My encounter with a batshit right-wing nut at the bar this evening

[titaniumsalute]

I'm traveling to Myrtle Beach for a few days for business. There's a small craft beer/food joint that I like to frequent while in town. It is usually fairly quiet, nice local folks drinking solid beer and eating great wings.

Tonight there was what seemed to be a friendly 50 something couple sitting behind me. The place was fairly quiet so at some point we struck up a light-hearted conversation. They asked what I do for a living and we talked about that for awhile. Then some other light-hearted stuff came up. No big deal.

I somehow mentioned that my previous career was in research as I have a degree in statistics. The guy looked at me and said something like "Well we all know statistics lie." I asked, "What are you talking about???" He said, "Well you know statistics lie. Just look at the polls that come out all the time." So I explained that statistics is just math. Period. It doesn't have anything specifically to do with polling, politics, agendas, etc. It's just math. There are thousands of people who study stats that never do anything with polling. However, I told him I used to do statistical analysis for a living including specialized audience polling and measurement.

He then started saying that "You know, some polls are designed to steer the message or result." I told him that maybe in politics there is some polling done that might try to steer a message, but that the vast majority of statistical polling is simply done to learn more about certain areas for companies or groups to make better decisions. The guy got kind of mad and said loudly "YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!! Politicians use polls to steer voters. And liberals do it all the time!! They make up numbers and call them polls." I told him that I'm sure some politicians might highlight certain aspects of polls in the media to create a message. THEY ALL DO IT!" Of course he said...no way. The Demo-rats (yes he said Demo-rats) do it all the time. Conservatives do not. I started laughing and said "Are you insane? Every politician spins polls and information to their own benefit. THEY ARE POLITICIANS!! That's what they do."

I had an AH-HA moment. I had a quick decision to make. Do a serious verbal complete throw-down on this miserable fuckwad or take the high road and let this guy metaphorically hang himself. I decided a good metaphor lynching was in play. I simply said "I have no idea what you are talking about...my degree in statistics has nothing to do with politics...why are we discussing this?" He started ranting about MSNBC and Rachal Maddow...the communist. I told him that I didn't care who Rachael Maddow is (to deflect the argument) but I have seen that pretty much every cable news network is for quick ratings and entertainment. They will say whatever they need to say to make ratings to sell ads. I specifically mentioned Fox news when I said this. He was starting to foam at the mouth and his wife said "Bob, that's enough. You're acting like an ass again." I started cracking up. He was PISSED. I then said..."I don't waste my time watching cable news crap...I prefer to be a good American dad and read books, play with my kids in the evening, and spend time with my wife". This guy hollered "How do you learn about what the hell is going on in our country?" I told him I trust the President to make those decisions. I thought his head would explode. At that time his wife said "WE NEED to LEAVE BOB." I smiled, shook his hand, and said "It's been a pleasure. Maybe next time we can discuss sports or something more interesting. He pivoted and hauled ass out the front door.

I have learned as I've aged that I'd rather get a right winger to try to say really stupid things rather than go sparing with them. This guy was being belligerent...even his wife thought so. He sounded like an ass. After they left the bar owner came to apologize about three times and bought me a beer. She said he's there about every other night doing this shit.

Oh well...take a village. And a village idiot.

The guy didn't appear drunk. He was just hell bent on spewing his right wing talking points. When I didn't play ball he got very upset. This is an epidemic in our society now.

[bluestate10]

1. His nasty little playpen is getting smaller by the month, so all he has left is railing.

Interesting how Myrtle Beach is so modern given the reputation of South Carolina, isn't it? The guy you talked to was likely from toward the interior.

[titaniumsalute]

2. I think he was a local only because

The owner knew his and his wife's names and she told me she has to listen to this crap 3 or 4 times per week.

I know Myrtle Beach is much more even keeled than the rest of the state as many northerners have moved here over the years.

[passiveporcupine]

16. I had a friend in Colorado who moved to Myrtle Beach

and she turned into a real conservative. Never expected that to happen.

[SheilaT]

59. I have several friends who have moved to

various parts of SC, and they have all become far more conservative over the years. At least some of them are regular church goers, which may be part of the problem. I have no idea what they hear on Sundays. And then they're surrounded by people who simply are more conservative to begin with.

Among the reasons I moved from Kansas to New Mexico five years ago was to be in a state that was more liberal and politically Democratic. While NM definitely has its flaws, it's vastly preferable to staying in the awful pit that Kansas has become. With all due respect to my many Kansas friends, some of whom post here on DU.

[tofuandbeer]

73. Some people find it easier and more comfortable just to conform.

[Aristus]

77. Yeah, it's called protective coloration.

Since right-wingers tend to have bad tempers and to be heavily armed, adopting, at least publicly, the prevailing local political nonsense is a good way to avoid getting ventilated by the kind of creepazoid nutbag mentioned in the OP.

[tofuandbeer]

106. Cool, I didn't know that phrase. Thanks!

[rbrnmw]

80. a good portion of Columbia is OK

I lived in James Clyburn's district my first 12 years there which was great. I then unfortunately lived in Joe Wilson's district until moving back to Ohio in 2011. There are some very progressive people in SC I just wish there were more of them. I use to call voters and do lit drops and many people feel like their votes don't count for anything because it's a deep red state. They sit out election after election while the Republicans run the craziest whackjobs they can find. I voted straight tickets anyway and took lots of people to the polls we just couldn't overcome rwnj's down there.

[Brigid]

3. "You're acting like an ass again."

[donco]

4. That dude

will be talking to himself in the ***house next week.

[3catwoman3]

6. You are braver than I.

I'd be afraid someone that hostile would shoot me.

[okaawhatever]

5. Did you tell him that statistically it was 100% likely that he watched Fox News? nt

[R B Garr]

33. LOL. Good one!

[Cha]

34. Brilliant.

[edbermac]

7. You're lucky he didn't pull a gun and shoot you.

He sounds a lot like the movie theater texter whacko.

[Cha]

35. You never

fucking know, do you.

[Mr Dixon]

62. LOL

OMG where you get that emoticon ROLF

[edbermac]

65. I first went to Yahoo and typed 'guns emoticon'

And scrolled thru images until I found this link

http://www.sherv.net/emoticons.html

Lots of good ones on it.

[LittleGirl]

72. omg that kitty LOL n/t

[Blanks]

90. I like the one with Dubya shooting the gun. eom

[mercuryblues]

85. Teabagger

darlin' Nikki Haley just signed into law a bill that will allow guns in restaurants and bars.

I expect this guy to start carrying, given his persecution complex.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

8. good to know you have statistical training. you would not believe the idiots here who

do not believe statistics. When I shared my thoughts on inferential stats with someone here they went ballistic and said not all populations are of normal distribution and the bell curve is hooey. I didn't want to get into large samples from those distributions behaving like normal distributions and theory of large numbers and gathering about the mean...

but seriously. There are people on DU who don't acknowledge the value of statistics in modeling our world and in scientific discovery.

[hfojvt]

14. some people use statistics the way a drunk uses a lamp post

more for support than illumination.

[titaniumsalute]

48. Yeah I get that

When I worked in audience measurement most of my clients didn't understand the science. If their data results were favorable they thought our research was sound. If their data was not favorable, our research was flawed and made up.

This individual I was talking to last night just wanted to pick a fight. He's a true believing right winger and it didn't matter what I said.

[Lucky Luciano]

67. Well, if you torture the data enough, it will confess to what you are looking for!

i.e. data mining can have huge biases.

[OnlinePoker]

96. I got polled here about an issue which became major in B.C. a couple of months ago

I gave my answers exactly how I felt. When the results were published by the government a month later, I was surprised to see that I was in agreement with just about all the policy changes proposed (it was on alcohol services and sales). The local talk radio station had on a talking head that said he didn't know anyone who would answer the questions the way the poll results came out. I called and told them I was one of the ones polled and that I did agree with the new policies. The talking head had the audacity to say it was "people like me" who skew the polls in a certain direction, as if the whole reason for a poll was to solely come up with his way of thinking. I was then summarily hung up on and not allowed to respond.

[reACTIONary]

109. I had the "normal distribution" lecture given to me, too. (nt)

[Loaded Liberal Dem]

9. You're lucky you didn't get shot!

NC is one of those "what could possibly go wrong by allowing guns in bars?" states.

[passiveporcupine]

17. Myrtle Beach is in SC.

Do they have stand your ground law there? I thought NC was supposed to be bluer than SC, but lately you have to wonder.

[Skittles]

10. "This is an epidemic in our society right now."

CORRECT

[yuiyoshida]

18. totally this!

[Johonny]

11. I don't understand their arguments

When I was younger it seemed like conservatives had arguments. You could debate them and they said things that at least made you think: 'They seemed to care about the same thing as you did but from a different perspective.' These days I don't understand their arguments. Howard Stern says Democrats are communists. How? What does that even mean? Nugget says they are Fascists. The same person that agreed with Howard agrees with Nugget. How? How can Democrats be both? Obama is suppose to be the most liberal socialist president in American history... what evidence of this exists? 90% of the stuff they talk about doesn't exist. The war on Christmas, The Gay agenda, ACORN voter fraud, Obama's secret FEMA camps, Obama's leveling of income inequality, Obama's food stamp nation plan, Benghazi,.... I have no clue what they are talking about. Listen to right wing radio for ten minutes and try to figure out what they are even talking about. Read a post about something like the growing income equality in America and see how far down a conservative adds "insight" like; Black people just want free stuff or want more money work harder lazy bastards. How do those comments further anyone's understanding of the subject? How do you begin talking about income inequality when you can't get past basic racism and hatred for the poor to even discus the basic fact it exists and it is growing and it isn't likely very good for long term stability of our economy. Calling someone a communist doesn't add anything insightful and yet that is ALL they got and all they have had now for growing on 40 years it seems.

They throw out "facts" that not only aren't true and can't be comprehended. How do you begin a discussion with someone that thinks Reagan balanced the budget and Bush saved America from Iraq's WMDs?

When someone tells me they are conservative these days I instantly lose all respect for them. Because to call yourself that these days is to believe stuff I can even understand to believe. Kenyan, Anti-Colonial' Worldview, go ahead ask them to explain WTF that even means.

[jtuck004]

13. Man, I don't wanna go all nazi-reference here, but it is a great example. They are NOT about

presenting arguments and discussing the points.

As was pointed out in some research, and some of it posted here, they have a worldview, and the way they are able to rationalize it is to believe that anyone who is anyone believes it as well.

Anyone that doesn't is defective.

It's like expecting to have a rational discussion with a nazi storm trooper while he is herding you into a cattle car. They really don't think you are human if we don't agree with them, and we have less value than a dime on the sidewalk, or maybe a penny, for which they would actually expend some effort to rescue from a sidewalk.

And this extends to EVERYTHING - even settled science that most of the somewhat trained world believes. If it is not in their viewpoint it is wrong, and people who believe it are there friends. They would just as soon see everyone else dead.

People who disagree with them think they are discussing, exploring arguments. They are not. It is a pogrom, they are the brownshirts, and the brick-throwing just hasn't started yet.

[passiveporcupine]

21. I hate to say it, but from many posts here

It seems a lot of people feel the same way about Republicans. My Mother is a republican and one of the nicest people you will ever meet. So I get a little tired of the constant broad brushing and hatred (and yes, I see real hatred here a lot...it reminds me often of Free Republic) toward Republicans...many of whom are really decent people.

Not trying to stir anything here, just hoping some people will reflect on their own behavior now and then. How will we ever make friends with or work with Republicans, if we treat them the same way Freepers treat dems?

Also, there are many physiological reasons that some people tend to be more conservative and some tend to be more liberal. It's not just a simple choice or not being educated or smart enough.

[No Vested Interest]

22. You're correct, passiveporcupine. Many of my family and friends are

Republican, and they're basically decent people, though I don't agree with their political reasoning and leanings.
I stay away from political discussions with them most of the time.
Family knows my political identification but blood is stronger than ideology and pride, so, with those that disagree, we just don't go there.
I just try to be very well- informed with facts, so that when something political needs clarifying, I can do it without getting angry or personal.

[jtuck004]

42. I don't mind saying it at all. Yours seems the broadest brush of all.

The op clearly stated "batshit right-wing nut". That is not the description you used in saying your mother is a Republican and one of the nicest yada yada yada...

They are talking about Michelle Bachman type "Republicans". I suspect your mom would no more think that was a reasonable human being than you would. And there are millions of them out there. They will burn this fucking country down around our ears if they need to to avoid losing. They don't care about anyone winning, they just want their own way. Even if it kills everyone.

That didn't sound like your description of your mom, and I am surprised you lumped her in there. But you know better than me.

An easy-to-see analogy would be, say, equating Hitler and some 69 year old grandma in Nazi Germany who was a "member" of the Nazi party. No way in hell does either of those people have jack in common. One is a sociopathic menace, the other one likes to drink tea and makes lace, but is very happy that the government found a way to full employment (that, btw, is what he did before he unleashed his killers. He was the ULTIMATE populist). Hitler improved the hell out of that economy which was suffering terribly. Kind of like the Republicans today who are castigating Obama for wanting to lower the military budget - they are hell bent on keeping us fighting and dying and warring, so they and their friends can make money. Lots of Republicans agree in principle.

But ask all Republicans if we should "balance" our spending by taking food stamps away from already hungry families like we did last week. Most of the ones I talk to don't think so, but they have real reservations about being cheated. A few, however, the batshit crazy ones, as a group very proud of their hatred with no empathy for anyone, who will hurt anyone who tries to oppose them, change them, reason with them, see nothing at all useful in giving people food, and figure they might as well starve or find something in a public soup kitchen or just die. They wouldn't give a nickel to help them if at all possible..

If one thinks they are like the others, feel free to go reason with them. Good luck. I have lived here too long, seen how people feed on hate, and how it changes them. This is nothing new, but it is different from watching parents incite their kids into race riots or turning over buses. They actually felt some shame and sorrow in a fairly short period of time.

These people are far meaner, deadlier, and show every sign of getting stronger, more organized, and maybe crazier. And they have crazy money behind them to help.

The real point of that OP is that it doesn't matter what you do, there is a group that will hurt you, all of us, even themselves, in the pursuit of whatever is in their wormy fucking heads. And there is nothing, not a thing, that YOU or anyone can do to change them, any more than you could rehabilitate Charles Manson. We will do best if we can find a way to "cage" or marginalize any power they might get (and they are VERY good and VERY organized about getting it), because otherwise they will hurt you, all of us, when it is convenient for them.

[passiveporcupine]

45. perhaps you didn't notice the trend

in the two posts above mine that started broad brushing all conservatives...I did not reply to the OP.

And broad brushing? You know what that means, don't you? You need to read my post again if you think I was broad brushing any group. Perhaps you were seething too much to absorb what I was saying.

I think a lot of what is happening now to cause so much anger and hatred between the two parties is mostly based on fear. The conservatives who are ballistic now are fearful because they feel they've lost control of the country and things are changing faster than they can accept it. I'm just saying we need to be careful not to become that which we say we despise.

I refuse to let fear rule me and turn me into something ugly.

[jtuck004]

46. Well, there's not letting fear rule you, and there's naive and refusing to accept that

there is evil.



The problem with the second one is that people often mistake naivete for fearlessness. And it gets innocent people hurt.

Wouldn't be the first time.

...
The Museum of Tolerance has acquired a 1937 letter written by Bertrand Russell in which the Nobel Prize-winning philosopher says if the Nazi army invades his native England the British should invite Adolf Hitler to dinner rather than fight....

Here.

That's enough. Good luck with your efforts. Bye.

[passiveporcupine]

84. there is nothing naive

about trying to recognize and understand why people behave the way they do. It doesn't mean you have to hate them. Hating them won't ever change them, but understanding them might help you find a way to deal with them. For example, right now Rush and Beck and Fox News do an awful lot to push very conservative people into fear and rage toward liberals. Is there a way to fix that?

Maybe not, but it would be a far better thing to work on then just letting hate consume you.

[HangOnKids]

93. Hate? Who mentioned hate....ahhh you about 6 maybe 7 times in your posts I lost count

Interesting tactic to drill the hate meme, it is a highly charged word. I've read the entire exchange several times so please do not reply with they said hate too, if you inferred hate that is your prerogative/bent but hate was not the topic of this discussion.

Yet you are having a hay day with it. Why is that? It seems quite sophomoric to me.

[passiveporcupine]

97. Perhaps you mistook my poorly worded title at the beginning of this discussion

I hate to say it, but from many posts here

I was not referring the "here" in this thread. I was referring to "here" on DU. If you have not read any threads here on DU where people "hate" on republicans, then we aren't reading the same threads.

I said I'm not trying to start a fight here (I should have known better)...just hoping to get people to reflect a little on how they sound...and maybe prevent this thread from turning into another "Republicans are evil" thread...which is the broadbrush I was referring to.

Now I'm done...thanks for your input. Carry on if you need to.

[HangOnKids]

98. I understood everyone of your threads

YOU brought up hate in each and every post. Sorry I have excellent reading comprehension, I understand exactly what you are trying to do. This is not Repuke Underground, we do not defend Repukes here, it is a site for DEMOCRATS. You are not very good at it but you are defending them. Keep going this is a laugh riot!

[meanit]

105. This statement....

"How will we ever make friends with or work with Republicans, if we treat them the same way Freepers treat dems?"

I guess to put it mildly, it's a two-way street. For years and years, many Dems, including Obama (to the point of looking foolish), have tried to extend an olive branch and "make friends or work with the Republicans". And we all know what the results of that have been. Sure, there are nice people who claim to be Republicans. Perhaps they are holding on for the return of the party of Lincoln & Eisenhower?
But the Republicans in charge now are not nice at all. They are rabid, ruthless bastards who despise Dems, progressives and liberals.

How many more hundreds of times to we need to be kicked in the groin by the GOP before we figure out they don't want to be our pals?

[MyOwnPeace]

58. Says it all there!

"How do you begin a discussion with someone that thinks Reagan balanced the budget and Bush saved America from Iraq's WMDs?"

[7962]

100. I just saw a Jesse Ventura clip where he goes to one of the "FEMA Camps"

And he also finds where they're storing "caskets" for all of us too.
Jesse got dropkicked a few too many times in the ring.

[nikto]

102. That is a great post, Johonny

You should copy/paste that post on other sites as well.
Very eloquent, and so true!

[Coyotl]

12. What are the odds?

A statistician and a redneck walk into a bar. The bartender asks, "Can I get you a beer?"

The redneck says, "Sure."

The statistician says, "Close enough."

[daleanime]

15. Huh?

[Coyotl]

20. You're not a statistican, are you?

[daleanime]

38. No,

but I need to pick it up if I want to go back to school.

[Coyotl]

57. Statistics is a powerful tool. And a difficult class for many.

Just ask the actuarial nerds at the Life Insurance Company.

In inferential statistics, close is good enough to state a probability, thus, "Close enough."

[ErikJ]

23. Statistical significance

Wikipedai:= Statistical significance is the probability that an effect is not due to just chance alone.[1][2] It is an integral part of statistical hypothesis testing where it is used as an important value judgment. In statistics, a result is considered significant not because it is important or meaningful, but because it has been predicted as unlikely to have occurred by chance alone.[3]

[titaniumsalute]

49. NICE! I love it. N/T

[fadedrose]

19. Wasn't going to read this

Too long and I'm tired.

But glad I did.

I posted yesterday that I was sick of fighting. You did good in this situation. Nobody knows what casual thing they may say to set a nut off, and start a riot, and I like you for not allowing him to make a mountain out of something not any of his business - your occupation or field of study.

[blackspade]

24. Well played.

[Name Unpronounceable]

25. "Bob, you're acting like an ass again."

If I was there, that would have made me bust out laughing.

He reminds me of a cousin who told me that she doesn't watch FOX News but gets her information from observing the world and taking in information from everywhere. Then she goes on to spout the same bullshit talking point (Marxist, Socialist, Obama hates America) that comes out of Fox and Rush Limpturd.

[grahamhgreen]

91. Note: AGAIN!!! Lol

[countmyvote4real]

26. So sad. So true.

But well played.

[Turbineguy]

27. That magical moment

when you realize that the conservative who you are having a conversation with is an idiot.

[Jenoch]

28. I had two quarters of statistics in college (this was before semesters) and I hated it.

I got a C. Why oh why didn't I take it pass/fail?

You had an interesting conversation with someone who knew a little about what he was talking about, but not enough. It sounds like you were not the first peeson this guy has engaged in politics in that place. I bet he's real fun at the family Thanksgiving.

[NBachers]

29. "I trust the President to make those decisions"

That's the icing on the cherry, that statement.

[Cha]

36. ...

lol

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

30. Only problem....he wasn't "acting" like an ass!!! nt

[AngryDem001]

31. "I trust the President to make those decisions."

Oh my god. I would have PAID to see the look on the guy's face when you said that!

[SummerSnow]

56. me too. I'm sure he has choked on beer nuts several times with his spew

[AngryDem001]

88. OMG!!!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[VanillaRhapsody]

32. THAT is South Carolina for ya....my home sweet home...

Myrtle Beach is my old stomping ground. That's why I had to leave....that place wasn't good for my health!

[steve2470]

37. 1st red flag was when he insulted your previous career

You insult me in any fashion, you are no longer worthy of debate or even my company. I do have to say you did a marvelous job of debate jujitsu with him. Maybe one day he'll learn not to make a fool out of himself in public. Maybe one day he'll learn the truth.

[titaniumsalute]

50. Yeah when I said I used to do statistics and research

he immediately tried to quote that Mark Twain quote "There are lies, damned lies, and statistics." When he said that I asked him what he meant? He didn't really even know and that's when he deflected into the "mainstream media" commentary.

I also should have realized when he said "I listen to a lot of talk radio" where the conversation was headed.

[ErikJ]

39. Might have asked him about the polls before the election.

Did he believe the polls showing Obama leading? Why or why not? bc Fox told you not to?

[gordianot]

40. This is one of the best threads I have seen on DU how to make a wingnut explode on this subject

He is basically using Joesph Stalins argument and approach to statistics.

In the days when Stalin was Commissar of Munitions, a meeting was held of the highest ranking Commissars, and the principal matter for discussion was the famine then prevalent in the Ukraine. One official arose and made a speech about this tragedy — the tragedy of having millions of people dying of hunger. He began to enumerate death figures … Stalin interrupted him to say: “If only one man dies of hunger, that is a tragedy. If millions die, that’s only statistics.

He would have gotten along well with Stalin. Modern Conservatives Republicans embrace this approach constantly emphasizing personal often isolated incidents and dismissing the larger picture of facts and numbers.

[ErikJ]

41. Black and white thinking

Uneducated simpletons can only handle black and white perception. Numbers confuse them.

[Douglas Carpenter]

43. " I told him I trust the President to make those decisions. - I'm sorry but statements like that in

Last edited Wed Feb 26, 2014, 06:03 AM - Edit history (1)

regards to ANY politician make me want to cry.

"No savior from on high delivers. No faith have we in prince or peer. From our own right hand the chains must shiver, Chains of hatred, darkness, greed and fear."

[titaniumsalute]

51. Of course...

that was the point. I wanted him to cry.

[RobertEarl]

44. People are slowly learning

Learning that you can't win an argument about life in general when you go up against a long-time DU person.

[Enthusiast]

47. Back when I could still have a beer at the bar I ran into something similar.

They have been INDOCTRINATED. They can't think outside the box. They don't even know they are in a box.

[titaniumsalute]

53. That is such a true statement

It is a form of complete brainwashing and indoctrination. What is interesting is it was by design, not for ideology but for ratings and ad sales. The big media companies realized that there are enough right-wing morons to follow the right-wing hosts lock-step. They will listen like a Baptist in a Sunday morning sermon. They will buy their merchandise, books, coffee mugs, etc. They will give them Arbitron ratings and Nielsen ratings...turning those ratings into ad revenue.

The Democratics on the other hand don't usually follow lock-step like sheep. We don't buy coffee mugs and listen to talk radio like sheep. We read the NY Times, go to the library, watch the BBC, listen to NPR, think for ourselves.

[LittleGirl]

74. one of my middle school classmates made me a friend on

facebook and she's an RN in CA. She shared something from Fox Spews and posted something like, "That's why I watch Fox because they are fair and balanced."
I LOL and unfriended her immediately.

I removed all of the tea party family members around the same time. I have been tempted to unfriend several more but they don't shove their drivel down my throat - meaning I don't see it on my feed. My Mother (bleeding heart) asked me to not post political stuff on my feed and for the most part I don't. Except this AZ discrimination bill info...couldn't help myself!
Cheers.

[B Calm]

52. What cracks me up about these assholes, they think everybody views politics

the same as they do.

Good job putting him in his place!

[bemildred]

54. Well done. nt

[SummerSnow]

55. Sounds like he acts like an ass often as his wife pointed out.

lol

[titaniumsalute]

68. It certainly was the case

By about 10 minutes in she was paying the check...saying "honey...that's enough and OK we need to go...." THen the ass comment was priceless. Maybe he was just sloshed.

[Rider3]

60. Good job

You handled this well!

[Mr Dixon]

61. love it

Good job

[Javaman]

63. me thinks he protest too much...

I'm sure you will agree, in my experience, the more someone protests, the more the know they are wrong but have too much ego at stake to be an adult.

I usually take a similar tactic such as you did.

I just don't have the energy to spar with morons, I let them go crazy and remain calm.

[SheilaT]

64. Statistics!

One of my personal favorite subjects. I actually took it in college because I wanted to, not because I needed to. The only reason I didn't go on with the coursework was that I didn't have quite enough math background to go on.

I do want to refer all the statistics-phobes to Naked Statistics by Charles Wheelan, which is more or less a narrative overview and explanation of statistics and probability. He starts with the "Lies, damned lies, and statistics" and immediately points out that many people pay a lot of attention to baseball and football statistics, without ever glomming on to the fact that they're hooked on, are you ready for this? Statistics! Anyway, I've only read the first chapter but I'm eager to get to the rest of it. So many books, so little time. I also have on hold at my library The improbability principle : why coincidences, miracles, and rare events happen every day by David Hand, which also looks fascinating.

[Lucky Luciano]

66. I don't think statistics is math though.

It uses math, but it is more of a science/art that happens to use some math.

Probability - yes - all the way, that is math.

Of course, discussing these nuances would be a waste of time with Myrtle Beach's village idiot!

[LittleGirl]

75. I had to take a course to complete my degree

and I haven't had algebra since high school (25 yr ago at the time) and I was blown away by how much algebra they expected me to remember. I had to get a tutor. It was a summer class and we completed a 16 week course in 7 weeks. I was miserable during that 7 weeks. We had class two nights a week and I worked full time and did three hours of homework on the nights off. Then on the weekends, I had to study for the tests we had every week. OMG, that class about did me in. ugh. If I had to take that class first, I would have never finished my degree.

[Lucky Luciano]

81. oh yes - stats will certainly use math. No debate there.

Properly done, stats uses a lot of probability - and probability is actually just a specialized form of what math people call "Real Analysis." Real analysis is basically advanced calculus. The specialized form refers to the fact that the "measure" of the Euclidean space will be 1 instead of infinity - in a very rough way of speaking.

[LittleGirl]

83. well, I passed that class

but I've flunked algebra twice so never got to calculus. My head would have exploded. My elementary math teachers were terrible or I was too sick to 'get it.' I was good at studying art, languages and computer administration and performing customer service.

[DFW]

69. Glad to hear you lived to tell the tale

These days, whackos like that can be armed, and if they are, they are dangerous

[certainot]

70. next time just say "that's what limbaugh says all the time, but what has he ever been right about?"

to really confuse him, while he sits there fuming and racking his shriveled brain, you can add "except that some liberals actually are idiots"

his stuff was was straight off rw radio

[ismnotwasm]

71. Well done!

[get the red out]

76. It's like a compulsion

They can't help themselves once they've been indoctrinated to that point. And what makes it worse is that they automatically expect everyone else to agree with them.

[raccoon]

78. Wonder how his wife endures him. nt

[nxylas]

79. "Conservatives don't do that"

How did you not mention Unskewed Polls at that point?

[rbrnmw]

82. I have a whackjob Aunt

During the 2012 election she kept posting unskewed polls links. She says statistics are liberal lies. She's crazier than cat shit. I laughed my ass off on election night 2012 when she kept posting that Ohio was was stolen because the unskewed polls had Romney winning by a landslide.

[Lucky Luciano]

92. To them, unskewed means only polling white suburban or rural people. nt

[7962]

101. Reminding me of Megyn Kelly making Karl Rove look like a fool with this:

[Lucky Luciano]

104. Wow! She went off script there for a second...

...and gave away their lying "unskewed" mentality.

[The Wizard]

86. It doesn't take long to recognize a wing nut

I just ask where they get their information and if they watch Fox. If the say yes to watching Fox I just tell them I don't talk to people who watch Fox. They can rant all they want after that because I've already hit the ignore button.

[Fuddnik]

87. I'm going there Friday for the week-end.

I have to visit my Dad for his 85th birthday.

I hate that fucking place. It makes Florida look sane.

[titaniumsalute]

110. LOL...yes it does

and I LIVE in Florida.

[grahamhgreen]

89. Well done! I like to get them to agree with me on SS, Afghnistan, costly trade agreements, etc.

[DrewFlorida]

94. It sounds as though you were very diplomatic.

I'm not surprised that type of thing would happen in South Carolina, a state which believes it's ok to fly the confederate flag at the state capital. I will never travel to South Carolina, I avoid doing business with any and all businesses located in that garbage pile of a state.

I don't think I would have been so nice and pleasant with a moron like him, you're a bigger man than me!

[kimbutgar]

95. It's almost as if their brains are diseased from the extremist brainwashing. You can't even reason

With them. My husband works for a major airline carrier and a lot of his union workers buy into this republican shit and think the rich are being persecuted for their wealth. They believe the job creator memes and hate the President will a passion now calling him a Nazi. These guys live in the suburbs and have long commutes home. They have been brain washed steadily over the years listening to rush, Sean, levin and savage on their 1-2 hour commutes back to the suburbs. They make good money $30+ an hour full benefits, medical, dental, paid sick leave, paid vacations etc. yet they support the party that would do away with their union in a heartbeat if they get back both houses and the presidency. There is nothing you can say to them to change their minds. It’s sick to hear these guys supporting the very people who would take away their well paid union jobs. When my husband points out facts they spew the talking points and can never explain or answer a question without sounding like parrots. I tell him never argue with a fool you're wasting your time and energy and they are too far gone. I call them the goners.

I feel sorry the owner has to deal with this couple in her business. Great post and thanks for a good chuckle.

[toby jo]

99. Tell them you're an Eisenhower republican.

Then explain what the tax rates were then, how the economy grew then, what his opinion of war was, and how you really can't get behind people who are so far off that base. Tell them Eisenhower and Reagan both are left of Obama. If you're in with some real deep righties, you then tell them you'd like to get back to the good ole days of a real conservative party. You miss it, the healthy arguments, etc. But these guys these days….. too hateful ( or stupid or greedy or something)

I work with righties. I use this all the time. I get the deer in the headlight look from them all the time. It's priceless.

I'm glad you kept your cool. Wish I could confront like that, but what I got works, too.

[PatrynXX]

103. You should do that to my dad lol

Basically convinced a bunch of young people not to join Obamacare and he got a free meal for it. do'h.

[Liberal_in_LA]

107. k&r

[Spitfire of ATJ]

108. What's funny is they feel a duty to parrot what they've heard and then claim to be free thinkers.

[titaniumsalute]

111. That's exactly right

I could tell he was a right win radio listener long before he said he was. They say the same things...I guess thus the DITTO head name for Limbaugh listeners.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

112. You can spot a Hannity fan easily....

They squawk out, "Do you believe in the phrase, 'From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.'??? Well, do you know who said that? Do ya? Huh? Do ya?"

I always say, "Fred Flintstone."