the only thing your liberal relatives want to see coming out of the closet is some sodomite.

i can imagine your frustration when they call conservatives stupid in between watching the springer show.

your lib relatives sound like most libs everywhere. they embrace diversity except when it comes to diversity of thought. then they have a zero tolerance policy.

the good news is that some of them will grow up and become conservatives. the bad news is that some of them may be so stupid they never will.

small-minded and vicious name-calling knows no political boundries.

Just a few years ago, Republicans stood for something. Priciples, honor, decency; things like that. Many still do, but they are out-shouted by the name-calling and slogan-hooting wannabe's. Could you possibly imagine that Prudie just reversed the identifiers on that first letter? Could you also imagine that you have fallen into a rather ugly trap with your own name-calling? Nope, didn't think so.

Here's a hint: There are no staunch Democrats. It's a word that doesn't apply. There may be "born Democrats" or 'lifelong democrats" or even a whole heck of a lot of "reluctant Democrats" after the train wreck of a presidency our country has almost survived.

'Could you possibly imagine that Prudie just reversed the identifiers on that first letter?'

yes i can. we conservatives are compassionate. when a liberals starts whining and wailing, gloom and dooming, set themselves up as victims and preach collectivism, we feel compassion. i just want to pat them on the head and give them an ice cream.

My family is the same way, except they are Republicans. At least my mother is polite enough to ask people to stop discussing politics in her house when it gets heated. My co-workers use all those terms she complains about, but about "libruls."

This kid probably just likes the drama. She in high school, but "in luuv!" I appreciate she has feelings, but she's a long way from mature. Most kids tend to rebel against whatever their parents hold dear, at least for a time.

I am glad you picked up on this too. I Yoffe-world, there are no bad conservatives. It is always liberals who call names, make assumptions that everyone agrees with them, isolate others, and use rotten logic.

Remember the theoretical office worker who criticized her conservative co-workers? Remember the party-goer who was in a mixed-race marriage who was offended by assumptions she was a liberal? And now, we have a teenager (?) who is a closet Republican.

Look, I like fiction as well as the next person, but I don't understand why Yoffe is allowed to "edit" people's letters by making liberals always the bad guys and conservatives poor little picked-on darlings.

It is really spectacularly obvious that Yoffe is a conservative who is being "picked on" by liberals. I say "picked on" because Yoffe is one of the most God-awfully stupid creatures on the face of the planet, and she cannot understand that she is being properly raked over the coals for having said something God-awfully stupid in favor of conservatism.

I really don't understand why Slate allows her to do this. But, then, Slate is mostly good for a laugh. That bozo, Saletan, doesn't understand enough about research to realize when he has been promoting lockstep white-supremacist dogma.

Anybody who has not yet figured out that Yoffe is not giving advice, but creating an alternative world in which she is righting the wrongs of her life is just living in as big a fantasy world as she is. I mean, seriously--this woman is mentally ill.

Could she please be replaced--this is seriously getting sick.

'There are no staunch Democrats. It's a word that doesn't apply. There may be "born Democrats" or 'lifelong democrats" or even a whole heck of a lot of "reluctant Democrats"'

you forgot 'reagan democrats'

irvingchang--Well, I must say that you certainly prove the point that conservatives are an open-minded bunch ("some sodomite") who never, ever call names ("in between watching the springer show"), and who embrace diversity of thought ("most libs everywhere") and respect others opinions ("so stupid they never will").

I must say that Prudie must be extraordinarily delighted at the caliber of individuals who agree with her estimates of liberals and conservatives.

You are certainly on par with her, dear. I hope you are enjoying one another's fine company!

It would have been an interesting discussion if the identity of the parties weren't specified; if the letter had just said that she's one party and her family is the other and that her family bashes the party she likes.

That way, instead of people here name-calling the opposite party of their preference (which could go on ad nauseum -- and what does that tell you?), we could better concentrate on her position.

'Well, I must say that you certainly prove the point that conservatives are an open-minded bunch ("some sodomite") who never, ever call names ("in between watching the springer show"), and who embrace diversity of thought ("most libs everywhere") and respect others opinions ("so stupid they never will").'

perhaps i did overstate. i should have said 'most of the liberals i know'.

irvingchang:

you forgot 'reagan democrats'

I'm a "Bush I Democrat." I was Republican long enough to vote for him, only once. We all have regrets, I suppose.

'You are certainly on par with her, dear. I hope you are enjoying one another's fine company!'

she is certainly not on par with abigail landers, but what the heck! i will not pass up the chance to bash some navel gazing liberals.

'I'm a "Bush I Democrat." I was Republican long enough to vote for him, only once. We all have regrets, I suppose.'

ah feel yore pine. they don't give you much of a choice either. dukakis, some arkansas hog humper, a fat assed occidental petroleum trust funder, then the backstabbing moose faced cocksucker.

i must say that osamba is the most polished of those turds.

will name call, no matter what. there is a large sect of staunch conservative right wing types that (in irvingchang's own words) "will not pass up the chance to bash some navel gazing liberals". They attack straw men, they name call because they refuse to engage in civil debate. They give the decent republicans I know a bad name (there appear to be fewer of these- maybe because they are less vocal or maybe because the party is just filled with a glut of ne'er do wells who don't accest the idea of America as a diverse society.

But that doesn't mean that there aren't antagonistic people on the left side of the fence. Often, self righteous indignation becomes a tug of war, reactionary fight between people of differing ideologies. It can be an urge that is hard to resist when you think the other side is being obtuse. I think it's pretty undeniable that publicly right wingers of this time period are much worse at this. If I were a reasonable right winger, instead of celebrating these people, i would be asking them to shut up and trying to make my more reasonable voice heard. That used to be John McCain.

Regardless, Prudie was off on her advice with this one. Her family has no idea she holds these beliefs and as far as we know, have no idea that they are upsetting her. They more than likely assume she believes as they do, if she's never said anything. Many people say things within a family discussion where there is likeminded thinking, that they wouldn't say in a discussion where there were divergent thinkers. This chick needs to learn how to speak up for herself and voice her opinion or else relegate herself to a lifetime of shutting up. One shouldn't complain about a situation that one hasn't even tried to fix. Or address at all, for that matter. That is what constitutes whining.

being closet homosexuals? Perhaps liberalphobes are so vehement because they secretly know that liberals are right? Why don't YOU come out of the closet, irvingchang?

;)