My Conversation With Two Conservatives and a Marine
blog post by DJK on FOX ATTACKS
That's a question I was actually asked at a barbecue this past weekend. That's a hell of a thing to ask a person you've only just met. The woman who asked it had no idea if I had lost a friend or relative on 9/11, or what that day meant to me. It's akin to asking someone, "Do you have brain damage?" or "Are you a complete idiot?" It's like asking a parent who had lost a child, "Do you remember that your kid died?" It’s condescending beyond belief, but conservatives seem to think it’s clever.
The woman who asked it (I'll call her Mrs. R) was the mother of the barbecue's host, a former marine who specializes in teaching water combat. He once told me that Chuck Liddell could kick his ass on dry land, but he would undoubtedly kill him if they were in waist-deep water. Mr. R (retired Air Force) was also there, having made the trip with Mrs. R from Danville, CA, a wealthy white suburb not far from my hometown. Two of the other guests were also marines, one who had been on two tours in Iraq and another who had completed three.
I don't have many chances to talk face to face with many conservatives or soldiers, and I'm always curious to hear their opinions firsthand. The conversation started with a discussion of the high property costs in California, despite the bursting of the housing bubble. We had not spoken about politics, but I saw a good way of getting there by asking Mr. R if he thought the government should have stepped in to restrict subprime loans, which are largely seen as the culprit behind the housing crisis and the record number of foreclosures. Mr. R, who I guessed was a conservative republican, said that the government should not get involved and the free market should be allowed to work its magic. I asked him why that should be the case if the housing crisis affects the entire US economy. He didn't have an answer.
Read the rest of the questions they didn't seem to have answers for after the click.
No comments:
Post a Comment