I am surrounded by Trump/Conservative crazies who should know better

[RSherman]

Last week I met some friends for lunch. We taught together for over 30 years. It's becoming more and more difficult to remain friends as they become more extreme. The math teacher's voice went up about 10 decibels as she shrieked about Taylor Swift ticket prices. (This doesn't really concern her since she doesn't go to these concerts and doesn't have children who do) She exclaimed that Swift has enough money and doesn't need to charge so much. Why was she just picking on Swift? Is it because the right has lost their collective minds over the conspiracy theories that involve Swift, Kelce, and Biden? I went to James Taylor and Jackson Browne concerts a few years ago and paid an arm and a leg. I tried explaining to her that performers like Bruce Springsteen and Adele have been fighting Ticketmaster and StubHub, but she just continued to bellow. I told her that Springsteen wanted one of his concerts to be affordable and requested no tickets be priced over $50. But the bots bought them all up within minutes, so everyone paid dearly anyway (and the re-sellers saw an even bigger profit margin). And what makes her think the performers set the ticket prices? It's my understanding that the promoter does.

Then I called my insurance guy about some wind damage. Somehow the conversation drifted to other subjects. He was outraged because the owner of a local bar/restaurant offered a young woman $15 plus tips to waitress and the girl turned it down. This establishment is in the middle of nowhere (North Country NY). I gave him my opinion: where does this girl have to travel from to get to this business? Will her $15/hour be eaten up in gas expenses? Does she have reliable transportation? Are they even offering her 40 hours/week? This guy is in his 70s and thinks young people should be on their knees thanking our generation for minimum wage, less than 40 hours, no OT, no benefits, and no pension. I reminded him that greedy CEOs and politicians sent our good manufacturing jobs overseas. My entire family worked for Beech Nut/Lifesavers. We had a good middle class lifestyle. My Dad worked 60 hours/week, earned OT, benefits, and a pension. Other relatives worked for Coleco. Then he started railing about companies being given tax incentives to hire "illegals". When we got off the phone I googled this and all I could find was something about when Obama was in office. Then I told him about undocumented workers being exploited by Target in Texas, a meat packing company in Iowa, and the 200 men from India who were tricked into paying $20K each to rebuild the oil rigs after Katrina (see the book "The Great Escape&quot . Well, after awhile, his end of this phone call became pretty quiet. And Trump, who claims to be the savior for good American jobs: the building he rebuilt to become Trump Tower was a Bonwit Teller store. He didn't want to pay American union wages, so he hired undocumented Polish workers, then refused to pay them. There was a lawsuit and it stayed in the courts for years (of course) until a settlement was reached.

https://time.com/4465744/donald-trump-undocumented-workers/

https://time.com/5039109/donald-trump-undocumented-polish-trump-tower-bonwit-teller/

Why did my insurance guy just assume I thought like he did?

[MOMFUDSKI]

1. Stop seeing these people.

Not good for your mental health! They are beyond listening to

[rsdsharp]

2. Sadly, it's not particularly new. In the summer of 1974 I spent part of the summer working for the county.

The county was laying gravel on many of the rural roads, and my job was to sit in the weigh booth in a gravel pit, and weigh the loads as the dump trucks came across the scale.

I think I was paid $2.35 an hour. Admittedly, much of the day I sat on my ass reading a book and listening to the radio until the trucks returned. (If I never hear Radar Love again it will be too soon, but I digress.).

One day an old farmer wandered across the road and engaged me in conversation. He bemoaned the fact that I must be making at least $5.00 an hour. When he was my age he worked for $1 a day and was glad to get it. We young squirts were too soft, and overpaid. I should try working for $1 a day; it would make a man of me.

Finally, I looked him in the eye and asked, “Would you work for a dollar a day now?”

“Why, no,” he blustered. “I couldn’t live on $1 a day!”

“Then why do you expect me to,” I replied.

He went back across the road, never to return.

[Aristus]

3. My afterburners get lit anytime I hear someone say "X will make a man out of you!"

Fuck that shit. I am a man. Nobody made me a man but me. If someone needs unsavory outside sources in order to become a man, I don't like his chances of becoming a good man.

[Ferrets are Cool]

4. They ALWAYs assume you think like they do...until you don't...

then you are a libtard or worse. I just turn my back on them when they start their shit.

[RSherman]

5. Agree!

Yeah, things got really quiet on his end of the line. The whole conversation might have been better navigated in person. It was extra weird on the phone. He was really stymied when I stayed calm and seemed to be agreeing with him but hitting him with some nonFox info. They never know what to say beyond "talking points".

[NanaCat]

6. Your mistake

Was thinking they'd know better.

Just because some people are knowledgeable in a narrow field doesn't mean they know anything worthwhile outside it. My mum was bloody brilliant in her medical field, but she believes in some of the barmiest liberal conspiracy theories (they do exist), and the money she's pissed away on psychics, tarot readers and astrologers would have bought me a full ride degree at pick your Ivy League uni. She's so hopeless that she actually went to a psychic to see if she would ever win the bloody lottery that she plays week in and week out!

She's smart--I know she is, but her gullibility and stupidity outside of certain parameters is downright appalling. Same thing with the brighter specimens of MAGA. They could indeed be smart about their job or what have you, but outside of that?

Gormless gits, the lot of them.

[RSherman]

7. Love "gormless gits" and am stealing!