A visit with my very conservative father: A few musings

[Populist_Prole]

Spent a week with him. Overall, this one went much better than they usually do: No usually inevitable angry debates or shouting matches like in years past. He knows that I've drifted left and he's drifted right and there's not a damned way we'll agree on a lot of stuff. While I had to bite my tongue a few times as he spouted conservative talking points only every now and then, I know he wasn't trying to bait me: He's just right wing and thinks he knows what's what. Even though he's still a far right teabagger type, he's very much toned down his all politics/all the time demeanor from the last half-dozen years. I've heard him relate to his friends he no longer sits and watches fox news all the time ( though he still likes O'Reilly....and he "debates" just like him ) because it just serves to stir things up. I was also very glad to hear him say politics should be kept out of family relations because it can poison them; He related a story of 2 mutual family members that no longer speak to each other for years due to a big blow-up over politics and how he thought it was awful. I have said to him for years to stop concentrating on the negatives and be glad he's healthy and secure and just enjoy life. I think he knows this but is loath to admit it.

A few musings of note; What I've gleaned of the mindset of the comfortably retired conservative: That is, he and his close friends living in a hard-right bubble.

- They dislike "the left", and anybody and anything associated with it, for imaginary reasons. They take potshots at strawman liberals. This was most apparent. They interact personally with nobody but their own type, yet they hold their prejudices all the more closely for the lack of empirical evidence.

- He and his conservative friends are really pissed off at John McCain. More than several times they referred to him as a "wind sock"

- They don't like "Obama Care" though they have no reason why

- The gun culture is a HUGE part of their views

- The reason we don't manufacture in this country is no kids want to be engineers but just want to play video games. That and unions. Apparently I'm the only exception in the form of a blue collar union member that works hard and has his mind right.

- Everything is about money. How to make more, spend less, or buy this or that and sell it a profit. Not wanting to part with a treasured possession ( to sell for big $ ) or the feeling of "I'm comfortable with what I have" is a stupid quaint notion. Way too sentimental for them. One actually averred: "There's only 2 things I want to do: Count my money and go to church" No shit!

- Very much lamenting of how much the world outside their hive is changing for the worst. Inside their hive, all is well as long as they keep up the good fight.

Just thought I'd give a "report from the front" as an honorary insider.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. It's good that you're getting along more amicably these days. Mostly amicably.

It seems to me that conservatives are mainly scared, and so they close themselves off into these small groups, as you observed, into these hard-right bubbles.

They feel safe there. There they can bloviate and feel good about themselves, and to hell with the rest of us.

Thanks for your report!

[surrealAmerican]

2. Thanks for posting.

Your father seems to have an inkling that his rants could kill his relationships. That's a good sign.

[Arugula Latte]

3. Interesting.

I've spent a little time with older affluent white Republicans of my parents generation (born 30s through early 40s) in a well-off suburb of the S.F. Bay Area. My observations:
- They are obsessed with money, consumer products, cars, and house improvement/upkeep and real estate value. That is about 90 percent of what they talk about. If you get a new large appliance, they will talk about what brand they have, when they got it, if it is good enough, etc., and compare the price with yours.
- They are resentful of "all these minorities" and look back to the "golden" heyday of California (i.e. "white" days)
- They don't want to support schools other than the ones their grandchildren attend
- They want services but don't think that they personally should have to pay taxes

[jehop61]

4. Generalizations.

Not all of us fit that mold.

[Arugula Latte]

5. Did you see the part where I mentioned that these are people I've interacted with?

These are my parents' Repubican friends and acquaintances. I didn't say they represented all California seniors, or whatever.