Well that was upsetting...

[PCIntern]

So I was invited to a business Watch Party at Lincoln Financial Field to party, eat, drink, mingle, and incidentally watch the Eagles lose badly. But that isn’t why I’m shaking my head.

Two former players were there to sign autographs and say hi, and I engaged one of the players, a retired star wide receiver and incidentally again, a black man, and we wound up mentioning politics and the upcoming election. I’ll give you the transcript virtually verbatim:

Me: there’s a lot of hate this year and the election is coming up.

Him: no good choices there

Me: So it’s ok if he’s elected?

Him: No but she isn’t a choice either

Me: Well there’s no “none of the above” on this test. You’re gonna get one or the other. Your choice as a Pennsylvanian.

Him: I don’t know, man. (Laughs)

I gave up at that point.

Unbelievable, right? No. I’ve heard this is common. Breaks my heart.

[ret5hd]

1. i think maybe, as a public persona, he saw...

no upside to stating his opinions in this circumstance.

maybe i’m wrong.

[WarGamer]

4. this

[spudspud]

25. This is likely the reason. /nt

[rainin]

32. Democrats know the potential risks of outing themselves. Falling back on "no good choices" is a safe position to take

[dweller]

2. So

He’s undecided …
🤔




✌🏻

[TheBlackAdder]

31. When someone says that there are no good choices, they're voting for Trump but don't want to admit it.

[Maru Kitteh]

45. It''s also a tactic used in areas & situations perceived to be conservative to avoid conflict.

I've used a version of this myself when dealing with a person who has a whole bunch of power over my career and general happiness at work. Mine goes more along the lines of "politics just seems to make people angry and unhappy, Sometimes I wonder if it's really worth it!." This is my way of gently pointing out to the person that they are angry and unhappy ALL THE TIME because they spend every spare minute of free time watching garbage that just makes them angrier.

[TBF]

47. Not always true - especially if you live in the South

I've said things like that many times - "oh I don't know, what do you think?" and turn it around etc...

You're sitting at the stylist chair & she starts in with "did you watch the convention"? I will say "oh I'm not into politics" .... I try my best to change the subject because I don't want her messing up my hair. I can't trust that they are liberal down here, more likely they are voting for Trump.

[WarGamer]

3. maybe he was just wise enough not to talk politics in public? Huh?

[SWBTATTReg]

6. I think you hit it on the button. If you are active publicly, I wouldn't say anything. In my case, my opinion is my

private, personal opinion, and no one else. That is, none of your damn business, as Tim W would say.

[LeftInTX]

41. Na...He could have said, "Yeah, but I don't wanna talk about it"

[Shermann]

5. Don't forget that 1/3 of Americans don't vote

This is what that looks like when a light is shone upon it.

[BootinUp]

7. I'll say it again, stop taking people at their word about

politics.

[MLAA]

8. Anyone who wants a third choice, in my opinion, is a trumper not willing to admit it.

[AZ8theist]

19. Don't waste your time......

Just vote for Trump. Your proposed (in)action will have the exact same effect.

[Hekate]

23. Seriously -- writing in Cornell West because the poster is a serious pacifist? smh

[usonian]

9. Perfection is the enemy of success.

Except in brain surgery and other highly complex occupations completely opposite to politics. Dentistry, too!

"Nope! Only agrees with 99% of my opinions"

[Tumbulu]

10. Do not underestimate misogyny

This is why, I am sure, Biden tried to hang on. He could then have turned it over to Harris.

I am thrilled by the enthusiasm of the youth. I am thrilled with the way the party has coalesced around Harris/Walz. But there remains what I see as a solid 40% of men and 35% of women who do not believe that any woman is up for the task. Or they do not want women to get uppity by this glass ceiling being broken.

Being an elder, I have witnessed misogyny my entire life and I am hoping that it does not snatch the future away from us as was done in 2016.

[Maru Kitteh]

46. No. Harris has to open her own door. What you suggest is not empowerment. She would NEVER

be accepted as a "real" President under those circumstances, and it would be a setback to women, not a step forward. Subterfuge was absolutely not the correct answer.

[Skittles]

11. got the same from an ex-coworker

she can't stand Trump, sees him as vile but she "just doesn't know about Kamala"

it is seriously disturbing

[nitpicked]

12. Repeat after me

Again, as my economics professor said (a long time ago):

"People vote their wallets".

BUT if that choice is so REPUGnant...

I think if my mother was still alive, she wouldn't be voting this time around (she skipped 2020).

((I had a wish for our own billboard, YES/NO, to keep the door-knockers away ("we can't convince each other, so why try?&quot )).

[RidinWithHarris]

20. This particular common stupidity is much different than voting your wallet

It's a matter of not understanding the effect of not voting.

If you put it to most people bluntly, and force them to think about, they know that one of the two major candidates will be the next President, barring unforeseen circumstances like a death of one of those candidate between now and the next President being sworn into office.

But they nevertheless behave as if "none of the above" is a real option, or as if picking what (in their minds) is "the lesser of two evils" is either too distasteful to do, or somehow, someway makes will make end result worse than not voting at all.

It simply doesn't occur to many people to use their vote to help promote what they themselves would consider the better of two outcomes. In their minds a vote has to be an enthusiastic endorsement.

[kozar]

13. PCIntern, as the a Father of LilBit,

And, through the years, we met, so many, sports stars, actors, nascar drivers, she knew them all.

I never mentioned politics, but 5 words in your post ,alarm me, " He was, a black man" .
Maybe reword your post..
Koz

[Hekate]

18. Unfortunately, the demographics are actually important

[PCIntern]

26. Why don't you reword it for me, please.

I’ll defer to your construction.

[kozar]

40. Ok ,

Last edited Mon Sep 30, 2024, 03:28 AM - Edit history (1)

"" I met a nice gentleman ."
This whole paragraph, is wrong,

"i, and I engaged one of the players, a retired star wide receiver and incidentally again, a black man, and we wound up mentioning politics and the upcoming election. I’ll give you the transcript virtually verbatim:"

Firstly, you engaged in the conversation.
Secondly, "and incidentally AGAIN, a black man"

I thought we were DU

I have to wonder

I looked forward to your posts, but now I need to leave DU, as I wonder,
Would you refer to LilBit? As " that, ret****ed white girl?


Koz

[Wednesdays]

49. But, he didn't mean it as a slur

Just pointing out the demographic. Should he not have mentioned the person was a man, either?

[Evolve Dammit]

15. You can't fix stupidity, apathy, or willfull ignorance. It's really sad and scary there are so many.

[murielm99]

16. I have been hearing that

"no good choices" comment lately. Why are so many people saying that? Has anyone else been hearing this?

[DoBW]

17. concussions?

a.ka. game brain, like in the 2015 movie with Will smith about the doctor who was researching chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in pro football players

[rubbersole]

21. People that have a lot of money...

...often don't worry about societal ills. Not only do they think they are immune from them, fixing them requires money that comes from taxes they'll have to pay.

[liberalla]

22. You may want to consider quoting Sam Elliott here...

(from the TLP video, https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219493912 )

"Because if it's the woman thing, it's time to get over that.
It's time for hope, for change,
It's time to be a man, and vote for a woman.

Question:
You wanted him to say who he was for, but you didn't feel you could share who you were voting for? This may have been an ideal time to say you were voting for the Harris Walz ticket, and you had no qualms supporting her for President. He may have been influenced by you saying that, and felt more comfortable to consider her a real "choice."

[DownriverDem]

24. Sounds like

he knows who he's voting for and it's trump.

[J_William_Ryan]

27. "Do not underestimate misogyny"

Along with racism, bigotry, and hate – all in support of Trump.

[getagrip_already]

28. A multimillionare is asked a question....

And he thinks about his tax bill, and the expiring tax cuts.

Strong motivation there.

[Aussie105]

29. Elections are important.

Voting is important too.

So . . . why isn't voting compulsory?
Gives the fence sitters, the non-voters who don't because thinking and decision making are too complex, no way out of walking away from the election.

How many people don't vote, because of apathy, or worried that they will get it wrong?

The question should never be . . . should I bother to vote?
Opting out shouldn't be a choice.

HINT: NOT voting is the biggest mistake anyone can do!

[Lurker Deluxe]

50. Uhh ... NO!

I vote, as I am sure everyone here does. Every election, without fail.

I have a fairly straight forward line when someone tells me, “you have to do •whatever•”.

No, I do not “have” to do anything. Try to force me to vote, and I will not.

[TBF]

52. The minute we make elections mandatory

I would ask what's the point? The whole idea behind this country was to have more freedom.

BUT I would certainly argue that voting day should be a federal holiday. Too many folks are worried about being late to work etc... Currently there are statutes that vary by state in terms of letting folks off work to vote. Some states don't recognize it at all, and most aren't required to pay for that time (so you're losing wages, which can be a huge deal on an hourly job - especially if there are long lines to vote).

[Think. Again.]

30. Concussions can be very serious.

[Cha]

33. There Is An Excellent Choice... the Wide Receiver just

Last edited Sun Sep 29, 2024, 09:37 PM - Edit history (1)

doesn't know it. Paying too much attention to Faux I'm betting.

VP Harris has a long history of Working for the People and Getting Shit done.. where as TSF has a history of Corruption, Conviction, Lying and Violence. Not to mention he's A GD Adjudicated Rapist.

[musclecar6]

34. If it

Were me, at the point he said there were no good choices, I would’ve said well I’m a lifelong Democrat and I’ve been thrilled at Joe Biden‘s performance as he saved our country from that SOB and I was also thrilled when Barack got elected for two terms and now Kamala, who I think will do as good a job as Barack and Joe Biden , and we will be good to go.

And since he’s a black guy, odds are he will not be offended, if you say that you are happy to vote for Kamala.

[FakeNoose]

35. A lot of athletes are very wealthy and very stupid

On the other hand, he might have been cautioned by the organizers not to get pulled into a "political" conversation. Maybe you put him on the spot, just a little.

[ecstatic]

36. the rightwing has specifically targeted black men

with disinformation. My dad seems to be back on track but my brother is still saying crazy things. I wonder how much of the disinformation is coming from sports media?

Edited to add: Also, as others have stated, it could also be that he didn't feel comfortable sharing his political views with a stranger. Hopefully.

[Polybius]

37. IMO, there was no reason to bring up politics to someone that you didn't know

It's asking for trouble, and is a gamble every time.

[PCIntern]

38. I'm so sorry...

It was a natural segue from his discussions of people’s hateful attitudes. Perhaps I might be the best judge of what to say in certain contexts in which I am present , and to let people know that we are not all potted plants and I’m quite frankly not afraid to take a public stand for fear of offending someone. I’ll never see this fellow again in my life.

[Polybius]

39. I mean, you can bring it up

But his answer likely caused you stress and to get aggravated.

[PCIntern]

43. I'm continuously aggravated

and aggrieved by the state of the nation and everything else that’s wrong. But I get where you’re coming from.

[Morbius]

42. There is a certain segment of the population

...that will never vote for Kamala Harris because she's a Democrat.

And not only that, she's a woman.
And not only that, she's a woman of color.
And not only that, she's a woman of color who's not taking any crap from anybody about what her "place" is supposed to be.

In short, you're never gonna get all the votes. Best not to get upset about it. Remember what's important about Trump and the election: Donald Trump isn't the problem. Donald Trump is a symptom of the problem.

[Kid Berwyn]

44. The Great Brainwashed Masses

Trump’s been free to lie on TV for decades and as a politician on TV 24/7 for almost a decade. That firehose of falsehood has flooded too many brain pans— including one Eagles wideout.

Here in Michigan, I’ve been shocked to discover that several men I’ve talked politics with over the last six weeks have heard KH is “stupid” and “never really done anything.” I ask if they know anything else about her, from prosecutor to Veep?

Silence. But inside, they don’t know that their minds have been poisoned.

[Wednesdays]

48. ...

[dchill]

51. "Trump is gunning for our democracy, but I just can't vote against that."

[leftyladyfrommo]

53. I ran into this when Obama was running.

It was a back clerk at the grocery store. I just assumed he would be voting for Obama. Wrong!

He was really into the black church and that may have had something to do with it. I think most of the black churches around here in KCMO are pretty conservative. Kamala Harris may be too progressive.