General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI participate in a Facebook nostalgia group for the part of the USAF I was in.
It's interesting to chat with others who did the same job I did. It's a closed group.
The other day, a right-wing old-timer in the group (about the same age as me) posted a rant about how some performers sing the National Anthem. It began in classic old-timer NCO fashion, with "Listen up!" Then it more or less accused everyone who didn't perform the National Anthem the way he liked it of being "anti-American." His thread had a couple dozen likes and a few "You got that right!" replies. It hit me just wrong, though.
So, I posted my own thread, not about that, but about the fact that the intelligence work we were doing while in the USAF was not political in any way, and that those of us who were doing that work back in the 60s and 70s never even discussed politics. We were all just doing the jobs we were supposed to be doing. I mentioned that we were all in that Facebook group to reminisce and get all nostalgic about those days, not to stir up political discord.
My thread got 150 likes and a bunch of posts seconding that opinion. The original poster of the other thread chimed in, saying that he was never coming back to the group, which was no longer made up of patriots. "Good," was the response of several others to that.
yardwork
(61,715 posts)MineralMan
(146,338 posts)However, if we can do it in a non-confrontive way that simply takes a different approach, it often works best, I think. We needn't act like right-wingers to make our point.
dawg day
(7,947 posts)I'm in a craft group where politics is forbidden. One person keeps putting in little anti Obama digs, like skes knitting some flag scarf, and says our LAST president didn't respect it. I finally broke and said if she kept that up, I was going to post the photo of T picking his nose every time. She flagged me, of course!
MineralMan
(146,338 posts)confront the guy directly. That group is supposed to be free of disputes.
lunasun
(21,646 posts)dalton99a
(81,636 posts)MineralMan
(146,338 posts)But, yes, Trump doesn't know the words.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)keithbvadu2
(36,962 posts)Trump supporter Roseanne... You beat me to it.
HipChick
(25,485 posts)Beringia
(4,316 posts)on anniversaries on facebook. Like, why don't they just tell the person themselves, why include the whole extended clan.
MineralMan
(146,338 posts)Public declarations are welcomed by some people. You should see my feed. I'm on a class of '63 alumni group for my home town. Buncha old fogies we are.
JHB
(37,163 posts)Like this guy, who just had to get in that it was everyone else who wasn't being "patriotic".
Polybius
(15,507 posts)I think they are the ones who want to be swayed to stay.
Phoenix61
(17,021 posts)found a diplomatic way to handle it. I had someone I know tell me that CNN lies all the time. I asked him Want to throw down the gauntlet? Lets talk about FOX and all their lies. Not surprisingly, he decided he didnt really want to go there. Snowflake.
pecosbob
(7,545 posts)but I must admit that I saw signs of the rise of a 'christian soldier of god' clique at the end of the seventies and this scared me.
yaesu
(8,020 posts)tekriter
(827 posts)I was a 32853 - Electronic Warfare Systems Specialist.
ECM - Extra Cleanup Man. Worked on the Rivet Joint project in the 70s.
MineralMan
(146,338 posts)yaesu
(8,020 posts)MineralMan
(146,338 posts)RVN VET71
(2,698 posts)Tendency to get myopic somehow extends from the eyes to the heart and mind. But if this guy really quit the group because he was unable to deal with a different point of view about the anthem, I kind of pity his lonely, bitter old butt.
C'est la vie, c'est la triste!
(Maybe he'll find a puppy or a kitten to soften his heart.)
MineralMan
(146,338 posts)No hope for him. I'm an old dude, myself. I can't imagine falling into that mode.
RVN VET71
(2,698 posts)Sad, very sad.
MineralMan
(146,338 posts)a bitter place. The world is passing them by, and they're holding onto their fixed ideas no matter what. I know too many who have gone that way. The last years of their lives are consumed by anger and hatred. What a pity!
oldsoftie
(12,632 posts)"I wont shop there anymore". "I wont listen to their music anymore" "I wont watch that network anymore" "I wont eat there anymore" And so on and so on.
And its not exclusive to only the RWer types either.
MineralMan
(146,338 posts)and must have loved whatever authority he had in those days. Once he retired, he no longer had any authority at all, so he blustered at everyone in his rage at becoming irrelevant. He was a hard person to be around, for sure. I was his target for awhile, but never allowed him to overpower me, which drove him absolutely nuts. In the end, he alienate everyone around him, including his own offspring.
When my former wife and I ended our marriage, in a reasonable and comfortable way, I told her that she had just a couple of years to come to some sort of understanding with her father, or she would probably face considerable guilt after he died. She took my advice and ended up re-building a relationship with him, which was a good thing for him, since his last few years were spent almost helpless.
oldsoftie
(12,632 posts)AllaN01Bear
(18,532 posts)Karadeniz
(22,587 posts)lunasun
(21,646 posts)national anthem. I couldnt believe how so many of the white guys watching it in the place freaked out and were all pissed off
So long ago but I still remember it today because I was so shocked at their group reaction being young and naive
and I thought it was so cool
https://m.
Now Im old and just at people who have reactions like that
Scared? What ? How could you not feel the patriotism ? Oh yeah I know why but still
Like you said , if they do not like it = its not right
Good work MM