Hug warfare.

[Dyler Turden]

Next time a right winger comes at you with talking points from Limbaugh or Fox, give them a hug. Tell them that you disagree but you still love them.

They hate us. Literally hate us. It's hard to hate someone you have hugged and hugging them will keep you out of jail instead of just knocking the shit out of them. :)

Personally, I think this sort of thing completely disjoints them and might make a wheel or two start turning again.

[WhiteTara]

1. No, don't hug them.

That can be construed as assault.

BTW what is with that picture in you sig line? ewww.

[Dyler Turden]

2. (smile) It's The Dude!

From The Big Lebowski. A film I very much enjoy. If you haven't seen it, I'm guessing that you would enjoy it.

[1monster]

3. Hmmm... I dunno. My family has had a run of bad luck that has lasted at least a year.

My neighbor told her husband not to get too close to us because it might rub off.....

(She was joking, I think.
)

I kind of feel the same way about wingnuts.

[On the Road]

4. I Like That

In fact, when I was a young Republican one of things that kept my mind open was knowing progressives who I genuinely liked and who seemed to be better informed about certain things than I was.

[Dyler Turden]

5. Thanks.

Now that you're not a "Young Republican" are you an "Old Democrat?" :)

[On the Road]

6. Yup

I grew up in that tradition without really being political and broke away in my early 30s after reading Chomsky, Zinn, and some others.

I enough personal experience to know that the stereotypes on DU only covers a fraction of the people they are supposed to characterize. My father volunteered for Barry Goldwater and my mother answered phones for the 700 Club -- that tells you what side of things they're on. But they are both nice, generous people. Growing up, I never had a hint of racial prejudice or some of the other things that go with right-wing stereotypes.

It's one of the reasons I believe people are missing some of what Jon Stewart was getting at the other night on Maddow. You have to break the whole us-them partisan dynamic to really get anywhere constructive.

[Dyler Turden]

7. Nicely said.

I'm glad that you came on over to a more caring side.

[jpgray]

8. :-D

Great thread. The unrecs are a bit difficult to understand. The power of striking a contrast there misses some people completely. They believe that viciousness is good evidence of strong beliefs, and that so long as we stop short of the worst shit the other side does, we can be nasty and hold on to our feelings of moral superiority.

[Dyler Turden]

10. Thank you. And yes and no.

The unrecs are a symptom of the whole here. There are many that are much more strident here. I have my own wishes as to curing our ills while others have their own.

Personally, I would like to see a lead by example paradigm rather than trying to shove my views down another's throat.

[TK421]

9. Well, they seem to be winning the hearts and minds ( if you call it that ) of lots of people

I find that much disturbing, but I hope you are right in your predictions