Creepy freepy family member sent a gift subscription to National Review

[Hobarticus]

My bizarro brother-in-law came to my wedding in August and stopped by the house. Apparently he took silent offense to the copies of Mother Jones, Harper's, The Nation, etc. that I kept around, although I've never even spoken a word to him about my politics.

The National Review started popping up in my mailbox, and I checked to make sure I hadn't ordered it by mistake (I'm more likely to cut off my own head by mistake).

I just got a card from him saying that he noticed my magazines,and wanted to send me the NR to put me on an even keel.

Now, I never talk to this pompous ass about my politics. He took it upon himself to engage me, and did it in a particluarly cowardly manner.

I immediately cancelled my gift subscription to the NR, and called my brother-in-law and left a message for him, thanking him since we had a toilet paper shortage. I laughed it off, but the whole episode has soured me. We've probably exchanged a dozen words in the last decade....and this is what he does, after being a guest in my house for my wedding?

Is that bullshit, or am I over-reacting? I mean, would any of YOU send a magazine to someone that you know wouldn't be welcome, to make some bullshit cowardly statement?

[Bouncy Ball]

1. Send him a subscription to Mother Jones

only don't make it a gift subscription. Say "what's good for one, is good for the other! You probably need some logic in your reading material! Enjoy!"

And yes, that was extremely pompous of him.

[Catherine Vincent]

2. No, you are not over-reacting.

I am glad you cancelled it and told him so. He sounds like a cowardly pompous windbag.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Maybe a subscription to The Nation is in order for your freeper-in-law.

Of course it's totally inappropriate to give somebody a subscription to a publication you know they'll hate. Did he think that was going to convert you? But since he already did it to you, I don't see why you shouldn't throw one back at him.

[Hobarticus]

7. Eh...waste of time and money...

This is a guy whose family thinks fluoridation is a Communist plot. Seriously.

[purduejake]

4. Over-reacting.

No offense... I do it all the time and then catch myself. I sometimes read rw stuff just to know the enemy.

[Hobarticus]

9. I can't even read this crap, though....

I like 'knowing my enemy', but those guys don't even make any sense.

[purduejake]

10. Yea, that's why I only sometimes read it...

But would you rather have him pester you about politics at family events, etc? I'd rather get a mag and toss it into the recycling bin. Ignoring it would give me satisfaction because you know he just wanted to piss you off.

edit: grammar

[Hobarticus]

11. In hindsight, it probably would've been best to ignore it...

But just reading the cover of that Nazi rag makes my blood boil.

[slay]

5. Take it to the next level - send him subscription to High Times or Playboy

:smoke:

[purduejake]

8. And start entering his email address for free porn.

Just kidding!

[ClassWarrior]

6. Hey, free opposition research.

Hell, take a few beer bucks from his pocket and use it against him. Only sporting, right?

NGU.

[cyn2]

12. Well, it sounds a little like some of the ideas floated here...

when we were discussing what to get repug relatives for christmas, people were recommending making donations to the "Count Every Vote" effort, or subscribing them to liberal mags.

It was meant in that vein, I'm guessing. So, don't get mad, get even.

[Dr.Phool]

13. Invite him to visit more often

I noticed my right wing father reading my issues of Mother Jones and The Nation when he came to visit. But, he didn't comment or send subs.

[BlueFlu]

14. Send his mother a subscription to Hustler...

... and send her a gift card in his name.

[Mike Niendorff]

15. Question:

Is it possible to cancel a gift-subscription in such a way as to get a refund (or at least a partial refund) of the subscription price? If so, I think the balance received would make an outstanding donation to the ACLU. On your brother-in-law's behalf, of course :evilgrin:

(note: also works well for unsolicited Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity books)


MDN

[Left coast liberal]

16. Send him a note saying a gift subscription to a lefty mag...

has been donated in his name to his local library.

Then at least the library can put it to good use.

And, the brother in law (hopefully) learns a lesson.

Good luck.

It's your family (or your spouse's) not your fault.

Cheers!

[ginnyinWI]

17. no, but my rightwing dad tried to get me to read

some Christian political thing called "The World"--waved it in my face and said, "here--read this and you know what's really going on!". (He is 76, I am 52) It was full of crap.
But overall, it isn't going to do any good to try to fight with relatives about it. Better to say little.

[PlanetBev]

18. No, you are not over-reacting

Put a firm stop to this shit immediately. I allowed this sort of crap to go on in my life, and if you say nothing, it just encourages them.

My biggest regret is that I didn't tear an ex-winger friend's head off and shit down her neck.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

19. Oh, I've seen that rag

It's set up to look like Time or Newsweek, but it tells fundies what to believe about politics. The Republicans are God's own representatives on earth, and the Democrats are pure evil. The ads in the back are for Bible institutes and religious kitsch.

[Dr Ron]

20. I've subscribed

I've had subscriptions to National Review and Human Events in the past. It is worthwhile to read what the other side has to say. Besides, sometimes Conservatives do have worthwhile things to say. We are at an unusual time when the Republicans seem to be on the wrong side on virtually everything (in my view).

If it was me, I'd thank him for the subscription, and reciprocate by sending him a subscription to the Atlantic or Washington Monthly.

That said, I no longer subscribe to National Review as the internet makes it easy to read opposing viewpoints without having to have a subscription. Most of the articles I read are on line, and subscriptions to print editions are more a matter of what I want sitting on my coffee table and which magazines I want to help out financially.

[tuvor]

21. Sounds like he feels ill-prepared to debate the issues with you.

And he's trying to let the magazine do all of his work for him.

I'd humbly suggest that you tell him you'll take out a subscription to NR with your own money if he'll sit down with you to discuss his objections to liberalism. If he loses the debate, you'll subscribe him to Mother Jones or whatever.

Face it, you're armed and he's not.

Oh, and, yeah, I don't think you're overreacting. Tacky to the extreme.

[Jesus H. Christ]

22. Get him a subscription to Playgirl.

Send him a card that says he's too straight, and needs a little balancing out.

[bling bling]

23. Diligently send letters to the editor of National Review each month.

Write the letters using a style that is over-zealous, wacky, and borderline insane. Use a pseudonym to remain anonymous. Your pseudo-name could just "happen" to be your brother-in-laws real name.

Your brother in law should enjoy seeing his name attached to loony and embarassingly stupid LTTE's when he opens his own copy of the NR each month.

Just a thought.