Ok, I'm due to spend a few days with my bush* loving never-had-a-job

[Demonaut]

mother, she ignored the abuse laid on the kids by my evil stepfather growing up and the kids (brothers and sisters) are starting to wake up to that fact and are feeling a tad resentful. She watches Faux news religiously and thinks Kerry is evil. bty she cheated on my father who's really a great guy and has never been the least bit abusive. So how do avoid politics and show the affection a good son should towards his mother?

[Maddy McCall]

1. I think the more appropriate question is "How can I avoid the visit?"

Sounds like torturous hell.

[Demonaut]

7. Best man in my brothers wedding, can't avoid it

[gmoney]

2. My advice to you is to start drinking heavily

And ask to see your birth certificate...

[htuttle]

3. I'd suggest heavy sedation

For either you or your mother. Doesn't matter which.

[TwoHandedLayup]

4. I'd say don't hold back

Be yourself and if she offends, defend yourself. I deal with people like this in my family and never hold back anymore. I feel better and sure it makes the situation a bit uncomfortable, but if they don't respect you for your beliefs.....then sedate yourself.

[stopbush]

5. You respect your mother by revealing the truth to her about bush,

even if it hurts in the short term. She didn't let you play in traffic, right? Then why let her wallow in the swill?

[Demonaut]

6. she's devout, can you turn a christian, could you turn me?

when it comes to bush the image is black and white

[stopbush]

8. Yeah, my mom's a fundie as well. But she knows that I'm a non-believer,

the only confessed non-believer out of 6 kids (with 3 of my siblings being acute Bible thumpers). She knows that if she brings it up, I'm going to answer. So she never brings it up. It may not be the best communication, but it keeps us sane.

I've been out of work for a long time. She always says "I'm praying for you." My response is always the same: "Mom, the praying isn't doing any good. What's that tell you? If you really want to help me get a job, vote for John Kerry and get that idiot out of the WH, because the job market is going to be crap as long as bush is president."

Oh, BTW - the chances of converting a fundie to Dem or any intellectually sound position is impossible. Their lives are governed by the figleaf of fundie faith, ie: Fear, Ignorance and Guilt.

Fear gets them into the religion ("oh no...I'm going to hell!),

Ignorance keeps them in as long as possible ("all I need to know is that Jee-bus loves me...and the GOP is God's party")

and Guilt keeps them from leaving ("oh no...the sin against the Holy Ghost! Learning about Jeebus and then turning from him. It's the one unforgivable sin in the Bible!!").

That doesn't mean you need to compromise your beliefs to accomodate their myths.

[Demonaut]

9. thanks, I wonder who else has the same problem

[stldemocrat]

11. I agree...

100%

[Bruce McAuley]

17. OK, try the "anti-christ" routine on her...

This is the one that works on fundies I've run across.
To wit: Start out with the statement, "You know, mom, I've heard a lot of Christians lately discussing the fact that they think Bush might be the "anti-christ", or even backed by the anti-christ(when she asks who say Sun Myung Moon). Why I even heard and read that the Pope was worried about Bush being the anti-christ(true!). What do YOU think, mom?".
From there all you have to do is listen to her rant for the next couple of days, while you stick firmly to your original statement.
Good luck!
:hi:

Bruce

[put out]

10. Very mean, but here goes.

"Hey, Mom, you were just talking about how much things cost! Well, looky, the paper is just full of workers wanted ads, so let's look for something that will be a fun way to fill your days, and you will make more money. Plus, then you will be rich and get some big tax breaks, hey! The older kids can feed themselves and they can feed the younger kids, too! The bigger ones can do the house stuff just like you do! It'll be a great experience in self-sufficiency, like Bush says! Hey, he's never had a job before this except when he was governor of Texas except he had a trust fund, his wife had a job for about four years, and his daughters had unpaid and very posh internships; how hard could it be? People take care of their own needs, and that's the best way. That's the Bush way! But it is so much better when you are rich an pulling down 9 dollars an hour!"

Deliver this message with a Theodore Cleaver earnestness.

No, on the other hand, don't; very snotty. I shall now punish myself with a cold beer.

[Tsiyu]

12. that deserves two

beers

[sandnsea]

13. Honor thy mother....

"John Kerry and John Edwards told me to. They said it's not enough to talk about family values, we have to value families." Say it over and over, that'll get her goat!

[Dem2theMax]

14. Delete Faux from your channel line up while she's there.

Play C-span non stop. Print out all the great talking points here at DU, leave them all over the house. Print out and put up the really good political cartoons posted at DU. Take her to the movies and dinner. Of course the movie HAS to be Fahrenheit 9-11. Just don't tell her before hand what you are going to see.
If she comes by plane, when she leaves, slap a 'Kerry for President' bumper sticker on her luggage.

Aren't I being helpful? :evilgrin:

Hey, we've got relatives coming Labor Day weekend. * relatives.
I already have a lovely fake 'Time Magazine' cover with the headline 'Bush Resigns' and 'The Nightmare is Over' 'Cheney Begins Prison Term' on it - just sitting on the coffee table, waiting for a reaction. lol.

Oh, wait, you wanted to AVOID politics. Um, sorry, I'm brainwashed. It's all I can think of or talk about till * is out of office. ;)

Seriously, if you can, just DO lots of things. Really go to a movie. Do either of you like museums? Find something, anything that you think might interest her and do that. If you are on the move, it might be easier than if you are just sitting at home on the couch, staring at each other. Good luck!

But if you really need to get some things off your chest, do it. I've had to do that with my parents over the years. It's not easy, but they HAVE actually listened. It doesn't change the past. But it's helped me to understand it and them a bit better. And in the long run, it helps me to live with myself and my emotions.

[truthspeaker]

15. see if you can use the V chip to block Fox and CNN

[Zomby Woof]

16. Norman Bates never had it so good