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In reply to the discussion: For those of you who didn't live through the invasion of Iraq, here is what is about to happen [View all]calimary
(81,085 posts)about bush-cheneys Iraq war. When the war started and I was about to head over to a big local protest, she practically begged me to put the flag out at our house to support our trooooooooooops! I snapped back (Fucking TIRED of arguing with her - like arguing with the fucking pavement in front of the fucking building) the way we support our troops is NOT to send them off to be maimed and killed in a war that were being LIED INTO, and SHOULDNT be fighting, against a country that had NOTHING to do with 9/11!
I never did get through to her. Except for once, by proxy. I think.
One of our arguments involved dick cheneys alleged service to his country. I said he never served. That he was a chickenhawk of the first order and had hidden behind several deferments to stay out of Vietnam. Id been keeping track of the news as an activist (and retired reporter/still ongoing news junkie). Shed heard the rantings of her limbaugh-loving brother-in-law.
We argued and argued. She held firm, no matter what I said and what sources I cited. It actually took a third mom (from her own same country-club-related social circles) stepping forward to say no Jenny (not her real name), calimarys right. cheney never served. My debate opponent suddenly choked. That OTHER mom had more credibility than some dumb peacenik mom who didnt hang with the country club set. And when that OTHER mom butted in to back the peacenik, she had no comeback. Just a very startled wide-eyes look suddenly washing over her face. She needed a moment to catch her breath, then nervously stammered um - Im getting wrong information here. Im getting wrong information. And I said yes, you are - who told you cheney served? Cuz he NEVER DID. Look it up. The third mom nodded along with me. And my opponent stammered again - my brother-in-law. Im getting wrong information...
And I reaffirmed yes. You ARE getting wrong information. I wouldnt lie to you. She was visibly shaken by this. As I recall, that was the last time we engaged socially. Her kid eventually dropped out of the smarter-school activity we were all part of, and soon enough, our kids went on to higher levels of achievement there, while her kid probably pursued or was enrolled in something different. Maybe mom decided she didnt like our crowd anymore and thought we were a bad influence.
Fine with me! I got tired of defending the truth again and again and again, to a closed-minded, unmovable, cemented-in limbaugh believerwho never was willing to open her eyes to reality even just a little.
And I dont know whatever happened to that family. Probably just kept on circulating in their comfortable, closed-minded, well-insulated republi-CON world. Some people simply cant be reached. Some are so baked in that theyre unreachable. They just reject it flat-out if it doesnt conform to their worldview.
One of the hardest things to do for many of us is to admit you were wrong. To realize, recognize, and accept it. Even when its the cold-light-of-day TRUTH. A lot of people cant do that. Pride, maybe. Or face-saving. Or maybe the misguided view that if you just keep on believing something really really strongly, itll somehow magically become the truth. A lot of people cant and/or dont want to have to admit they were wrong, that their strongly-held beliefs or opinionators they trusted were wrong.
And even more people just simply dont want to.