I really don't know if I can pretend to like my family anymore.

Since the election, the rift is bigger than ever. I can't bear to talk with them. I can't bear to look at them. They literally make me feel ILL.

My mother the fundy and my brother the Ayn Rand objectivist / Rush dittohead...I can't fucking stand either of them anymore.

But I'm a woman on disability and I occasionally need physical help and financial assistance.

I'm furious. I can't stand the people in this red county anymore.

The town I live in is close as the crow flies, but it's a bit of a drive. You have to go down the hill, then back up.

But I'm sure your relatives cloud it. I'm in the Bay Area, the base of disability advocacy. You should PM me with specifics on your issues - but I'm going to bed, and won't see it 'till tommorrow.

You did not choose your family.

if my relatives say 1 word about politics or religion I'm going to ....do something (say curse words and kick them out of the house i guess)

can't handle the F-I-L's psycho-babble.

I love my mother but hate everything she stands for. She's a devout Catholic, hard core repuke. Most of my siblings are bush-lickers as well. I won't talk to any of them except mom, and there isn't much she and I can talk about. Its too easy for the conversation to degrade into hostilities. Hell, if she asks me how I am, that simple question puts us into dangerous territory.

I haven't talked to her since the "election", and I'm not anxious to do so. Best bet is probably to just say "Hi mom, I love you....Ok, talk to you later....Bye!

Sad!

My toilet flooded my bathroom and hallway on the evening of Nov. 3...fitting and symbolic, wouldn't you say? I bailed water, but my back and emotions were so frazzled. Imagine doing that in ankle-deep, cold, disgusting water right after losing the election.

It sent me over the top.

I sobbed hysterically most of the time my mother was here. We really haven't spoken since.

I just know this Thanksgiving there's gonna be a confrontation between me and my RW, Army lifer uncle who actually told me to my face to move to France. Since I'm already something of a black sheep anyway (for reasons having nothing to do with politics), I figure they're more likely to rally around him.

Swear to god though, if he starts spouting some "liberals hate America/love terrorists" bullshit, I'm gonna slug him in front of everyone.

I went through this years ago, and my girlfriend went through it this election. There is no reason to like what is unpaltable to you, and less reason to like those who are trying to make you swallow what is unpalatable.

Life is simply too short to have anything to do with those whose values are not akin to your own. And it turns out that there are only two types of people in this life. Thise who's moral compass turns outward, who are always observing and criticizing the behavior of other people and who think that their own values are just fine.

And those who look at themselves before decideing to criticize the behavior of other people. This is the secret of the success of the "values voters" thie election. There values system consists of blaming the condition of the world on other people, rather than their own vision of it. They are pretty much the type Jesud spoke of when he talked about people who follow the leter of the law, and not the spirit of it. This is the reason for the sucess of hatemongers like O'Reilly, Hanity and Limbaugh. The allow others to atack the rest of the world, but NEVER look at themselves. Sort of like O'REilly when he got caught recently. It would never occur to O'Reilly that he did anything questionble. but he blamed the left wing conspiracy and everyone else.

These people will rarely come around. There is no point wasting ime with them. Just smile, and avoid them whenver you can, deal with them only when you have to.

But if you want to get a dig in, when they ask you why you dont see them anymore, tell them why. Or give them a copy of this post.

at the end of the day...YOU control how react to anyones bullshit.

So many famillys are split up.What will happen when they start asking about who isn't there over and over again ? THEY LOST in thier little world of sound bite dumbth. i think famillys will come around if they are worth keeping together.It isn't your problem,just consider them going thru some stupiid stuff for a while.

over an election.
I try to rationalize that for every one of them, 100 people in Cincinatti voted likewise....And I absolutly HATE every fuckin' one of those strangers.

Spreading any disdane I have for my friends and family over the larger pool of strangers helps me realize I can forgive those closer to me.

More sad are the friends that voted for Kerry that are telling me they are now applying for emmigration to Canada or New Zealand.