I have now spent 4 days chatting with a Teabagger

[ThomWV]

I am serving on a jury and we have met now for 4 days. The old fellow (I am old, he is even older) who is seated next to me is a self-proclaimed "Tea Party" person - no kidding, that's what he called himself. So for these past several days we've been chatting. Its a pretty nice old fool, but my god, you should have to try to carry on a conversation with him. He carries around a copy of the Constitution with him, he gave me one today. It was from his second case of them, which he got (bought) from the Heritage Foundation. He told me he had to pay for the first case, but when he called them for another one they sent it for free. He gives them away to anyone who wants one. I told him if Heritage printed it he might want to check it for accuracy. The comment flew right over his head.

He told me he had studied the Constitution a good bit - sounding a lot like Karl in "Swing Blade" but without the deep understanding, and yet seems perplexed as to how the Commerce Clause can be used for all sorts of mischief. H started a small rant this afternoon about how the Government had simply ruined his town, but when I asked him about who the large employers were back in the day (1980 or so) and got his response which included some large old manufacturing giants I asked him where they were now? Gone of course. And Then I asked a question he seemed to ponder for a while though he never responeded. I asked him why they left and didn't he think that maybe the loss of jobs and prosperity they took with them had a lot to do with the region's decline? I said something about it starting with Reagan, if I recalled correctly.

Anyway, what I wanted to say about this old fool is that he's a pretty nice guy. He's got a good sense of humor and he cares a good bit about the country. He was about as mixed up a man as I have ever talked to and he really didn't seem to be able to line up causes with effects, he blamed every ill on Government but he couldn't say a thing Government had done wrong, other than to exist. The guy wasn't particularly argumenative either, not at all actually. It also became pretty clear to me that he pretty much took on the opinion of the last person he talked to. Its a little hard to explain but it kind of goes like this. He has this set of beliefs and you can't disprove any of them by giving him facts to the contrary - but what you can do is weave together a narrative crammed with facts contrary to what he says he believes and he will agree with you all the way to the conclusion, even thought it is in disagreement with the position he holds; in short he can believe and disbelieve the same thing at the same time - paradox does not disturb the man.

[jtuck004]

1. You ok? Wish I was close enough

to buy you a drink - something restorative. Please accept a virtual one :beer: .

I have found that headache pills are handy after such encounters...

Interesting that someone would unrec this post.

[arbusto_baboso]

2. Keep in mind one salient point.

Most juries are comprised of individuals who are not intelligent enough to get out of jury duty (yourself excluded, of course).

[madmax]

3. Let's hope you make it thru Jury Duty

sane ;)

[antigone382]

4. I applaud you for civil discussion with a fellow human being...

We all know there's a lot of bigotry, ignorance, and childishness fueling the tea party movement, and I can understand the urge to condemn the movement and its' members. There's a place for condemnation and vitriol. But there's also a lot of anxiety and uncertainty that is coming from what people are experiencing in this country, and a lot (a LOT) can be gained from trying to find common ground. You may not change someone's opinion, or even teach them basic logic, but you can at least demonstrate that progressives are as honest, hardworking, and committed to the wellbeing of their country and their fellow humans as anybody else...and that sense of a human and admirable opposition is something that the Limbaughs, Palins, and Becks of the world are desperate to obstruct.

[TheKentuckian]

5. I owe you a bourbon for that one.

[jgraz]

6. It's called stupidity. There's a lot of it going around these days.

[formercia]

7. TV does that to people

when they lose the distinction between fantasy and reality and begin to accept either as a substitute for the other.

I feel much better since quitting TV, save for a few nature and documentary segments, which I otherwise wouldn't bother to watch, save that my wife likes them and I am usually there when the shows are on.

A Billion Years from now, when all traces of human civilization have disappeared from the face of Planet Earth and some other species has evolved to replace us, it won't matter on iota.

That cockroach you kill may be the ancestor of a would have been future Prophet.

[jgraz]

9. Cockroaches? If we disappear, we'll be replaced by the birds.

At worst, they're half a million years behind us in intelligence. Of course, they're adaptable enough that they may have no pressure to evolve technology.

[formercia]

11. There's a flock of Crows that I'm friendly with that would qualify.

Smart birds with a complex language and a well established social structure.

[gophates]

8. Geez, that's against the Geneva Conventions. Or should be. nt

[CoffeeCat]

10. Careful, I sprained my brain talking w/a tea partier.

Seriously. He argued, right after the bank implosion, that the reason that the
banks failed--was because (wait for it)...

"The government FORCED banks to give loans to poor people, and when those loans
defaulted the whole banking system went under. So what we need now is LESS regulation
on banks, so that our banking system is safe and we never have another mortgage
crisis again."

Yup. That's what he said.

Again, my head was in a sling for six weeks after hearing this rubbish.

I think my hippocampus imploded with disgust.

[progressoid]

17. Straight from the mouths of Sean Hannity and Billo.

I remember hearing them talk about it on their radio shows while waiting in my car. :banghead:

[NNN0LHI]

12. Next time he proudly declares his "tea party" affiliation ask him if he voted for Bush twice?

Let us know how he answers.

Don

[ThomWV]

13. No reason to even ask, but I'd also say with some certainty that he always voted for Byrd too

The way this man thinks it would go something like this. If I asked him if he voted for Bush (twice) he would say yes, because Bush was President and he was there to vote for President, so of course he voted for President Bush. You see what I mean about the thinking being sort of nonsensical? And I'm sure he voted for Robert Byrd every time he ran too, because in his mind they were one and never mind that Byrd stood for everything that Bush was not.

[raccoon]

14. You have my sympathy. Betcha the old guy doesn't have any problem with getting Medicare. nt

[lunatica]

15. I've conversed with people like that and found out

that the next time you see them they're right back to their original talking points. They will agree with you and they'll even say they never saw it like that and that they now understand better. Then the next time you talk to them they've forgotten the conversation they had with you.

They don't remember ever agreeing with you or coming to a different conclusion. I don't think it's willful forgetting. I think it's real. They seem to simply have no mental ability to change the synaptic grooves of their brain.

[progressoid]

16. It's like a religion for them.

They have daily prayer sessions with Pastor Glenn, Reverend Sean and Father Rush. And they believe the gospel regardless of facts or reality.

[snooper2]

18. that's a lot of teabagging going on

:evilgrin:

[COLGATE4]

19. You just can't fix Stupid. n/t