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[PeaceWave]

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[Turbineguy]

1. Oh Brother!

[no_hypocrisy]

2. I had a nephew-in-law who refused to remove his red MAGA hat

at the Thanksgiving table in 2016 and 2017. I stopped going after that.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

32. Can't say I blame you, fuck that... and his stupid hat!!

[Prairie Gates]

3. Hmmmm

Nah.

[atreides1]

4. Tell him no!

Your family wants to stay with the tradition of letting your mom say grace. If he has an issue, tell him not to come!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

33. BINGO!!

[alcuno]

73. I agree - no. Mom says grace and will keep it non-political.

It's a family dinner - not a battlefield.

[BlueKota]

109. This

[ratchiweenie]

138. Exactly. Thanksgiving is NOT a political holiday and he is not entitled to foist his politics on the rest of the family.

[travelingthrulife]

5. Put him at the kiddie table.

[TheBlackAdder]

64. And buy all of the kids propeller caps to wear while at the table.

[wryter2000]

101. Hahaha

Great solution. Of course, that will ruin the kids’ meal

[Aristus]

6. Is he an evilgelical? Because got-DAMN!, those assholes never know when to come in for a landing.

Their banal, boring, and often wildly unscriptural prayers go on and on and on. To the point where one wants to gnaw off a leg and crawl out of there.

"Dear God: we just, just, just, just praise you and thank you, and just, just, just, just thank you and praise you, cuz, You're just, just, just, like, you know, just so totally awesome and stuff..."

[NameAlreadyTaken]

34. Wait until Trump busts apart the unions

And his pay gets cut in half, no benefits, no retirement, no overtime pay, etc. etc.

[Mariana]

94. It'll be bad.

If you do decide to go, record it, transcribe it and post it here!

[xmas74]

137. Tiktokers are requesting people

Livestream their Thanksgiving beefs.

It might be an epic day on Tiktok.

[JoseBalow]

144. I will be there for it!

Better than watching the Lions lose

[wryter2000]

102. Who did his union endorse?

Probably no one ai work will listen to his BS

[allegorical oracle]

22. Oh yeah. Just heard one of them on TV. He's running for Gaetz's seat. This guy said he will

totally follow TSF because God saved TSF in the Butler shooting to save the world. They can be scary people.

[orangecrush]

52. I see

We have shared that experience

[Aristus]

89. Oh yes.

For the first nine years of our marriage, Mrs. Aristus was a conservative Republican evangelical Christian. She stopped being a republican during the GWB years, and voted proudly for Obama/Biden in 2008 and 2012. She voted proudly and hopefully for Hillary in 2016, and when 81% of evangelicals voted for Trump, she finally renounced her faith.

Today, she is a staunch liberal Democrat and an atheist. She still regrets how much of her life she wasted on Christianity.

I guess I have to credit the evangelicals for doing what I was unable to do: effect that magical transformation in her life.

[orangecrush]

96. Thanks for sharing that

Glad you two stayed with it through the changes!

[Crunchy Frog]

100. Wow! That was some impressive patience on your part.

[Aristus]

111. I knew from the very start that conservative Christianity was a bad fit for her.

She’s smart, loving, compassionate, open-minded, and very LGBTQ-friendly.

She admits now that it was mostly enculturation. She was raised in the insular world of the evangelical church.

[LearnedHand]

78. Oh Aristus. You have TOTALLY captured it.

I'm now hearing your recitation in my head and having hives.

[Aristus]

90. I suppose I owe you an apology for that.

[Stuckinthebush]

84. They pray to the Lord Weejus

Lord. We jus love you lord. We jus ask for your blessings lord…

[Aristus]

91. Gawd!

Back when Mrs. Aristus was still a Christian (see above), we attended her conservative Four Square Church. And shit! The relentless repetition drove me crazy! I always found myself looking for a window to jump out of when the prayer muppets got diarrhea of the mouth.

"Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah, Lord Father God! Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah, Lord Father God! Blah, blah-blah-blah, blah-blah, Lord Father God!..."

[lame54]

7. When he is done...

No one will have an appetite

[XanaDUer2]

8. Tell him no nt

[CTyankee]

9. Can you tell him ahead of time "This is NOT the time or place for a political message!" dellivered with a steely look?

Or, you could say simply "I dissent" after his "message." I think that RBG did that with great effect...

[Emile]

10. Man I'm glad our family is not religious.

[dem4decades]

13. What an asshole, ruining your mother's Thanksgiving. Do what you want but I'd tell him to go fuck himself.

[bluestarone]

14. NO FUCKING WAY!

There, how does that sound? (that would be my answer)

[Vinca]

15. I, for one, would suggest mom disinvite brother. But, assuming she won't, gather some nice Bible verses that refute

MAGA talking points and make sure brother knows if Jesus were alive today, he'd be voting for the Democrat. You might also ask him since he's suddenly got religion, why he isn't spending the say volunteering at a soup kitchen.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

16. DON'T GO

Attend a "Friendsgiving" or volunteer at a charity to serve Thanksgiving meals. Don't place yourself in harm's way by being in the same room with your brother. Those people are deadly toxic poison and will only ruin your Thanksgiving if you do go. Avoid this event. Don't worry about how anyone else in the family will feel about it. You must protect yourself from him. DON'T GO.

[Conjuay]

132. I love the idea of helping at a charity, it's great!

Helping others - especially strangers - is incomprehensible to Maga.
Not only does it make a statement, it is helping others, and God knows we're gonna need to help each other through this.

[highplainsdem]

17. Just tell him your mom is saying grace and there will be NO discussion of politics, and if he doesn't

like it he can stay home. If he doesn't agree to that, he isn't acting like family.

Who's hosting the dinner?

[Submariner]

18. This is taking "Own the Libs" to a whole new post-election

level of fuking horseshit, all in the name of rubbing Caligula and his whore IN YOUR FACE in front of everyone.

That sux imho.

[Paladin]

19. Either (1.) Skip Thanksgiving dinner this year; or

(2.) Let your brother get into his pro-trump rant and then start singing an obnoxious song, very loud and very off-key, until he shuts the hell up.

Obnoxious song suggestion: "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." Invite the family to sing along.

[proud patriot]

24. John Jaccob Jinglehiemer Schmit

na na na na na na

I like that idea .. I'd be in if I were there .

[BigMin28]

65. It's a Small World

That one would drive him crazy. Better yet, Jesus Loves the Little Children.

[proud patriot]

83. YEAH !! perfect

[niyad]

113. New lyrics to the second one: done-old hates the little children

done-old hates the little children.
All the little children in the world.
Yellow, red, or black or white,
They are hateful in his sight.
done-old hates the little children in the world.

[niyad]

135. Gee, thanks for the earworm! Perfect!

[LuckyLib]

67. Better yet, Alice's Restaurant.

[taxi]

20. Pepper makes me sneeze.

Sneezing with pepper in my hand makes everyone sneeze.

[niyad]

136. ohhhhhhh, you are sooooooo bad!!!

[madamesilverspurs]

21. I'd tell him "Sure, no problem."

Then I'd have the dinner a day early without telling him, let him show up to an empty house.

.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

27. Love it

[WhiteTara]

23. It would be a hard pass for me. For your sanity

and for the sake of your relationship with your brother, stay home. Don't you feel a cold coming on? You should stay in bed, watch old movies and save yourself. Maybe dinner with friends would heal your illness.

[Baitball Blogger]

25. So glad I don't have anything like this to worry about.

The worst that will happen on Thanksgiving Day is that I might get a shrimp accidentally flung in my face.

[MineralMan]

26. My parents were atheists, so there was no gracing at holiday meals

My wife's parents are Lutherans, of Norwegian heritage. Grace at holidays was always a traditional Norwegian-language grace. Nobody in the family spoke Norwegian, so it was just sounds that represented the prayer. I even learned it, and I'm an atheist. It seemed like the ideal thing to do.

[Ocelot II]

58. This one?

I Jesu navn går vi til bords
Og spiser, drikker på ditt ord
Deg, Gud, til aere, oss til gavn
Så får vi mat i Jesu navn.

[MineralMan]

74. Yes.

I watched several YouTube videos to get the pronunciation perfected.

My wife's mom asked if I would say the grace. So I did. Afterwards she said that I sounded like her father.

I also asked for a second helping of lutefisk.

Points scored!

[LearnedHand]

80. Oh thank you for the bit of Norsk culture!

I haven't heard this one yet. I understood everything except "til aere, oss til gavn" -- will have to look that one up! It's lovely to read Norsk rhymes.

Fun fact: Even when I'm using the Norsk keyboard on my phone, the browser corrects for engelsk ord

[returnee]

28. Whose home will it be at?

I would either disinvite him or decline to attend.

[GoCubsGo]

29. Who is hosting this dinner?

If it's at your mom's house, or someone other than your brother, it's up to them. You can back out if you don't like their decision. If it's your house, continue to have your tradition of having your mom say the grace. Period. The end. If your brother doesn't like it, tell him he's free to find some other place to eat, because the rest of you want to enjoy your meal in peace, without him stirring up his political shit.

[Celerity]

30. tell him NO, and if he tosses his toys from the pram, then tell him to sod off and not come, his desires do not trump

your family's

so fucking glad I have zero MAGAts in my family and my circle of real life friends

[Bonx]

31. I wish this was all I have to worry about

[Hekate]

66. May all your problems resolve in peace. Meanwhile, when a family is ripped asunder by hate...

…the pain can hardly be described.

[doc03]

35. Bet he will ask gawd to bless Trump. nt

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

36. Tell your tRumpy-lovin brother to eat shit (instead of turkey) and die!!

[LakeArenal]

37. Watch Daily Show for Thanksgiving behavior.

When someone started talking politics, Leslie Jones started yelling Noooooooooooo til they stopped. All of you should try that.

Seriously, whoever's house is hosting should have the rules for the dinner.

Kids don’t need to hear either side.

[Deuxcents]

38. Unless he's hosting and/or footing the bill for this dinner, he's a guest and should act like one

[CrispyQ]

39. Shame on him for acting like an ass. Maybe you should tell him that.

It's time they learned right out of the gate there are consequences for their vote & one of them could be that their family thinks their a jerk.

Someone definitely needs to step up & say, "Mom will be saying grace & there will be zero politics & zero tolerance for politics" or you're all going to have a miserable day & he will think he can do it again on Christmas or next year or anytime, anywhere you all get together. That's how they are. Nip it in the bud, I say.

[Fresh_Start]

40. Is he hosting the dinner?

If not, it is not his choice...he has a choice whether or not he attends.

[eppur_se_muova]

41. Persuade *your mother* to tell him no, firmly.

If that's your family's tradition, let the head of the family dictate the rules.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

42. Thank you, Jesus, for this meal.

[Deuxcents]

57. Perfect. Let's see how it's gonna go next year with deportations n tariffs

People forget how and who gets our food from seed to the table

[EndlessWire]

43. Quite a dilemma.

The primary person in this problem is your Mom. I would go, because this is about your Mother. You're grateful for your Mom, and you honor the family. Smile, honey.

Give him five minutes, and then just start eating. Start by saying, this looks good, Mom! And eat.

My Mom is dead. I'd listen to any Trump rant if it meant I could see her again. Long ago, I declared my place a Trump free zone. I even told my neighbor. Politics are not discussed in person. I sometimes jaw with my nephew, by text, but he doesn't have that sycophant, ass kissing fealty manner that true MAGA have. If it gets too intense, we change the subject.

Don't let this bro take your holiday from you. Enjoy the food, enjoy your family. You can do it. If he swears homage to Trump, ask your Mom to follow up with whatever she says usually. What's he gonna do, tell her she can't? Mostly, the last thing people hear is what they go with. HER words will be what is remembered.

If he tries to engage you during the festivities, brush him off. Don't let him control you. Help your Mom in the kitchen, help her clean up, and DON'T THINK ABOUT IT. It's about the least important thing.

[rsdsharp]

44. One word: NO! If that doesn't work, say "I hope you have a nice Thanksgiving. Where ever you're going to be."

[tanyev]

45. Maybe everybody else needs to show up late, then?

[haele]

46. Mom's House (or your house), Mom says grace.

Last edited Tue Nov 26, 2024, 05:17 PM - Edit history (1)

Unless you have one of those families where everyone says what they're thankful for after grace is said, then Brother doesn't have a say.

Sounds like he's pulling a Trumpy Incel "I'm the Man of the House, you gotta Respect Me" bullshit move.

Mom's House, not his. He can rant and try to make people feel small on his own time and venue.

On edit, I didn't know if he was telling you because it was going to be at your house or if he was making a blanket broadcast to the family. Assumption is that either you or Mom is hosting dinner. No matter, Mom doesn't need to put up with that kind of passive - aggressive BS over Thanksgiving.


That's my call

[Sundance1220]

47. Since your mom usually does grace

how does SHE feel about it? Is it at her house? If so, she gets to do what she wants and if her son doesn't like it, he can go elsewhere.

[BannonsLiver]

48. This is very simple

Whose house will the dinner be held? If it’s not his house he can pound sand.

[Tesha]

49. Say no

This is not a political debate moment.

He can take his demands and… leave.

[FSogol]

50. Just say, "Don't make us uninvite you" or, "Only people that do the dishes are allowed rebuttal time."

[Irish_Dem]

51. Leave the room when he goes on his prayer rant.

Tell Mom to text you when that crap is over.

[Keepthesoulalive]

53. Your brother is a bully

Trump has given them permission to crap on everyone. Good luck.

[wryter2000]

54. Absolutely not

Mom does it. Period.

Further, tell him no politics. Period.

What is he going to do? Boycott? You guys should be so lucky.

If I were you, I would leave the room when he tries to mention politics. If significant numbers of you do that, he might stop.

[VGNonly]

55. Tell him NO!!!

What's he going to do...throw ketchup?

[Hassler]

56. Let him say whatever he wants, meanwhile you

And every other sane person step outside "for a smoke." He gets his say, the rest of you get to bond over cocktails.

[Think. Again.]

59. What does the family usually do with unruly children disrupting the meal?

[chowder66]

60. I'm with the 'it's a Mom tradition' crowd here. Plus, give an inch and he'll take a mile.

[Mariana]

71. He's going to take his mile whether he's given in inch or not.

He's going to be loud and obnoxious and belligerent, and he's going to make everyone miserable. OP shouldn't enable him by participating.

[marble falls]

61. Demanding? That is grounds for disqualification, right there ...

In our family if someone can't stand up for oneself and keep it civil, one'll be laughed right out of the dining room and mope slapped.

We never saw my daughter's GOP boyfriend again after he started his little setting the rest of us straight lecture right after GWB was elected. Emily warned him, if you can't make an argument, it's better to keep an opinion to himself. He was an opposition of one against eight of us, none of whom take ourselves seriously once the wine is opened and we sit at the table. He walked away with hurt feelings. Made us laugh even more.

Even if we agree with someones opinion, they'd better be open to a good-natured third degree.

[S/V Loner]

62. Only if you are allowed to videotape...

him saying grace so you can play it back to him when they shit hits the fan.

[Quiet Em]

63. Just tell him no.

Tell him that he's not doing that on Thanksgiving. Tell him the most you will give him is a moment of silence where he can silently reflect on whatever he wishes too.

[Hekate]

68. It's a power trip. If he is the host --boycott. If he is trying to take over elsewhere, back up the host(ess)...

…in telling this jerk in advance and on the day that no one is saying grace but the usual person, ie your mom.

[Mariana]

72. The hostess probably won't stand up to him.

Brother wouldn't be demanding this in the first place if he didn't think Mom would go along with it, and tell everyone else to shut up to "be the bigger person" and "keep the peace" and "it's just one day" and all that. That's usually how it goes when the family bully decides to show his ass.

[Buckeyeblue]

69. I wouldn't go.

[Mariana]

70. How are we supposed to even begin to negotiate this?

You don't, because he is hostile and his intention is to make it miserable for everyone. That is his goal. If Thanksgiving is at your house, you uninvite him. If it's at his house, or at Mom's house, or somewhere else, you just don't go.

On the other hand, he's family.

So what? He hates you. Don't fool yourself that there's anything else going on here. He hates you.

[ZonkerHarris]

75. "Go fuck yourself asshole." would be my response

[DFW]

76. I have no one in my family like that at all, so my solution would drastic and unrealistic.

If the dinner was to be held at your house, arrange for it to take place elsewhere, short notice or no, and tell everyone but him.

If the dinner was to be held elsewhere, have it at your place, and have no one tell him.

Control freaks NEVER enhance a gathering of more than one. Usually the opposite.

Back in the Vietnam War days, we used to say, "what if they had a war and no one came?"

[Bettie]

77. This is why people are cutting MAGAt family members out of their lives

if you have to attend, leave the room the second he starts speaking, get some air and come back in when you think he's done rambling about the rapist.

[keithbvadu2]

79. Wait in the other room and don't be seated until he is done. Then, seat and say the regular prayer.

Offer him the same chance to go wait in another part of the house.
This gives him his equal time.
Don't interrupt his prayer and expect the same from him.

[Scrivener7]

81. Asshole. Have everyone at the party tell your asshole brother that no one wants to hear

political bullshit at Thanksgiving and grace will be said by your mother.

The nerve of these people.

[OrlandoDem2]

82. NO!!! He's lucky to even be invited. I have trumper family who I am cutting off!!

It’s no longer a political disagreement.

It’s now a matter that people voted for a moral degenerate who doesn’t value human rights, the US Constitution, or a clean planet.

This isn’t a Reagan/Mondale, Obama/Romney, Bush/Gore, or Clinton/Dole type of political disagreement.

This is personal and it’s existential.

F that!

[Attilatheblond]

85. Open the stopwatch app on your phone, and bring extra mashed potatoes; lots of mashed potatoes

If he goes beyond the time limit, use the extra mashed potatoes like Trump's brother did at the dinner table. Make sure someone films it on their phone. Video GOLD!

[Stuckinthebush]

86. Get a fart app for your phone

When he starts “praying” start the farting. Two can play childish games 🤣

[TheKentuckian]

87. Steely look with Bible in hand and state "You want to rebuttal grace? No, we don't do devil worship here".

"Now sit down and act like a child of God rather than the spawn of Satan".

[kacekwl]

88. Mom says grace and you eat.

Let him talk to himself.

[Buns_of_Fire]

127. That was my first thought. Usually, the final "amen" is as good as a starter's pistol. nt

[Scrivener7]

103. You are giving him way too much latitude. Just no. It's completely wacko. No political speeches

at Thanksgiving dinner. And if he can't abide by that, he should stay home.

OR give everyone else a kazoo, and all of you kazoo "If you think I'm sexy" every time he opens his mouth.

But don't let him do it. They're like toddlers. Give in on this and he'll never stop ordering you around.

He doesn't get to hold you hostage. He doesn't have more rights than you do.

[Kaleva]

121. Ignore it.

He can only control your actions and emotions if you allow it.

If he tries to engage in political talk with you, smile, and talk about other things.

You are either the puppet or the puppet master.

[Iris]

93. Why would he get to supersede your mother? That's really disrespectful.

[Initech]

95. He can say whatever he wants, but nobody has to listen!

Do you have a good pair of noise canceling earbuds?

[Rebl2]

97. I would

stay home.

[Jack Valentino]

98. Tell him he must first provide legal proof of his qualifications for making said prayer,

that being proof of membership status in a legal church,
and proof of completing an accredited course in 'prayer'.


or just tell him MOM will say the prayer, period.
If he doesn't like it, nobody is pointing a gun at his head making him attend this dinner.

Just being in the family doesn't give him license to ruin Thanksgiving with his nazi-wannabe political propaganda-- tell him that.


Hell, if I had to listen to that kind of CRAP in a so-called prayer,
I would be the one to walk out!

[Crunchy Frog]

99. Can somebody just tell him no?

This seems kind of unreasonable on his part.

Or maybe just have a microwave turkey dinner at home and avoid the drama.

[Aviation Pro]

104. Tell him to go fuck himself and to find another home for his dinner

I hear homeless shelters put on quite a spread.

Often, family is overrated.

[albacore]

105. One possibility is to give Monty Python the chance for a rebuttal prayer.....

[Tribetime]

106. Saying Grace is no place for politics...WTF

[tenderfoot]

107. Thoughts?

None of this happened.

[arthritisR_US]

118. You think the OP was made up?

[tenderfoot]

123. Yes

eom

[orleans]

124. why? nt

[arthritisR_US]

125. That's ok, but I'm really interested in how you got to that point.

[John Shaft]

134. yeppers

A lot of less-savvy Internet users don't realize there is a whole sewer of the internet designed to go after well-intentioned people in online social media. It shows here (I don't consider DU "social media" - I don't have DU on my phone and if I use an adblocker, DU doesn't sell me stuff, plus DU isn't using my data to customize my online experience - all hallmarks of social media, per se) by posters that seem like bots, but they aren't. Their efforts go along the lines of "concern troll," but more insidious. Some of them are even wise to the idea of not using "we/us" too much. That's just the activity I notice on this site.

[Scrivener7]

139. Oh, shoot. I fell for it.

[Kingofalldems]

141. For the win.

[albacore]

108. Another possibility is to whip out some sort of recording device...

...and carefully record his remarks/prayer/screed.
If he questions it, say that you are just getting him on record, and everybody will get a chance to review how that "prayer" ages when played at Thanksgiving ......every year over the next 10 or 15 years.

[BlueKota]

110. Tell him he can leave the table and say

it by himself in the bathroom where crap belongs.

[ibegurpard]

112. Disinvite him

NT

[patphil]

114. I'd tell him he can have all the time he wants at his house.

If he can't handle that, stay home.
Politicizing a family holiday is unacceptable.

[DaBronx]

115. Crawl

Into a fetal position on the floor if he should utter a word. Then begin chanting, “ lord, please protect me, I cannot hear the devil’s words. Please shield me with thine mashed potatoes and corn bread. Please deliver a helping of lumpy cranberry sauce to the devil’s mouthpiece to dampen his effect.”

[OAITW r.2.0]

116. Handle it democratically. Vote for him or an alternative.

Practice it while you can.

[newdeal2]

117. Start heckling him and say fake news while he's speaking?

If he gets upset, just say you're following in his dear leader's footsteps.

[B.See]

119. Well, since you asked for thoughts...

Here's my "be nice" version and my off the top of my head thoughts:

be nice version: Tell him, Mom always says grace and she only. It's our tradition.

top of my head version: Tell him to go ---------- himself.

[Blue Full Moon]

120. If he does get to say grace.

Every one who isn't MAGA get up and get food or just start eating and talking. Maybe liberal agenda or even better the price of everything going up because of trumpies tariffs.

[Kaleva]

122. Why is this up for negotiation?

Your comment:

" How are we supposed to even begin to negotiate this? "

Whose house will the dinner be held at and thus whose rules will be followed?

[Meadowoak]

126. video tape it, and play it back for him next year.

[JoseBalow]

131. But drop a link for us here to enjoy

I love a good shit show!

[Meowmee]

128. Your mother needs

To tell him no. End of story. Otherwise tell him he can eat dinner somewhere else.

[misanthrope]

129. If that's the spirit he's bringing, then he doesn't need to be there

It should be about putting aside differences, not settling scores. Abide or don't attend.

[GoneOffShore]

130. He voted for Felon45? No dinner for him. Tell him to go to Boston Market.

[BeerBarrelPolka]

133. My Take

Enjoy your dinner even if he acts up. There are many people like myself, who have absolutely no family at all. No kids, no brothers or sisters, no mom and dad, no aunts and uncles. Many of us spend holidays alone year after year. Be extremely thankful you have family to share these times with.

I would probably not get along with your brother. But I wouldn't make him the focal point. I would be excited to spend my time with the other members of the family and enjoy it as much as possible. Ane even with your brother, look deep into him and find his redeeming qualities. Love him for those qualities and express it.

My thoughts from someone who envies your position.

Tony

[Kingofalldems]

140. Ahh--I am not fooled one bit.

[Mariana]

143. Please update and tell us what he says!

Also, be prepared for him to ignore the one minute limit and just keep babbling on - or to continue with his tirade after "grace
is over and you've all settled down to eat. Have a plan.