The next time my RW brother decides to send RW propoganda

[zbdent]

Mind you, it's been a few weeks since he sent anything dem/lib/leftie bashing, but I want to remember this the next time my RW brother sends some Repuke crap.

I decided that, when he does, I'm going to respond with something like this:

"You know, I guess that I value you being my brother over bashing your head in with the truth every time you send some Republican BULLSHIT LIES and writing you and your family off forever . . ."

[Arkansas Granny]

1. When I receive emails with this kind of stuff in it, I go to Snopes

and check it out. If it proves to be false, I reply to their email and include the link to Snopes so they can read the truth.

[AllegroRondo]

2. and copy everyone it was sent to originally

[castiron]

3. haha, I do that, too. many are too stoopid to BCC

[Greyhound]

4. You should send the text, most repukes are too afraid of facts to

follow a link and read.

[Arkansas Granny]

9. I do send the text along with the link for that very reason. I was

afraid that if I didn't send a link along with the text, however, that they would think it was just hearsay and not fact. Of course, many of them can't accept a fact if it doesn't conform to their opinion.

[Warpy]

6. I started that years ago

and ended the note with "please reconsider sending me any more right wing crap that is so easily disproven. I found out your last letter was a pack of lies within 2 minutes and a series of mouse clicks. Do you know how that makes you look?"

Nobody has DARED to send me right wing crap in a very long time.

[Skittles]

11. yes

I always end with, "Now please ask yourself why you were so readily eager to believe what ten seconds' research on the web would have proven to be be just plain bad propaganda."

[iconocrastic]

5. Say, "Let's agree to disagree and not discuss politics...

let's find what we have in common and stick to that (family life). You know those things you send me grate my nerves (perhaps that's why you do it). Politics after all is about life, so let's show each other by example that we really know how to live, at a very basic level, rather than arguing about national issues and social trends, since we are at an impasse there."

[iconocrastic]

7. I have not spoken or exchanged emails with a brother for a year

due to this very issue, and wish I had been able to handle it differently at the beginning. Learn from my mistake if you are able.

[lumpy]

15. I would hope that no one would 'write off'

a sibling over poltical differences. Patience and understanding might prove to be a plus in changing a mind. Some people are slow to allow the truth to sink in and are reluctant to educate themselves.

[TlalocW]

8. My mom sends me right-wing/fundamentalist stuff

Not because she wants me to think that way, but because she wants me to "reply all" and rebut it. Normally it comes from my fundy uncle.

TlalocW

[Maat]

10. Ever since I started debunking what the rightwinger-in-question

sends me, with a link, and hitting 'reply all,' I haven't received any more rightwing bullcr*p.

Guess they don't want to be embarassed in front of their friends.

[lumpy]

16. LOL I have done that with the problem

of people sending me reams of unwanted trivia. Works quite well.

[Maat]

19. Right on!

:)

[blue cat]

12. I have a lot of resentment

built up against my family for similar. I know that it is best not to let politics come between family members, but they don't seem to care about it because they started and have maintained it. It's like I'm already mad even before I see them, and rarely want to see them at all anymore.

[Maat]

20. I'm in the same boat.

Don't feel alone. I used to be rather close to my in-laws. Then they veered hardright and became Southern Baptists (of the very hardright variety).

My calm husband now does the interfacing.

[Minnesota Libra]

13. With all due respect your approach is much too easy and gives......

.....your brother and my Aunt the impression you are conceeding to their views. PLEASE don't do that!!:grr: Take the time to send links for the TRUTH and then include something like "I value you as a brother and being my brother I deplore the idea that someone is trying to pull the wool over your eyes." :grouphug:

I did this to my Aunt for ages and now she either doesn't send me crap or actually asks if something is true or not.:toast: I take extra pains to make sure my responses are non partisan so she gets the WHOLE truth and not just the liberal side of things.:hug:

[NJmaverick]

14. A BETTEER SOLUTION

Do a reply all and send the best DU post at the time. Look throught the Greatest posts and you will find a good one every time. After a few good counter mails are sent he will knock off the nonsense.

[frogmarch]

17. Here's a recent response I sent

a relative of my husband's, at his urging.

We are adamantly opposed to Bush's war on Iraq, as well as to his fascist policies here at home. Despite the disingenuous, trick lead-in that says Worth reading no matter what you think of our President! the email you just sent us is pure neo-conservative propaganda in which the so-called "Stats" have been cherry-picked and skewed to suit the neo-con agenda.

Please don't send us any more rightwing malarky, whether it's designed to try to rationalize the quagmire in Iraq or excuse any other of the Bush administration's evil deeds and failures, or their lies. We're not morons.

We haven't rec'd any more repug propaganda since, so my response must have made the rounds in the family.

[silverweb]

18. It never ends.

Slight variations of the same crap keep circulating, rearranged or updated in minor ways to seem "new." When I get stuff like that, Snopes.com is my best friend. I also have archives of old e-mails I composed when I really got into rebutting RW garbage, but only a couple of people dare send me that junk anymore.

I never send my family anything remotely political, either. They're not interested in opening their minds or looking at verifiable facts or reconsidering their views.

The last e-mail I sent my uber-Libertarian brother was about LED technology, as part of a batch mailing I sent to my regular list; I actually thought he might be interested. Instead of replying to the content of my e-mail, he zoomed straight down to my sig line (same as the one here). Here's the exchange, copied and pasted directly from the e-mail:

Brother: kennedy is wrong and a dummy. Corporate power is nothing. the only power of force is goverment, big companies can only hope to buy the power of government. that is the problem through out the ages and in our country now. Goverment power is true power, and it is sold all the time to companies in the form of restricting trade, and laws that benefit those that plied governemt thugs with favors and bribes.

Me: LOL... Now that's funny! I guess that means you don't want any LED lightbulbs, huh?

Brother: no I didn't really read or follow that. But kennedy is a socialist and i think he is an enemy of freedom

Me: Do you always read and respond to people's signature lines rather than the actual content of the e-mails they take the time to send you?

Brother: (No response)

This is the mindset we're dealing with. I just can't be bothered anymore when simple, nonpolitical attempts to communicate, like that above, lead only to absurd rants. I also know from multiple past experiences that to engage with them in the smallest way leads immediately to personal attacks. These days, keeping my own BP under control is far more important to me than trying to influence anyone else. If their eyes haven't been opened by now, nothing I say will change their minds and we have nothing to discuss. Whatever comes, they asked for it.

At another time I had asked a different family member if we couldn't just "agree to disagree." The response was an angry glare right into my eyes and a "No, never!"

It's a shame, but we really have little in common anymore, and talking about their health and the weather gets old real fast. Everything else is in some way connected to the current political situation and is untouchable if I want to avoid an argument, so there's not much communication anymore.

I can't/won't deal with their abuses any further and have given up on these individuals.

:shrug: