My response to my right-wing brother on Facebook.

[white_wolf]

I just wanted to share this, because I'm curious to see what you all think of this exchange. I'm worried I didn't do tell well. I posted something on my wall in support of gay marriage and I got a reply from my brother. I'll copy and paste it. It sucks, he was the one who fixed my computer for me, now I'll have to pay someone.

My brother: I have no opinion on guy marriage each to their own however I do have a right to those I associate with. I don't want any part those who choose to live that way as I would not want a bunch thug gang bangers around me or my family.

Me: Did you really just compare gay couples to "thug gang bangers"? I'm sorry, but do you have any clue how ignorant that sounds?

My brother: About as ignorant as gay marriage like I said I don't want a bunch of Queer lesbian sons bitches around me or my family just like I don't want a bunch of thugs drug addicts ask dad I have a way of dealing with those who intrude on my space.... As long as they keep their distance from me I could shit less what they do god will be the judge and they are going to bust the gates of he'll wide open!

Me: Not wanting drug addicts or gangsters around your family is understandable as those types of people tend to be violent. However, your altitude towards gay and lesbians couples has nothing to stand on.

As for your comment about the gates of and God judging them, well I don't think they have much to worry about. The Bible is no more valid a guide to life than the stories of Thor and Odin. It is full of contradictions, scientific errors.
However, assuming it is true, then I think a lot of people will be shocked when Jesus returns. After all, did he not tell the rich man to sell all of his possessions, give the money to the poor and follow him? Did he not say that man could not serve both wealth and God? He drove money changers out of the Temple, he commanded his followers to take care of the poor and sick as if they were him. The book of James says that the wealth of the rich shall be a testimony against him on the day of judgment. So, before you go condemning others to hell, make sure you are practicing what you preach for "judge not lest you be judged."

[sarcasmo]

1. This is why I don't discuss politics or religion with family.

[patrice]

2. No, no, no ... That's MY brother on one of his nicer, more lucent, days. Not kidding!

You did quite well, better than I, because I have stopped trying with him.

I keep him around on FB as a reminder of what we're up against.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. I think you answered him really sensibly.

And it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he has members of the GLBT community within his circle of friends..

His ignorance is astonishing.

I'm sorry you have this rift going on. It's hard, I know.

But you did say the right things...

[white_wolf]

8. Yeah it is hard, especially since I'm no longer part of the family...

at least according to him...

[jimlup]

4. I'm sorry... I guess I'm lucky. My brothers are both rational human beings...

I'll just chime in that I think your responses were patient and well stated.

[shraby]

5. You could always tell him that God must like them, he creates them.

[Phlem]

23. Perfect!

Dude, blame the straight people for having gay babies!



-p

[Mira]

30. or tell him that

it's the fault of straight people. After all, they are the ones who keep giving birth to gay babies.

[Canuckistanian]

6. "Queer lesbian sons bitches"?

Not only is that offensive, it's damned inscrutable.

[white_wolf]

7. I finnaly blocked him after he posted this little gem:

I edited the portion where he wrote our last name since I see no reason for that to be on here. Seriously, fuck this guy, I can't even understand his post and we are only half brothers anyway.

My brother: Listen i give more in a year then you make I have had to work all of my life not like some punk ass kid that has had mommy and daddy give to them i owned my first home by the time I was 22 I paid for my own education which mite not been much but by the grace of god and hard work I have built three successful business and raised two kids so I don't need half assed spoiled brat to quote the bible to me because if it wasn't for us doers you non doers would be up the creek oh and the bible also says a man will not lay with another man it's not natural so their fore it's a sin put that in you damn pipe and smoke it you cant be a (insert our last name here) and think the way you do you better get that attitude checked before somebody checks for you boy!!!!!

My last response: The Bible says lots of things are sin, Steve. The Bible says that wearing clothes of more than one type of fabric is a sin. In fact it condemns that right next to the verse that condemns homosexuality. I'm sorry if my quoting the Bible offended you, it isn't my fault you are ignorant of your own religion. Maybe you should read your Bible more often and then perhaps you know that Jesus and his followers were the very type of people you conservatives despise. They were poor wandering beggars who lived off the charity of others.

Oh, and did you really say I can't be a member of this family and hold these views? I have to say Steve, you are the one acting childish here, not me. You have posted things I disagree with before, but for the sake of peace I kept quiet. No one forced you to reply to what I wrote. However, the mere fact that you replied isn't the problem. The fact that you decided to make it personal is. I never attacked you, I made it clear my statement on wealth was a general one, since the vast majority of conservative Christians support conservative economic polices. However, you decide to go and say I shouldn't be part of the family because you disagree with me? I've argued with Sam before and he has never sunk so low as you. Regardless, if you don't want me as your brother, that's fine, it's not like either of us have ever had anything to do with each other way.

[lunasun]

9. Family can be the ultimate F word

What are you gonna do?
He offended you with anti gay talk but you called him ignorant so then he's mad (and still ignorant)
But stand your ground
equality and justice for all is about this!!
I don't blame you for being offended been there myself !

Painting you as some unflattering family archetype lets you know his true thoughts on you and your opinions including civil rights and how rude

F'em

[progressoid]

11. Ouch

I have RW family members but it has never come to that.

Hang in there!

[kestrel91316]

14. I notice that, like so many RWers, he is semi-literate.

These people need to read more. They'll learn spelling and punctuation and grammar, and they will learn about the world they live in.

If all you ever read is the bible, you're going to wind up STOOPIT.

[Starry Messenger]

24. Oof, all my brother gets in my shit about on Facebook is unions.

I'm sorry. Good answers to him white_wolf.

[white_wolf]

27. Oh, I'm sure he hates unions too.

He exemplifies the worst elements of the petty-bourgeoisie. He is a libertarian Ayn Rand type. He is arrogant, thinking of himself as a "self-made man" despite the fact that he wouldn't have been able to succeed without the benefits of society at large. The great thing is he made a lot of money in a law suit where he sued some company for damages. I find this ironic, because Saint Paul, the same man who wrote the portions of the New Testament against homosexuality also wrote some verses against suing others, saying it was better to be wronged.

[DiverDave]

43. He got his money from a LAWSUIT??

and he has the balls to say he's a "self-made man"??

Dude, just get away from him, he threatened you with that 'attitude check' comment.

I would send him a lol filled reply about keyboard ninja's and taking money from a lawsuit then claiming 'self made' then tell him to fuck off.
You are better off without his trash.

Just my .02

Sorry you had to deal with this.

[Selatius]

26. I hate to rain on your brother's parade, but your brother couldn't do anything without public help.

He says he worked hard his whole life, but the entire infrastructure of the town or city or nation he grew up around was built collectively by the blood and labor of workers and the money of taxpayers.

If he got to work, it's because everybody else built the roads.

If he could read a book at night, it's because everybody else worked and paid for through taxes for a functional power grid to light up people's homes at night.

And if he could read that book, it's likely because he learned to read and learned knowledge of the world in a public education system paid for by everybody, again through taxes.

He gets help from everyone else, but when it's time for him to pay back that good will, he would forsake those who helped him become the man he is. What a petty, foolish, vain little man.

[Blue_Tires]

36. +1

[Gman]

10. He said he didn't care. Why did you push the issue?

I think not caring one way or the other by people that are like what he later described is the minimum we should want. Many will never accept the idea of same sex marriage, but also don't care what two people do as long as they don't have to be around it or involved in it.

He's doing the minimum acceptable behavior. You should know you won't get more. Why push the issue?

[white_wolf]

12. I wouldn't have pushed if he had left it at he didn't care.

It was his comparison of gay people to gang members that pissed me off. If he had just said he doesn't like it,but doesn't care as long as they stay away from him, I would have let it go. When he added the gang member comparison he crossed a line by comparing a group of people who have never done anything to him to criminals.

[Smilo]

13. His loss. Always remember you can choose your friends

but not your family - and surround yourself with friends who want to be with you because of who you are and be glad you are not like your brother who seems to be "regurgiating Fox and Friends without engaging his brain first.

[Zoeisright]

15. Sounds like your brother is horribly afraid he's gay.

And for some strange reason, he also thinks he's incredibly attractive.

[Aristus]

16. Good reply, but it will fall on deaf ears.

Your brother, I'm sorry to say, doesn't seem like the thinking type.

I'm so thankful that my brother is a liberal like me; in fact he's even further to the left than me, if that's possible.

[calimary]

17. I especially appreciate your last paragraph!

I've heard a belly-full from all these sanctimonious holier-than-thou's out there - and NOT ONCE have I heard any of them quote the Beatitudes. Which is the bedrock of Christianity, according to That Guy after whom Christianity was named.

[white_wolf]

18. Yeah, I called him out for being ignorant of his own religion after he disowned me.

I don't know how he responded, because I blocked him. He's pissed me off enough for the night, if he's going to resort to childish tactics like saying "you can't be part of this family" then fuck him. He isn't worth talking to.

[marlakay]

19. Sorry for loss of relationship

The republicans in my family are all that way from greed and money issues, so the social issues are ok they aren't religious thank god...

I still don't talk about politics though or it gets weird. Everyone thinks their way is right.

[provis99]

20. I can't figure out how brothers can have such different politics.

When I sit around and talk politics with my little brother, it gets kind of happily-dull, because we always agree with each other; it's like talking with a clone sometimes. Both of us got our politics from our father, who got his socialist politics from his father; an odd situation for a family of Mississippians to be in; in Mississippi, insane right-wing nuttery is the norm.

[Harry Monroe]

21. I dumped my right-wing asshole brother from Facebook long ago.

Got tired of all his ignorance and stupidity. I have as little to do with him as possible in real life as well. It's really sad, he used to be open-minded. Then he got hooked on watching Fox News and thinks every word that comes from there is gospel.

[arcr2025]

48. Late Reply

My brother relies on Rush, Hannity, Fox. Gordon Liddy, Mark Furlman, and God knows who else for his information. He used to be a sweet guy. Now he acts like he is a mean old 85 yr. old and relishes in it. The right talk has changed him and at this point I really don't want to talk to him again or hear is nasty views. It is a shame, my mom would be very ashamed of what he has become. Sorry it seems your brother is a fascist, like mine.

[Phlem]

22. Just Beautiful

and spot on!



-p

[allan01]

25. re:My response to my right-wing brother on Facebook.

bravo. nice controled response.

[godahlnorskey]

28. You have done the right thing - you are OK

I have never responded on this site before, but have read comments for years. However your situation forced me to respond. I am the youngest of 7 kids - I am now in my advanced 60's. I was raised in a fundamentalist family but that is well in the past. Your response to your brother was rational and tempered - I would not have responded to him if he was my brother. When my son died a couple of years ago, none of my siblings called me or talked to me. Only one sister-in-law was kind and civil enough to actually call me. I divorced my entire family, all of them fundamentalist bigots, after my Mother passed away at the young age of 100+. I have never been happier - we have nothing in common except for genetic material and past history. My collected friends over the years are my real family - supportive, intelligent, loving.

[white_wolf]

29. Thank you for your supportive response.

I'm still kind of angry over all this, even though I know it's a probably a small thing. Anyway, I hope you'll stick around and post some more.

[snappyturtle]

31. Your first post! Welcome to DU....sorry about your family but I, too,

am soon to be in the same position. Glad to hear you've never been
happier...that's given me some hope. Family 'divorce' is just such a
waste and I find that very sad although sometimes necessary.

[SunSeeker]

32. Exactly. You can't pick your relatives, but you can pick your family.

Over the last few years, and particularly after the death of my mother, I like you have given up on the relatives that have caused me nothing but pain. I now just have a family of friends. Like your collected friends, they are my real family. Life is too short to spend it on people who don't bring you joy.

[gkhouston]

35. Sadly, this sort of thing happens in a lot of families.

Welcome to DU!

[Viva_La_Revolution]

38. Welcome to DU, godahlnorskey!

[Rittermeister]

33. I've been talking to my mother

I've gotten her to agree that religious fundamentalists are insane; that gay people are cool; that science is good; and that the top 1% of society is screwing the rest.

Yet she's still a diehard Republican. I asked her today what in particular was she opposed to about Barack Obama.

He's a bad man
He's a liar
He's never had a real job
He's not an American
He's a communist

WTF?

[Mariana]

37. Sounds like she's been listening to RW radio

or perhaps Faux Nooze, or both. That's where those ridiculous assertions are made, day after day, hour after hour. She may also be reading and believing those idiotic e-mails that RWers incessantly pass around to everyone.

[JoePhilly]

45. Ask her how the DOW increased from 7500 to above 12,500 under a commie.

[Lilyeye]

34. You reponded well. I am really sorry that it was come to this for you and your brother

No offense, but he sounds like a total asshole who has the typical arrogant rethug attitude. I have family like that, but thankfully its not my siblings.

[silentwarrior]

39. sorry to hear that wolf

family members can be shocking in their attitudes with one another. my family can not accept my sexuality, could say its ignorance on their part. my close friends are more accommodating with regard to my personal beliefs.

what part of the uk are you from?

[white_wolf]

40. My profile says I'm from the UK?

I'll have to change that. I don't know how that happened, but no I'm from the U.S. Tennessee to be more specific, right in the heart of the Bible Belt.

[white_wolf]

47. I wish I was from Britian or even the just the Northern U.S.

They both seem somewhat sane compared to the part of the U.S. I'm from.

[DFW]

42. " the gates of he'll " ??

Did your brother fake his graduation certificate from third grade?

Not only do his attitudes indicate it, but so does his English, assuming it is his native language.

[sufrommich]

44. So I take it that the dog whistle term

"thug gang bangers" has been changed to include gay people along with black people among the teabaggers?

[Mr Dixon]

46. IMO

Great reply: your brother seems locked in Fear and he is lashing out at the people that frighten him. There are millions of people like your brother and they are anchored in their belief nothing will change that, unless the planet is threaten by a cosmic event ROFL. I have to SMH when people start using the bible for their own intolerance, we should call them ostridge people for just sticking their head in the ground and hoping for a better day.