The effect of politely countering a conservative talking point

[MorningGlow]

No offense to any mechanics out there, but goddamn, I HATE spending time in the waiting room of my garage. :banghead: Went there a few days ago for an oil change and to have my snow tires taken off. I couldn't drop off my Jeep; I had to wait. At one point I was the only person in the waiting room, and the guy manning the front desk decided to start up a conversation.

Unfortunately, his opening salvo was a conservative talking point. "Geez, so many people are losing their jobs. I just keep hearing about it from everyone. The level of unemployment is incredible! And they keep telling us it's getting better."

Me (mildly, with a polite smile): "It IS getting better."

Him: "Oh no it's not."

Me: "Actually, the unemployment numbers are going down overall." (I wasn't going to try to enlighten him with a bikini graph explanation.)

Honestly, the guy's face crumbled. He wanted someone to join him in the echo chamber, and there I was--the only person to talk to!--who didn't want to play! O the horror!

I actually felt sorry for him, so to make him feel better, I said, "Well, you know how all trends reach our area after the rest of the country--even fashion. Look at the housing crash--that never even hit us at all. So maybe you are hearing about people losing their jobs here, whereas the rest of the country is already on its way to recovery." (No, I don't really believe our area is about to experience a surge of unemployment.)

So what happened? Dude turned away and never said another word to me for the rest of the time I was there--two hours total!
:rofl:

Ahhhh they just can't handle it.

Oh, the best part? The guy was just helping out a friend while the regular front-desk person was on vacation. He's actually a local minister. :banghead:

[Walk away]

1. That's nothing. The manager of the oil change place I used was a raving, Glen Beck Birther.

The works....the President is a secret Muslim and is trying to destroy the country, Sarah Palin is far more qualified to be the leader of our country. This idiot told everyone who came in. I do believe he lost many customers including me. And I called and reported him to the franchise as well. The day after Obama won he lowered the flag on the roof of the shop to half mast and kept them there. I didn't even bother to try to talk to him.

[MorningGlow]

3. Jayzus

That's astounding. He SHOULD lose business. :scared:

[G_j]

5. reporting this type of thing to the Franchise is the right thing to do nt

[safeinOhio]

6. Got the survey from the Marriott

I stayed in near Boston. Under comments I said I'll never stay in a room for over $100/night again that only has FOX and CNN and no MSNBC. Other than that, I gave them all 10s.

[louis-t]

2. It is fun undoing the rhetoric, isn't it?

I had to sit through con-ed class for 6 hours with my broker and others constantly calling out talking points during the legal section of the class. When they got to "Yer gonna go to jail if you don't get health insurance" I said "that's not true". They all, in unison, said "It's in there!!11!!" I sent them the link to the mandate supplied by a friendly DUer with the paragraph that deals with penalties. I have not heard another word from these people about the subject. My next mission, should they decide to try another fox talking point will be "They lied about health insurance, what else are they lying to you about?"

[MorningGlow]

4. You know, it really is

I'm usually not a fast thinker when faced with teabagger rhetoric. I stumble over my words and I can't get them out quick enough, so I tend to just walk away from any frothing-at-the-mouth Faux fans. But I was held captive, so I gave it a shot. It was easier than I thought. :D

I missed the link to the penalties section--can you post it here? I have a brainwashed aunt who'll more likely than not bring it up in front of me within the next week or so. She follows the talking points pretty closely. :hi:

[uppityperson]

7. Actually, I agree with his point. I don't believe it's getting better yet either.

"Geez, so many people are losing their jobs. I just keep hearing about it from everyone. The level of unemployment is incredible! And they keep telling us it's getting better."

[sailor65]

8. Sorry, but that's not a conservative talking point at all

"Unfortunately, his opening salvo was a conservative talking point. "Geez, so many people are losing their jobs. I just keep hearing about it from everyone. The level of unemployment is incredible! And they keep telling us it's getting better.""

I'll be the first to call bullshit. There was nothing political about that statement. That same thing has been repeated for a long time, way back into *'s term, and it still applies here where I live, especially in manufacturing. If this was an auto shop as you say, then I can virtually guarantee that it is feeling it still as well as nearly all aspects of automotive. The "Trend" that you so glibly claimed hasn't "Hit your area" yet is certain to have hit that business.

Why do so many think that acting like a patronizing asshole is the right way to win anybody over?

On edit: I stand corrected; apparently I was the second to call bullshit :rofl:

[northernlights]

9. that's not a conservative talking point

Real unemployment is not getting better. In fact, the recent announcement of 162,000 jobs created ignored the ADP payroll count -- which showed a declined of 13,000 jobs.

[uppityperson]

10. Unemployment rises in 24 states (if you're going to "counter", be right)

http://money.cnn.com/2010/04/16/news/economy/state_unemployment/index.htm
Unemployment rises in 24 states
By Ben Rooney, staff reporterApril 16, 2010: 12:27 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Nearly half of all U.S. states reported rising unemployment rates in March, the government said Friday, with rates above the national average in 11 states and the District of Columbia.

A total of 24 states suffered jobless rate increases in March, according to the Labor Department's monthly report. But rates declined last month in 17 states and the District of Columbia.

On an annual basis, jobless rates increased in 44 states and D.C. in March. That's down from a total of 46 states in February.

The Labor Department said earlier this month that the nation's economy gained 162,000 jobs in March. But the national unemployment rate held steady at 9.7% for the third month in a row.

more...

[bridgit]

11. Their talking points are deflating - the next significant one will be taxes...

And taxes is the issue that feeds them so be prepared to not just see their faces crumple, but their sails collapse and its going to happen like this:

On the Ed Show w/Ed, Stef, and that loony RW talk show Heidi person from Las Vegas who thinks violence against the left is a cool thing; her, that one, was going on & on about how the econ remains in shambles because taxes have not come down, "Show Me! Show me where the tax breaks are cause I don't see any!" Well first of all all of their eyes are willfully closed so they can't see them. But more to the point they are only able to recognize tax breaks insofar as their disposable income is concerned, look...

My husband and I are IC's, we pay plenty in taxes so we have to watch as we go and put money aside. We been averaging round some 7500 ~ 12,000 bucks in taxes depending on the way the season went and what all additional contracts we were are able to put together, etc, this year however - and if I can find them then they are right there for anyone to see -but because of Obama's easements on an entire host of items involving bizz adjustments & depreciations I actually got that tax number down to $418

- $418 -

And so far as I'm concerned THAT IS a reduction in taxes without doubt. These RW's are so fucking stupid. They aren't able to see anything past the tips of their noses. But they need to see more money on their paycheck before they can understand it. They're so simple minded, they need to see that check go from $500 to $518 before they pee a little squirt for the Gipper

They aren't just losing they've lost. And like proper zombies, they don't know how expired they truly are. But this I find so indicative of the entire RW tea-nut-bag:

I know clergy that have gone off to dig wells/build roads in African villages, do good works on the world stage and be seen doing, etc, but this guy in your OP - "a local minister" - you really have to almost feel sorry for cause he likely spends more time listening to Glenn Beck than God while in the course of passing an empty plate that comes back around with money in it so what could he possibly know jobs or taxes except that he doesn't want to have to pay them as a man of the cloth

[KittyWampus]

12. You're a peach, Morninglow!