We were coming at it from different angles and perspectives, with slightly different filters. I now see it through your perspective and filters and have learned something. Thank you.
Hopefully you will also have learned something from my angle and filter.
What is the stereotype of a person who uses a cane and oxygen? I can’t say I’m familiar with it.
All of the old, white men and women that I associate with are liberals. So either I’m living in an alternate universe or the OP is all wet.
Oh heavens, I know too many. Fortunately, I know more who are liberals. It might have to do with the Portlandia area where you live? Surely you know there are a lot of old white republican trump supporters in this country. And JohnT is in Texas, isn’t he?
Matthew’s speeches referred only to the importance of the Second Amendment and his desire to see protesters shot. He didn’t (at least, according to the OP) say anything about health care, pre-existing conditions, or Medicare. I don’t agree with any politician, or political party, 100%. Perhaps Matthew agrees with Trump on some things and disagrees on others.
As much a I disagree with Matthew, I don’t see how his age or infirmity makes him a hypocrite when discussing the 2nd Amendment or protesters.
Really, this is the part I found painting with a broad brush:
That statement could have been fixed with many different qualifiers (e.g. many, some, several). I can certainly say that this particular middle aged/older white American man isn’t undergoing any emotional, spiritual or psychological breakdown. So, if I could be excluded from this with the addition of a few well placed words, I’d be happier. But then again, I don’t see “all” in the statement, so it can reasonably be assumed that you didn’t mean that in a way it could have reasonably been interpreted.
I wouldn’t have been able to help from interrupting Matthew with incredulous laughter, and if you were able to sit there in silence, you are far more stoic than I.
Well, I can’t really speak for JohnT, but everyone I know who believes in shooting the protesters is a trump-supporting republican who thinks that the party is on his side.
I did not read the OP’s response to his so-called friend’s set-up/lame trap as being broad-brushed or prejudiced against anyone. What he did was carefully describe the group which seems to be driving the far-right reaction to the positive changes in our society over the last hundred plus years and he did that without using words that would indicate that he feels all of the people who match those demographics (age, gender) are considered by him to be a monolithic thinking bloc. The OP is correct: those in that demographic who do react negatively to those changes, but not everyone in that demographic, react so because they perceive those changes as taking away their privilege. Of course, they also deny that they had those privileges in the first place, but that’s not the point.
Have to say that B&D Toastmasters are the best of the lot, no need to clean, just throw away when dirty. New one is less than drinks at a bar. 
You did everything right. I am fucking impressed.
I guess it depends where you live, exactly. Most of the old white people I know of live in the suburbs or ex-urbs and were kids when white flight from the city took place. So in many cases they were raised to believe “people who don’t look like you are bad.”
Did you architect this entire conversation for your reply? LOL!!!
Sheesh… my TM group is sponsored by my workplace, and we have an unspoken rule to avoid discussing politics. When I was Table Topics master and announced that the topics would be related to Abraham Lincoln, some of the attendees were reluctant to participate because they were afraid I was going to ask them something of a political/historical nature. I purposely did not – “Abraham Lincoln’s favorite dinner was corned beef and cabbage, venison and apples. What’s yours?” Even the mention of his name was enough to invoke fears of the ominous political specter.
Man, we have an unspoken rule in my work to not talk politics, though I think I know how some are leaning. In 28 years I have never heard anyone debate or talk politics.
Home life, health and whatever else is fine.
You just don’t talk politics or religion at work.
Just to be clear, I don’t think the Toastmasters group in the OP was a workplace group.
Almost blew up my toaster this morning.
You do not sound like much of a toastmaster.
I propose a toast…to the masters of…toasting and roasting.
I’m inclined to agree. I used to do Toastmasters years ago before I had kids. Honestly, the OP’s group sounds terrible. Toastmasters is supposed to be a place for learning public speaking, not to serve as a soapbox to debate politics.
And unless the OPs TM group runs very differently from mine, I don’t think there is really a format for debating. Someone could give a politically charged 2 min Table Topics or prepared speech, but mostly the group would be addressing the style and structure, not debating the merits of the content.
Woah woah woah, slow your roll, I was responding to the guy who exploded his toaster.