My mother has become a right-wing, racist idiot.

The BBQ Pit
1

She’s been forwarding me all this political, racist crap her sister sends her for a while now. Usually, I ignore it. A few times, I’ve composed responses and sent them to everyone on the cc list (all of them the same group of emails I recognize from previous forwarded emails).

I have asked her, via email, to PLEASE stop sending me such shit…does she NOT realize I am a progressive, liberal Independent who voted for Obama? Does she honestly not realize how horribly offensive most of these things ARE? :confused:

My mom and I are not terribly close, despite living in the same town for the last 3 yrs or so. She is not terribly involved (or interested in BEING more involved, imo…always some excuse to miss her grandson’s graduation and of course, no holidays/birthdays due to her religion, see below) with her grandkids. We’ve not had a lot in common for years, and if she weren’t my mother, I’d never have anything to do with her.

She’s older (70 next mth) and not in great shape health-wise. (diabetic, osteo, on several different medications incl. for pain…yes, I’ve mentioned talking to her Dr(s) about possible med issues…I REALLY suspect her mind is just not right as a result of interactions/dependency/encroaching senility). But her mind has never been quite right, imo.

Thing is, she was almost always very apolitical and, raising me, was very vocal re’ racism and would not allow such tripe to pass unchallenged. She spent a few yrs. as an “objectivist” (Rand, et al) but otherwise…and NOW and for the last 10 yrs or so, she’s a Jehovah’s Witness. :rolleyes:

Ok, now, JWs are NOT supposed to get involved in politics, period. And their cult (imo) is one which goes out of its way to embrace those of ALL races and ethnic backgrounds; it is something they tend to be proactive about, ime). My sis-in-law, who is also a JW, expressed surprise when I vented to her about it recently…asked, “Is she still involved in JW? Because that’s not what we do.”

Yes, far as I know she is (last time I visited, a mth or so ago) but who knows? :confused:

Anyway, I pit my mother for continuing to send me this CRAP…last one, a few days ago, was this DISGUSTING screed on how the reason Detroit has gone downhill is due to all the Blacks, MUSLIMS, and Mexican immigrants. :smack: Just more of the same, laced with racism, religious bigotry (also lots of “Obama is trying to take away our rights as Christians!!! Pass this on if you love Jesus!!!” :eek:) and just plain IGNORANCE.

The thing that made it worse than the usual drivel was that she added a personal comment at the top, “This has really opened my eyes. Hope it opens yours.” :smack:

If she weren’t my mother, I’d just block her. It doesn’t seem to have any effect to respond with polite but opinionated rebuttals. I guess I am just venting…if possible, my mother is making us even LESS connected. I liked her better when she was apolitical. :frowning:

2

Is it possible that arguing with her makes it worse? By engaging at all with what she says, you might be hinting that you really just need more of these emails to finally be convinced that she’s right.

3

No, I don’t think so. She never acknowledges any of my responses, which says to me she is FORGETTING that I ever made them OR is being even more passive-agressive than usual in continuing to send me stuff and never initiating other contact, then acting all “Oh, I am SO glad to see you!” when we get together.

She NEVER speaks of anything like this, only forwards emails…for a long time I wrote it off as her just innocently forwarding stuff she got w/o really realizing or thinking.

And the few responses I’ve sent (to her and everyone else, incl. my aunt…who I’ve long KNOWN is a racist right-winger) have been very clear in my positions.
(only 1 long one, in reply to a “So, do you miss Bush yet?” email, in which I explained in detail exactly why I didn’t and never would :p…the others have taken the form of “Hey, guys, check out what Snopes has to say about this…it’s not true. Just wanted to give you a heads up before you share a falsehood with others.”)

No, I seriously doubt she is trying to “convert” me; seems like she’d make more of an effort to do so in person/on the phone if that were the case.

I really am drawn to conclude that she just doesn’t think about it when she sends me something like that…doesn’t GET why I might not agree or find it informative, any more than she does when sending me “check out these cool pics from Yellowstone” or something forwarded emails.

But it saddens me to think that SHE, apparently, sees nothing wrong with the material she is sharing. :frowning: Means she either actually agrees with them and/or is growing too senile to know the difference between reality and bullshit and/OR to recall that her only child is NOT a fundi-Christian, racist or Republican/teabagger.

4

Your mother and mine should get together. Mine used to be a liberal, and ever since she’s been living with my sister and her right-wing nut of a husband she’s changed completely. I stopped talking to her because of an argument we had, she’s become the worst kind of person I’ve ever met. Hateful, extreme right-wing, just odious. :frowning:

5

Well, my mom is NOT really like that in real life (would almost be more tolerable if she WAS, since at least I could understand it a bit better and feel able to respond more effectively).

As I said, she NEVER voices any opinions like this, never has (our past debates over the virtues of capitalism and how the rich, intelligent elite support the masses of ignorant, poor and are SO put upon as a result aside :rolleyes:).

It’s like she is another person IN PERSON, and she is just reading this tripe, agreeing with it (which is, I suppose, a manner of “voicing” it) and sending it on to me as if I will, too.

Maybe it is just a case of people being emboldened to express their bigotry via email/the internet. :confused:

I should probably just be able to let it go/ignore it all things considered, but lately, every few days there is a new barrage of mostly offensive (to me) crap in my inbox. Maybe I should start sending HER stuff which SHE would find offensive. (I know, probably not a good idea, but I am sometimes tempted, just to see if it gets a reaction :p)

6

You need to pay her a little visit and while there, disable her computer.

7

What “computer”? She uses “web tv”. :rolleyes:

I honestly think the only thing she does is get forwarded emails from her sister and pass them on. Even if they AREN’T offensive, people like her are the scourge of the internet, imo. :mad:

8

Your mother sounds like a hell of a good woman. Just because she sees through all of the BS and thinks for herself does not mean she is necessarily a bad person. You may be the one that is drunk of government Kool-aid.

9

“scourge of the internet”…HAHAHAH

10

My GOD, they still have Web TV?

She’s braver online. Or she’s developing a different persona online with people she’s befriended.

I have family like this. They wouldn’t say an unkind word to me to my face but they forget when they forward their hateful bigoted anti-brown people rants that I have half-Mexican children and my SO is Mexican. It’s not just anti-illegal immigration (although I see a lot of that too) it’s racist lies about Mexicans, Middle Easterners, or anyone who looks the part.

I’ve reminded them many times, and they’ve seen enough photos to know I’ll go off every time.

11

LOL…your soooo brave.

12

Join date Jul 2010. Never would’ve guessed it…

13

And he used to be a liberal, too. Tragic.

14

Somewhere out there on the Internet, there is another message board breathing a huge sigh of relief.

15

Oh man 1998. How I have nostalgia for thee. Is she stuck with real player 3 because they haven’t yet released the upgrade for G2? Making a website with tables with lots of padding?

16

Wait, you can get drunk off kool-aid?:confused:

17

Forwarding Snopes links has gotten me removed from almost all those Rant Forward groups in people’s emails. Maybe your mother is going post-literate and doesn’t really read your email, just notices that you sent one.

18

Your so brave what? :confused:

19

Ask Mom (in person or over the phone) if she enjoys email communication with you. Then explain that you’re thinking of blocking her, because it seems that all she does is send you hateful, offensive emails. Tell her that you WILL block her if she continues to send such emails.

Yes, she’s your mother, and she deserves your respect for that. However, nobody is allowed to be repeatedly offensive…not even parents.

20

FTR, I never include links in any emails…just mention they might want to check their facts with Snopes or some other more reliable source, since their “facts” are utter bullshit. Although, I’m sure the minds behind the sort of emails I am responding too have no interest in facts or being corrected and likely do just ignore it/delete me (I can always HOPE!)

bullrun, yeah, whatever. :rolleyes: