My WASP Dad has become marginally more liberal as he ages - because my daughter and I keep challenging his more obvious prejudices.
Many people find change uncomfortable, and remember the amount of change that's happened over a long lifetime is absolutely fucking BANANAS.
Dad's was born in 1937. He grew up in a house with no electricity or running water, when his family's cows were milked by hand and most of their transport was by fucking horse. He predates antibiotics, free high school, the right of Australia to make laws that conflict with those of Great Britain, and Holdens.He only just missed fucking Thylacines.
He's gone from cabinet-sized radios to 78 records on hand-cranked gramophone, electric record players playing 45s and 78s, magnetic tapes, tape players in cars, portable tape players, CDs, portable CD players, MP3s, digital downloads and streaming. He learnt to write with a nib pen dipped in ink, and now he's gamely battling with email.
He was 29 when the White Australia policy ended. 30 when Federal law was extended to Indigenous Australians. 34 when they were first included in a Census. 47 when their rights were protected by comprehensive anti-discrimination law. 55 when the Mabo case established Native Title.
Coping with that kind of change is HARD. We're lucky that Dad is an intelligent, endlessly curious and open-hearted man who epitomises life-long learning. He's willing to listen to new views and try to incorporate them. But even for him, it's not always easy.
I'm not giving bigots a pass just because they're old and change is hard for them. We're all dealing with hard shit, and lots of them are frankly enjoying their racism. I mean that it's the responsibility of white allies to keep chipping away at them, even if it seems hopeless. Maybe we'll change their minds. Maybe we'll change a bystander's mind, or get Uncle Davey banned from talking race at family gatherings. At least we can make displaying their racism such a hassle that they quit it in our presence, which is better than nothing.
It's the least we can do.
People become less flexible and able to cope with change as they age.
I'm 72. I am dependent on a chest full of hardware to keep blood flowing through the useless sack of decrepit muscle that is my heart. And I have become more liberal with every new sunrise that means I have been blessed with one more day. I have the best cardiac care that money can buy and because of a fortuitous insurance decision I pay next to nothing. Nobody should have to go through this and also be forced to worry about going broke to pay for it and stay alive. Our nation is built on so many mortal sins and one of them is letting people die because they don't have money to afford treatment. History will not be kind that we let that form of homicide go on and on.
Tucker Carlson wrote for NYPress?????!?!? EEEEEK! I wrote for the Voice.I read NYPress for the same reasons (also JD King, JR Taylor, Tony Millionaire, Dame Darcy, Doug Allen) but thought Smith was a douchebag.Had I seen Carlson back then I woulda run away puking.
ignore him as the completely irrelevant ass that he is - if the attention we give him is ramping up his appeal, then starve him (and his audience) of the attention they crave (maybe?)
My dad grew up in a farm orphanage in the 40's and was made to write with his right hand because his left-handedness was of the devil. Anyone who spilled something or did anything wrong had to clean the cow poop in the morning. He only lived to 58 so I didn't get to find out, but I don't think he would have ever gone Fauxy.
Hands and feet are hard - one of the many things Michelangelo and masters such as Albrecht Durer did so well.
"Oh, and his ratings and clicks go up whenever outraged liberals call out his latest offense."
Anyone who's offended by his Grand Wizard BS stopped watching a long time ago. And his audience loves it when he Triggers the Libs.
So what the hell is the solution?
I misread the part-two headline as:How Tucker Carlson Reshaped Fox News — and Became Trump’s Hair
My WASP Dad has become marginally more liberal as he ages - because my daughter and I keep challenging his more obvious prejudices.
Many people find change uncomfortable, and remember the amount of change that's happened over a long lifetime is absolutely fucking BANANAS.
Dad's was born in 1937. He grew up in a house with no electricity or running water, when his family's cows were milked by hand and most of their transport was by fucking horse. He predates antibiotics, free high school, the right of Australia to make laws that conflict with those of Great Britain, and Holdens.He only just missed fucking Thylacines.
He's gone from cabinet-sized radios to 78 records on hand-cranked gramophone, electric record players playing 45s and 78s, magnetic tapes, tape players in cars, portable tape players, CDs, portable CD players, MP3s, digital downloads and streaming. He learnt to write with a nib pen dipped in ink, and now he's gamely battling with email.
He was 29 when the White Australia policy ended. 30 when Federal law was extended to Indigenous Australians. 34 when they were first included in a Census. 47 when their rights were protected by comprehensive anti-discrimination law. 55 when the Mabo case established Native Title.
Coping with that kind of change is HARD. We're lucky that Dad is an intelligent, endlessly curious and open-hearted man who epitomises life-long learning. He's willing to listen to new views and try to incorporate them. But even for him, it's not always easy.
I'm not giving bigots a pass just because they're old and change is hard for them. We're all dealing with hard shit, and lots of them are frankly enjoying their racism. I mean that it's the responsibility of white allies to keep chipping away at them, even if it seems hopeless. Maybe we'll change their minds. Maybe we'll change a bystander's mind, or get Uncle Davey banned from talking race at family gatherings. At least we can make displaying their racism such a hassle that they quit it in our presence, which is better than nothing.
It's the least we can do.
People become less flexible and able to cope with change as they age.
damn. that sounds exactly like my (completely north shore wasp) mom.
3 half words: sen. mallory mcmorrow.
I'm 72. I am dependent on a chest full of hardware to keep blood flowing through the useless sack of decrepit muscle that is my heart. And I have become more liberal with every new sunrise that means I have been blessed with one more day. I have the best cardiac care that money can buy and because of a fortuitous insurance decision I pay next to nothing. Nobody should have to go through this and also be forced to worry about going broke to pay for it and stay alive. Our nation is built on so many mortal sins and one of them is letting people die because they don't have money to afford treatment. History will not be kind that we let that form of homicide go on and on.
Because cows count more than people
I also told you not to give them vocal cords! Dammit, Vic!
Especially women people evidently.
Tucker Carlson wrote for NYPress?????!?!? EEEEEK! I wrote for the Voice.I read NYPress for the same reasons (also JD King, JR Taylor, Tony Millionaire, Dame Darcy, Doug Allen) but thought Smith was a douchebag.Had I seen Carlson back then I woulda run away puking.
Uh, yeah.
i like your version better
ignore him as the completely irrelevant ass that he is - if the attention we give him is ramping up his appeal, then starve him (and his audience) of the attention they crave (maybe?)
My dad grew up in a farm orphanage in the 40's and was made to write with his right hand because his left-handedness was of the devil. Anyone who spilled something or did anything wrong had to clean the cow poop in the morning. He only lived to 58 so I didn't get to find out, but I don't think he would have ever gone Fauxy.
Jim Knipfel wrote well, too, but didn't always see what he was writing about, because he was going blind.