Fuck American Politics Too/Conversations with My White Southern Father
Yeah...why did I call and ask my dad a thing I didn't want to know?
The one good thing about this election has been that for the first time since I hit my teens, my dad and I have been able to discuss politics without screaming at each other. (Neither of us likes either Clinton or Trump.)
So...I called to ask my dad who he was voting for in the general election. He said "I cannot vote for Hillary; I can't rule out Trump." I suggested third-party as a big red flag vote of no confidence to the system and he said "I couldn't do that in case it let Hillary win."
I just. Fuck.
He kept saying bewilderedly, and in entire seriousness, "He was not on the list that I wanted to vote for. I don't know what he'll do. The man is a loose canon. Maybe it was all the damn Yankees moving down here."
I finally said, "Dad. I don't think it was the Yankees."
Realizing that I'm probably right, he jokingly replied, "NO? But it's so convenient to blame it on them."
"I think it was the same racist KKK-supporters that have always lived in Georgia."
Him, in a plaintive-ish voice, "I didn't know there were so many of them."
...and in my brain, I am screaming, YOU CONCEDE THAT TRUMP'S PLATFORM IS BUILT ENTIRELY ON RACISM AND YET YOU STILL THINK HE'S A BETTER CHOICE THAN HILLARY AND YOU MUST KEEP HER OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE AT ALL COSTS?!?!?!
Also, when I mentioned I was really upset over Brexit, he mentioned that his one English friend thinks it's a good idea for "controlling the immigrant problem" and told stories about friend's mum's someone, who has "An Immigrant" living in her hedge and "can't do anything about it." Yes, really.
Beyond that he was worried for the world economy (I am too) and the destabilization of the EU (I am too), but just...I didn't realize until typing this that a gentle "make the 'The Immigrants' talk exactly as awkward and racist as it is with a gentle Captain Awkward 'wow.' or 'Um, Dad, do you really mean to sound as racist as you're sounding right now?' would have gone a long way."
Fuck.
I think my best hope is to have my calm, third-party-voting husband make strong arguments about the necessity of voting third party when both candidates are terrible (at least according to my father). Also my calm, third-party-voting husband can maybe explain factually the total shitshow of lack of actual plan or politics beyond generalized fear-mongering to my "other than blind hate of Hillary and old white male southern racism, willing to think rationally about politics" father.
But Jesus fuck. Seriously.
muccamukk, your miserable hellscape of an immigration process is looking more and more appealing.
(
comments at Dreamwidth. Comment there.)
The one good thing about this election has been that for the first time since I hit my teens, my dad and I have been able to discuss politics without screaming at each other. (Neither of us likes either Clinton or Trump.)
So...I called to ask my dad who he was voting for in the general election. He said "I cannot vote for Hillary; I can't rule out Trump." I suggested third-party as a big red flag vote of no confidence to the system and he said "I couldn't do that in case it let Hillary win."
I just. Fuck.
He kept saying bewilderedly, and in entire seriousness, "He was not on the list that I wanted to vote for. I don't know what he'll do. The man is a loose canon. Maybe it was all the damn Yankees moving down here."
I finally said, "Dad. I don't think it was the Yankees."
Realizing that I'm probably right, he jokingly replied, "NO? But it's so convenient to blame it on them."
"I think it was the same racist KKK-supporters that have always lived in Georgia."
Him, in a plaintive-ish voice, "I didn't know there were so many of them."
...and in my brain, I am screaming, YOU CONCEDE THAT TRUMP'S PLATFORM IS BUILT ENTIRELY ON RACISM AND YET YOU STILL THINK HE'S A BETTER CHOICE THAN HILLARY AND YOU MUST KEEP HER OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE AT ALL COSTS?!?!?!
Also, when I mentioned I was really upset over Brexit, he mentioned that his one English friend thinks it's a good idea for "controlling the immigrant problem" and told stories about friend's mum's someone, who has "An Immigrant" living in her hedge and "can't do anything about it." Yes, really.
Beyond that he was worried for the world economy (I am too) and the destabilization of the EU (I am too), but just...I didn't realize until typing this that a gentle "make the 'The Immigrants' talk exactly as awkward and racist as it is with a gentle Captain Awkward 'wow.' or 'Um, Dad, do you really mean to sound as racist as you're sounding right now?' would have gone a long way."
Fuck.
I think my best hope is to have my calm, third-party-voting husband make strong arguments about the necessity of voting third party when both candidates are terrible (at least according to my father). Also my calm, third-party-voting husband can maybe explain factually the total shitshow of lack of actual plan or politics beyond generalized fear-mongering to my "other than blind hate of Hillary and old white male southern racism, willing to think rationally about politics" father.
But Jesus fuck. Seriously.
muccamukk, your miserable hellscape of an immigration process is looking more and more appealing.
(
comments at Dreamwidth. Comment there.)