’t flat. His wife tried to get him to cut ties with the family because we don’t go to their church which is all of about 100 people and based out of a partially abandoned strip mall.
They’ve all been ostracized by family in the past, but keep getting invited to stuff.
i spend time with my real family, my partner and child. don’t need that negativity ✌🏻
We all good. My brother leans hard right and is super racist but he’s also got the 'tism and we all know it, so we talk mad shit to his face when he starts up.
It’s hard to take a guy seriously when he worships someone that would have sent him to the gas chambers.
My aunt.
It’s not her politics (they’re awful, but she at least keeps them quiet). It’s more that she’s a combination of excessively chatty and dull.
She will talk about absolutely nothing for hours on end.
I can think of one or two but thankfully I’m doing Friendsgiving this year.
This was a significant factor in my deciding not to go see my sister and my brother-in-law this year. He’s something else. Sweet man most the time, but full-on Maga.
He’s something else. Sweet man most the time, but full-on Maga.
this is something I can’t comprehend - how do they turn the hate on and off?
They never see it to begin with.
Family? What’s that?
You mean the people I was forced to experience my childhood and early adulthood with? Not seeing them at all.
They got themselves kicked to the curb long ago. Mom died 13 years ago, which greatly improved my life. Dad died this past May and I didn’t even go to the funeral. Middle brother came out as an Oathbreaker, keeper or whatever those idiots call themselves. Oldest brother has always been a narcissistic asshat and I haven’t spoken to him in almost a decade.
Nuclear war between nations is a terrible thing that should never happen.
Nuclear war on toxic relationships is the best thing ever.
We skip and do friendsgiving instead. And all our friends are on the same political side
I’m skipping Thanksgiving because my whole family has become brainwashed magats.
Even the ones I thought could never be that fuckin stupid.
I’m sure the more conservative members of my extended family will be angry and complaining about the world or how much money other people have or whatever.
And I’ll probably be in my usual spot, in the other room with the kids, playing video games or watching dumb funny videos.
No one gets together in my family. Be nice to see them even if they brought up politics. I’d prefer they didn’t but it would be nice to get together.
Could you take initiative to get you all together?
My mom did what was possible so yeah it is what is.
Got to hang out with the hard-r racist uncle, my ‘pretends she a smart bible reader that hasn’t fallen for 4 different(in name) pyramid scams’ military sister, and my mentally disabled but violently aggressive brother that may have figured out that the cops will go easy on him every time.
These people wonder why I dread family gatherings and can’t function socially.
Be yourself, accept your family into your heart, and try to help them.
Show your racist uncle that whatever he dislikes about other races is also true for the supposed superior race, and that the things that make certain races seem inferior could be explained in other ways, like cultural issues (like racism).
Help your sister find passages in the Bible that speak to pyramid schemes, scams, gullibility, and remind her that her focus should not be on whatver these schemes are but on her Jesus and her salvation, and thank her for her service.
As much as you may hate dealing with people like this, I kinda think it’s the only way to help people. You have to build relationships with people that you dont agree with, search for good values in people and try to salvage them, pull them out of their tail spin.
My very imperfect father, whom I love and respect, has been a Trump supporter for a very long time and so any time a conversation can turn political, it does, and we all have to hear about the Democrat boogiemans and Trump the savior. As soon as it turns that way, even if I agree with his points or whatver, I just “oh shit here we go again” and what happens is, everyone in the room starts laughing because we all feel the same way. After a few of these I think he gets it, and I’ll talk with him about his ideas around Democrats and Trump, but in a curious way, and I’ll agree where we agree, and I’ll challenge him where I disagree. Sometimes we have to agree to disagree, I learn more about his perspective and we carry on.
Everyone on Earth is flawed and all we have is each other. I am so thankful for the people in my life that invested in me and I want to do the same for others.
Thank you for reading my TED talk.
I’m happy if the day ends with no violence or screaming where we pretend to be normal, and that’s not expected. It depends on if my brother is agitated that day and what shit that kicks off. I’m dipping the first elevated voice.
I feel you, but if you are only there when things are good, what’s the point?
If shit gets bad I’m out. I’m not risking safety for turkey.
Me. I’m the family member.
