I've written previously about the modern day conservative as adolescent but this last week has certainly crystallized this theory and so a new tag is born, "The Adolescent." Once again, I was defriended by a conservative on Facebook. Reverend Jim said sayonara to Markadelphia after long exchanges over health care and race issues. Apparently, he and his wife (my first girlfriend) have had trouble signing up for health insurance on the federal exchange and blame me for it. They were in the individual market and were absolutely apoplectic about what the federal government was "making" them do.
Of course, the act of defriending itself is adolescent and, oddly, senior citizen-y (which is sort of the same thing when you think about it). Doesn't Reverend Jim know that you can delete someone from your news feed still remain friends? Man, working the computer machine is tough! Ah well, at least the bubble's integrity can remain intact. Thank goodness! Odder still, its that they tagged me in their health care rants, calling me a "box of turds" and "an idiot" for supporting the president and a political class that "lords over them, forcing them to live in servitude." The more I responded with the facts, the worse they got. Granted, the missus, who is still friends me with me on FB, has infinite leeway with me because she was the first love of my life but did they honestly want me to not respond? Again, adolescent:)
There were so many irrational and hysterical comments in those threads that it was hard for me to keep track but the one thing that struck me about all of them was how decidedly un-Christian they were. They were so self absorbed with their frustration with the web site, did they ever stop to think about these people? They are bitching about a buggy web site and the people in this link had nothing except life threatening illnesses. When Reverend Jim and the missus finally found out that they qualified for subsidies and would actually save money, suddenly they were happy. My oh my, how the emotions swing with teenagers! All talk of people "spooning off of the American taxpayer" went out the window as they finally happily got signed up.
This selfishness, aside from being un-Christian, is yet another strong indicator of a brain and higher reasoning not fully developed-just like an adolescent). They don't think rationally at all. Reverend Jim bemoans liberals that take offense at everything yet thinks conservatives that take offense at everything are justified. He vilifies our self esteem culture and the fairness for all attitude that goes along with it yet rips me when I say conservatives are far worse than liberals and...(not shockingly) gets massively offended himself. Again, the world revolves around them and only them.
It reminds me a great deal of the conversations I've had over the years with teenagers who take great umbrage with the fact that our society has rules and sometimes they aren't fair. As adults, one would think conservatives would have learned this by now but, as I have stated previously, something must have happened to them in their childhood to have so much trouble with authority. Because these sorts of conversations, with both adolescents and the modern day conservative, invariable end with an outburst followed by a stomp down the hallway, a door slam, and yelling about how I "think I'm so smart" and I'm always "talking down to them" like they are a child.
Well, perhaps they should stop acting like one:)
7 comments:
Does Reverend Jim live in a state that refused to create its own health care exchange? I live in Minnesota and the plan we got through the exchange, MNSure, is cheaper than the one we had through an agent, and is otherwise identical (from the same insurer, in fact).
The ACA was crafted explicitly to give states the responsibility for their own exchanges, with an out that the federal government would step in if they failed to do so. All the horror stories I've read about people not getting insurance are from states like Florida, Texas and Wisconsin, because the Republican governors and legislatures wanted to sabotage the ACA. By doing everything in their power to prevent people from signing up in those states, they've "proved" the ACA is a failure.
Kentucky was the exception to the Republican rule, in that they actually set up an exchange, and it seems to be working fine. It also seems to be working fine in California, Minnesota and other states who implemented their own exchanges. If Reverend Jim lives in a state whose governor shirked his responsibility to the citizens of his own state, then Jim should blame the governor, not you and the president.
The ACA is a Republican idea -- it's Romneycare. It's not the plan I would have favored, but it's miles better than what we had before. The only reason Republicans oppose it is because they'll do anything to sabotage the president.
He does indeed live in a state that does not have its own health exchange-the state of my birth, Missouri. In fact, Missouri voters passed a referendum that expressly forbade the state government from setting up its own exchange unless the people, not the state legislature, voted for it. So, in part, Reverend Jim only has himself to blame.
What you said about the adolescent thing of "defriending" really annoys me too. Whatever happened to civil discourse and agreeing to disagree without letting personal emotion take over?
Very true, Gina. I've had dinner at the guy's table twice and have always been very respectful even on his FB page even though he hasn't really been with me. Both he and his wife have said some pretty nasty things to me but it didn't really offend me...definitely not to the point of defriending.
In the final analysis, they are afraid and angry and that invariably leads to hatred.
I have friends and relatives on FB that have completely divergent views on things but there is no need to get nasty or even comment most times. I tend to ignore it.
Weird that he would go as far as defriending.
I've defriended people who bombard my wall with 'pithy facebook grabs'.
Defriended by a voice inside your head. That is just weird.
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