God Help Me.

[Beregond2]

I work at a gym, and I'm sitting here listening to this wingnut asshole mouth off for three hours straight to anyone who will listen. He is, of course, wrong on absoultely everything, and incredibly loud about it. Global Warming doesn't exist. Trees are the enemy. Obama is a pinko. Democrats are evil. I came so close five minutes ago to losing it completely, hauling him outside and beating the shit out of him. I took a walk around the block to cool off, and when I got back, he was saying: "...and why do they hate me? I don't hate them!"

I really fear that one of these days, I'm going to kill him or someone like him. Traitorous, willfully ignorant sacks of shit!

How do you all cope? I'm right on the edge here.

[exothermic]

1. Spot him while he lifts weights....and fake a heart attack.

:evilgrin:

[helderheid]

3. OMG!

[Beregond2]

9. Spot

Trouble is, he never lifts; he just comes in here to spew his venom.

[SammyWinstonJack]

29. .

:yoiks:

[SeattleGirl]

2. Is this a co-worker?

Your boss?

A member of the gym?

If he's your boss or a member of the gym, probably not much you can do.

If he's a co-worker, could you talk to your boss about him, and about how his blabbing is irritating the gym members?

Sorry that I don't have much of an idea.

And sorry you have to listen to that POS spew his garbage.

[murielm99]

8. If I was gym member there, I would complain to an

employee, and ask him or her to pass the word on to the manager. No gym member should have to listen to such hate and spew. Maybe you can find a member who is a friend with similar political views. That person could say something.

I was in a doctor's office one day when a right-winger was spewing. It was right after they lost their majority in Congress. I told him to be quiet, that we did not want to listen to it. I was happy to add, "You lost. Get over it."

[tpsbmam]

16. ITA.....as a member, I'd complain...

I recently had a few local businesses come to give me estimates on new flooring (long story....I'll let it go at ours is trashed). I'd like the kitchen tile done someday too (can't afford both) so suggested he give me a separate estimate for that to give me an idea of what it would cost with his company. He said he'd just come back. Now, I live about 1/2 hour from the company HQ -- I suggested he might want to rethink that given that the cost of gas was going up and up. Well, that opened the floodgates -- he started spewing his right-wing crap about how we needed to start drilling pretty much everywhere....and it just got worse and worse. I damn near threw him out of the house but didn't. What I did do was call his boss and inform him that I damn near threw his employee out and the likelihood that they'll get my business was slim due to this behavior. His boss was FURIOUS at the employee. Good. It's MY freaking house -- keep your damn mouth shut!

My Honda dealership used to blast Fox News -- told them if they continued they'd lose my business. They admitted they'd gotten some other complaints. They no longer air Fox at that dealership.

[calimary]

31. Yeah. You HAVE TO complain. You HAVE TO.

I did, myself, over an individual who was talking about how great the war was and how we should all support it because the way to handle the terr'ists was to just "Kill 'em ALL! Kill 'em ALL!" I complained to the owner about the employee when the owner, whose business I've supported for years now, told me about the new employee and how he was an expert in sales of this particular produce and I ought to ask him about it. I said - "oh, I'm sorry. I just can't. The way he's talking about the war and how we should be killing everybody and completely ignoring that the war was a complete lie and we can't go around acting like that as Americans - which is why we're so hated" - the owner listened, got very quiet and apologized to me.

The next time I went into that shop, that "new employee" was no longer working there.

YOU HAVE TO SPEAK UP. You ARE NOT LEGALLY BOUND to sit there and take it, or to be forced to listen to it. You're allowed to object. And you should. You're allowed to complain. It may not work, but for Pete's Sake, COMPLAIN ABOUT IT! At least make your feelings known. Most businesses WILL care if they think it might cost them a customer (especially if you've been a repeat customer and they kinda know you by now). They're not so in love with the frickin' ideology that they'll risk alienating a customer - not in THIS recession.

I've done that in my bank when they used to have Pox Noise on their TV monitors. I complained. They soon switched it to CNN and CNBC. When I further commented about it - to thank them for having done that, they said they'd received "several complaints" about it, not just mine.

YOU HAVE TO SPEAK UP. YOU HAVE TO COMPLAIN. In this economy, they're LOATHE to lose your business. They just don't dare risk it.

[Ian David]

35. I've complained about Faux News with mixed results:

Thai restaurant Sweet Lemon II now no longer plays Faux News. In fact, they sometimes put on Olbermann.

Sidelines Restaurant in Brockton now no longer plays Faux News, after I complained several times and made it clear that I do not patronize restaurants that broadcast nazi propaganda. My wife wished I had been more polite. Oh, well.

Fresh Catch restaurant in Easton, Mass-- fucking Nazi propagandist dickheads.
Bickfords restaurant in Brockton, Mass- fucking Nazi propagandist dickheads.
Loggo's Restaurant in (damn, forget the name of the town) fucking Nazi propagandist dickheads.

[calimary]

36. You can't win 'em all, of course, but look at you! You won TWO!

And you also know who not to patronize. Consider it like some Great Political Sorting Hat (with apologies to Harry Potter).

[Ian David]

37. It makes my wife very unhappy.

If she ever decides to leave me, I will be deposed about this.

[eleny]

4. Imagine how much fun it's going to be when Obama wins the election

And do something to make that happen like volunteering or donating if you can.

[Vanje]

5. Did you answer his question?

Tell him why they hate him

[PearliePoo2]

6. How about

telling him that out of respect for everybody who is at the gym, it is not PC to discuss politics.
If that doesn't work whisper in his ear, "Shut the fuck up!"

[Beregond2]

12. If I could get the owner of the place to do that, I would.

Coming from him, it might work. If I said it, it would only lead to more arguing. Maybe I'll bring it up to the boss again. I'll tell him that he is driving people out of the gym. Money, he understands.

One problem is, the guy in question is kind of a "fixture" here, who is liked by many. And setting his political beliefs, his social philosphy and his virulent homophobia aside, he is a nice guy; lol! I mean, he's raised all his deadbeat siblings kids, he'd do anything for you, etc. BUT...

[Ian David]

7. Make sure there is someone here to ask us to chip-in and post bail for you. n/t

[Ian David]

10. You know what *I* did today?

There was a guy riding a motorcycle while wearing a Rush Limbaugh t-shirt.

I got in front of him and kept "cleaning my windshield."

Heh heh.

The wiper fluid reservoir on my Prius holds a whole gallon.

Oh, good times... good times.

[Beregond2]

13. LOL.

That's great.

[SammyWinstonJack]

30. What if that had caused him to wreck?

:shrug:

[Ian David]

34. He should take the personal responsibility to not be a shitty driver. n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

38. Wait, he was a *shitty driver* because he wore a rush limbaugh t-shirt?

Because all you said about him was he was wearing a rush limbaugh t-shirt and that is why you chose to empty your windshield fluid on him. :shrug:

[Ian David]

11. Here's an old story about one of my Freeper Encounters at the gym

What we're up against, and why it's worse than you probably think
Topic started by IanDB1 on Aug-02-06 04:48 PM (56 replies)
Last modified by Behind the Aegis on Aug-04-06 06:01 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2753860

[Beregond2]

18. That's a great thread.

I have to say though, I'm a gay man, and I have far less trust of gay men than I do straight men. I've only been lied to and used by one straight man in my life, and I can think of dozens of gay men who have screwed me over (so to speak.) The idea that "gays are all about love" is laughably naive. The fact is, a lot of gay men (I can't speak for lesbians) are very damaged people, who can't be trusted. While that damage is the result of growing up in a sick, homophobic society, that doesn't excuse their actions. I have very little to do with gay men any more, and have given up on ever finding a good relationship. Thirty years of abuse was enough.

[Ian David]

33. One should be ALMOST as wary of someone who says "I love ALL gay people" or "I love ALL christians"

... as they are of someone who says they hate ALL of any people.

Both are forms of prejudice, and even "positive" prejudice can be injurious.

Scapegoating is a terrible tragedy, but mascotting can also be bad.

When you get a chance, google the phrases "noble savage" and "mandingo myth."

[Cleita]

14. I used to work as a bartender and got much of the same thing, however,

I could tell them to shut up if they wanted me to serve them. Since I'm legally not allowed to serve obviously drunk people I told them that if they keep saying nonsense like that it tells me that they are inebriated. :evilgrin:

I don't know what you can do but I'm sure your gym has some rules about clients molesting other clients or some such regulations that you can use to get them to shut up.

[asdjrocky]

15. I always engage people like that-

And being a Duer, makes it easy. We are up on things here, we know the score because we stay informed and get involved.

Whenever I hear someone spouting about global warming, I just say, "Yeah, sure, you're right, it's the 99.9% of scientist that are wrong. You and Rush are right about everything." Then go on to ask him how many acres of land the oil companies hold leases on now, odds are he won't know the answer, then explain to him that it's 68 million acres and that in your house you finish what's on your plate before you get more.

These people, for the most part, just repeat what they here from the idiots of talk radio and for that they should always be humiliated. In front of as many people as possible.

If all that fails, get his phone number and I'll be happy to give him a call.

[Beregond2]

19. You are right, of course.

But I'm not confrontational by nature, being an introvert. Plus, I get so furious, I can't even think.

[asdjrocky]

27. It comes from knocking on a lot of doors for political causes.

Some people you just can't get through to them. For those people, I just look at them and say, "Well, bless your heart."

[grantcart]

17. In a similar situation I finally turned to the guy and simply said

"You know all of that stuff that you are repeating from Rush Limbaugh is simply not factually true".


We ended up in the Sauna and went through all of the rumors - at that time it started with Rev. Wright's house. I didn't argue with him on any point simply corrected his facts.

On and on it went and it was obvious that I was a lot better informed than he was and finally somebody asked - "why are you for Obama".

We ended up with a very intelligent conversation and the others in the Sauna left and this guy started telling me the things that he liked about Obama but he was against socialized medicine.

At that point I always ask him if he wants to get rid of the CDC and explain to him that we have a mixed system and the Democrats just want the mix to be better and not let the corporations rip off the government.

At the end he told me that he was very happy to have the conversation - he was visiting his daughter next week in Colorado and that she had volunteered basically full time for him.

The moral of the story, I think, is that if somebody is acting out like that there is something pressing him. In my case this guy was afraid of losing his relationship with his daughter and afraid that if he didn't stand up to her politics he was betraying his beliefs.

While it is not possible all of the time you may find it useful to approach it like a psychologist would and not personalize it and try and find out what is pressing this guy so hard that he is acting out in an obvious asocial way. He knows that he is being overbearing but something is causing him to press on. I didn't challenge the guys personal belief system - just the facts and it led to a minor breakthrough. He may not vote for Obama but he isn't going to go around spouting the Limbaugh line anymore.

[Beregond2]

21. Bravo. I wish I could be that cool, and remember the facts

when I need them. But it is hard to stay calm when someone is so obviously on the edge of violent emotions themselves.

In this guy's case, I think he's a hugely repressed homosexual, who was taught to hate himself by a very bitter mother. He is also a gun nut, convinced that the Democrats want to take his weapons. (In his case, nothing would please me more, because I can really see him becoming a crazed sniper one day.) I think he is terrified, desperately needs to cling to his irrational beliefs and his guns to keep his personality from disintegrating altogether. And so he has to assert them loudly, and hopefully find someone to back him up, which he usually does. Liberals know it is useless to reason with these people, so they don't speak up, but another nutjob will always chime-in, which validates him.

Now that he is out of here, and I don't have to listen to him, I can think about all this and be more understanding. But wow, it is so difficult to maintain one's compusre in the face of so much irrational hatred.

[treestar]

20. Ask him if oil is a renewable resource

Are there new dinosaurs being born to die and leave their waste to fester underground for 9000 years until it is oil?

Ask him to prove that the earth creates new oil everyday, enough to keep 21st century Western Civilization going forever!

[specimenfred1984]

22. Politely inform the patron that he sounds paranoid and is annoying members

and if he doesn't stop it, you will have to inform mental health authorities and have him removed. People like him are sick, he is not a person who is simply vocal about his opinions, he is in a public place and very loudly exhibiting extremely abnormal behaviors which include lies, distortions of reality, hate-filled comments and clear paranoia.

It's sad but true that an entire segment of our population is now suffering from mass delusions fed by the most prolific propaganda a nation has ever seen but still, a person has the choice to believe the propaganda or not. Those who choose to believe it either cannot help themselves or have extremely hateful reasons for choosing to believe it.

[conscious evolution]

28. Great response

The mind control/propoganda machine has really twisted way to many people.
Fortunately,members of the media can also be charged with war crimes for poisoning minds with hate.

[LWolf]

23. I cope by avoiding such situations whenever possible.

When not, I probably would have stayed quiet until he asked that final question: "Why do they hate me?"

And then I would have schooled him in the answer.

[loveable liberal]

24. Do not under any circumstance let this person control your...

emotions. I read a fantastic book called "Emotional Intelligence". It's premise is that you control your emotions, you allow yourself to get angry. If you can control that impulse none of these people will have any effect on you whatsoever. I think the authors name was Daniel Goleman. I lent it to a work buddy who I no longer see so I'll never get it back.

Do not let others control how you feel. Be strong in your convictions and you will be fine. Complaining, or asking them to shut up is trying to control them. It is difficult, but you must allow people to choose their own level of stupidity.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

25. Was he attempting to purchase Oxycontin and condums? And have half his brain tied behind his back?

He sounds familiar...

[kimmerspixelated]

26. Rip a big one, make sure it's a paint-peeler,

y'know-almost sulfuric and eye-watering, and make sure it is as close to him as you can get, and claim that oh, you are narcolyptic and must've dozed off and that you were dreaming you were near a toilet and that you felt compelled to relieve yourself.

It'll be a gas!

[DailyGrind51]

32. Tell him he is right about global warming!

It is actually being caused by the temperatures of liberals rising from listening to idiots like him!