Another Wonderful Christmas

Eating breakfast at sister's house on christmas morning. It's me, my mother, my wife, my stepfather, my sister, her husband R, her seven year old son T, her one year old son, her mother-in-law, her father-in-law, and her brother-in-law.

I brought a couple of cans of curried lentils and am eating one with a biscuit while everyone else eats bacon, sausage, chili, etc.

7 year old T says, "Why are you eating that?"

I reply, "What do you mean?"

"Why are you eating that?" he repeats.

I respond, "What do you mean? I'm eating it because I'm human and humans have to eat food."

T continues, "But why are you eating something different than everyone else?"

"Because I don't eat meat."

T asks, "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to take part in the killing of animals."

T replies, "But they're already dead so it doesn't matter, right?"

I reply, "When you buy meat it ensures the continued demand for the killing of more animals."

T asks, "Do you wish that everyone would be a vegetarian?"

"Yes I do wish that everyone would be a vegetarian."

T asks, "But why isn't everyone else then?"

"uhh... you'd have to ask them." I respond evasively. I know exactly why but I'm sure his rightwing father doesn't want me to talk to him about all this. This whole conversation has been really awkward for me. T is just now getting old enough to ask intelligent questions.

Later I'm in the kitchen finishing breakfast with my stepfather. My sister's rightwing husband, R, comes in and with a threatening look says to me, "Don't you ever talk about politics with my son again! I don't want you indoctrinating my son to any of your politics!"

It is his son. It may take a village to raise a child in theory. But in practice the parents own that child and no one else is allowed to take part in the raising whatsoever unless they consent.

So I start to say, "I'm sorry..."

And am cut off from anything futher with a very threatening, "That's your last warning!" as he points a finger at me.

I calmly finish my food and then go to the front room and very quietly try to inform my wife and mother that R has again threatened me, thus I don't feel very welcome here and will go ahead and go home now. In truth I really don't respond so well to force. Not well at all. It's seriously in everyone's best interest if I just leave and do so quickly.

My mother exclaims, "What?! Oh come on can't everyone just get along for christmas. R?! R?! What's going on?"

I say quietly to her, "Mom just let it go. Please."

Mom continues loudly, "R? What's going on? T was asking about him being a vegetarianism, isn't he allowed to answer?"

R comes out of kitchen and says, "Well if he'd just keep his mouth shut about politics!"

And suddenly I decide it's time to make it clear that this rightwing dick is not going to force me to shut up. I point at him and with a raised voice say, "You don't fucking tell me to shut up buddy!"

I say it in a scary way. Hard to explain this with words. It's hard to really give the real flavor for all of this I think. Hard to explain how this person tries to control people. Anyway, I don't get angry often. But when I do it's scary. Not to mention I'm a big guy. A former boxer. Six foot four and half, 235 pounds. Very wide shoulders. R is 6'2" 260 but just a big marshmellow. I say it as I sharply backhand punch the door with my right hand as I stalk toward him. R's mom grabs the youngest child and runs out of the room. R stands there looking scared yet idiotically trying to raise a false bravado, the dumbass is acting as if he's preparing to actually get it on with me.

My mom and wife yell, "Emphryio! No!!!"

And he's too stupid to even know how to turn away from a fight. One he'd have no absolutely no chance in. Instead he thinks he's somehow impressing someone with a display of bravado...

And so I quickly turn to pity for this scared idiot. I shake my head and walk out.

With some people it would be possible to reach this point and then civily go back to talking. Talking is equally impossible with him at this point as it's always been from any point. Very generally speaking the Leftist talks things out, explores all options, tries to learn all the facts. While the Rightwinger wants to shield his child from anything that might make him become anything other than a rightwinger. And when unwanted information is spoken, that person must be made to shut up by a show of force. It's essentially just like the O'Reilly Show.

So he tries to do to me, and when I respond by saying, "I'm sorry...", he mistakenly thinks that's the time to be that much more forceful. But the dumbass is a marshmellow for one thing. And way too dumb to understand that although I'm smart enough to get away from such people before I end up in jail, I don't actually just sit there and take crap from them.

I think the anger I showed was the proper response. It's all well and good to talk about reason instead of force. But when someone believes in force, they just use it if they can. Why would you give them the impression that using force works by acting meek in the face of it? Why reinforce that such displays work?

I didn't just scare him though. I'm sure everyone was scared. It's not like a normal person getting angry. I've learned to be extremely careful about ever showing anger. It's possible R's mom will be afraid to ever be near me again just on the basis of that one sentence and those few steps.

Was I right to show anger? I think so.

After I leave my mother continues to slowly go through the roof at R. Turns out that a big part of his problem is he's mad about the health care reform bill passing. Claims I was rubbing his face in it when actually I think the bill's a disaster. But he's far too big a dumbass to comprehend that actually the Left is appalled by this "reform". My mom goes on and on with him until eventually she also gets so mad she decides to leave. But my father-in-law has left to drop off someone. So my 60 year old mom stumbles off through the snow. Till he finally picks her up a mile down the road.

The night before we went to another christmas party where an 86 year old man left in anger because he said someone wouldn't let him sit down. He's hard of hearing and gets confused so nobody is too sure it even happened or who it even was. His daughter left in anger also after yelling the f word a few times.

Just one more christmas party to go.