Facebook has a wealth of groups and pages to become a fan of, but nothing is more aggravating than seeing Facebook offer suggestions of repulsive wingnut pages just became your mom became a fan. I try to keep my facebook as non-political as possible, but once in awhile I can't help but poke a stick at her and my handful of wingnut relatives and the really rotten pages they join. I may be a stinker, but that apparently is why my liberal Uncle in Washington state loves me so much.
I actually had to hide my mom's status updates from my newsfeed because she tends to post a lot of wingnut garbage. But even though my mom hasn't gotten a clue, even after the disastrous Bush years, it's amazing (in the bad way) to investigate her profile and see her affiliations.
So here we go:
Pages:
Glenn Beck
--Yikes. I see this nutcase as Morton Downey Jr. crossed with a failed shock rock DJ, except less entertaining. It baffles me this guy got any programming because he makes reality TV seem like Chaucer.
The Constitutionalist Today
--A page dedicated to how Obama is going to take away your freedom and guns. They claim to be Truthy, but they also think Obama's HCR can be repealed, so I don't think reality is part of their efforts.
Intelligent People Who Oppose ObamaCare
--Okay, this is obviously an oxymoron, because no such people exist.
Dear Obama, Stop blaming Bush. It's getting old. Sincerely, Everyone.
--This one makes me cackle! Didn't republicans spend nearly all of Bush's presidency blaming Clinton? Yet, when Bush leaves the country in utter ruins, we can't make mention of that? The cognitive dissonance makes my brain hurt! I also love the assumption that everyone feels the same way they do. Blanket statements and sweeping generalizations are the smartest way to approach any subject!
Sorry McDonald's, but I really don't think Olympic Athletes eat your food.
--actually, not nutty. I had the same reaction when I saw fit, healthy Olympians doing those spots.
Say No To Cap and Trade
--the only hot air here is the spewing of denial. My mom's husband actually told me that the real reason for the increase of C02 in the atmosphere is because there are more people than ever on the planet, all exhaling. And this guy actually got a degree in biology from an accredited university!
i should not have to press 1 for english!
--Okay, I don't get this fear of other languages. I've lived in Canada nearly 3 years, my stepdaughter (who was born into an English speaking family) is in the French school in BC and is now fluent in both languages, and I see no point in being angry that, ZOMG, there are labels in French on the ketchup bottle nor do I mind that there's an option when I call the bank to check my balance. Talk about a page for unfocused rage! And you'd think the creator of the group would know to capitalize his i's.
Michele Bachmann
--This actually offends me. Bachmann is the definition of Ugly American who brings great shame and humiliation onto the entire country
Sarah Palin
--I wish my mom had better female role models. My mom is actually a very strong person, especially after my dad passed away. She was just shy of turning 50 and embraced life by joining a belly dance troupe, theater and countless other activities. Why she'd lower herself to this sort of association is baffling. Except for her rotten political beliefs, my mom should a role model for the likes of Sarah Palin.
NObama
--OMG! It's a pun on our President's name! It also encapsulates the Republican motto of governing: SAY NO TO EVERYTHING.
O.B.A.M.A. (One Big Ass Mistake, America)
--This is an acronym. I just find it odd that anyone can actually think Obama is a mistake after voting for Bush twice and having one's financial portfolio devastated in 2008 by the crash.
John Thune
--Gotta admit, there are so many slimy GOP senators still in office that I don't know much about this creep, except his facebook page is a series of lies and deliberate misconceptions, which is precisely why republican voters are unable to make good decisions. And apparently Thune is another guy who can't grasp that repealing HCR would require astronomical gains in the house to override an Obama veto.
Joe Wilson
--Oh yes, it's good manners to be a fan of a scumbag who can't observe Congressional decorum or manners. And yet, when I was a child, I was told not to interrupt others when they are speaking.
Conservative
--Oh, I'm sure they embody small government and fiscal conservative values. Just don't pay attention to what conservatives actually do while in office.
The Heritage Foundation
--My mom apparently believes that this think tank is unbiased and does not have an agenda that will ignore facts on the way to their conclusions.
FreedomWorks
--These guys believe in lower taxes and small government. It's "more freedom"! More! My mom will vote for anyone who promises to lower her taxes unless they're a Democrat such as Obama. So when he lowered her taxes (she doesn't make over $250k a year, incidentally), he was still a jerkface.
Contract from America
--One of those goofy libertarian pages that isn't terribly based in reality, but I gotta admit this group's name sounds suspiciously like they hate America since they want no part of the system that has provided for their comfortable lifestyle. Worse, my mom has never understood that she grew up in the shadow of the New Deal and benefitted greatly from a level playing field. My mom and dad never would have gotten anywhere had they grown up under the Reagan years. There's a reason my brother & I are broke and in debt up to our eyeballs. Economic freedom means freedom from having green in one's wallet...
Tea Party Patriots
--Real patriots would not hurl racist epithets at Congressmen. Tea party = Tea Klux Klan. This is another very embarrassing association on my mom's part.
Hands Off My Health Care (formerly Patients First)
--my mom actually dropped her health insurance a few years ago, so I can't point out that health insurance companies require you to stick to their network (ie: choosing doctors for you). However, she also has this idea that if she gets sick, she'll be able to pay out of pocket for any costs. She's got a little money socked away, but one illness would really wipe her out entirely. This point never seems to occur to her. Sadly, she somehow also forgets that when my dad was battling cancer in the 90s, their health insurance plan was precisely what prevented them from going into the poorhouse while he got treatment.
Fox News
--Her household is a fact free zone.
Michelle Malkin
--again, choosing female role models poorly.
Sean Hannity
--the sad thing is that you can provide my mom with all the proof in the world that Hannity makes shit up and she tells herself that the proof is a lie.
Michael Savage - Borders, Language, Culture
--I've told my mom that Michael Savage is one of the shittiest human beings alive, in pretty much those terms. How this guy became a hero of anyone with any sort of compassion is beyond me.
Rush Limbaugh and the EIB Network
--I think she's been listening for nearly 20 years, which explains why her politics have gotten so polluted. Has any radio figure been more detrimental to the wellbeing of society than him?
Being Conservative
--should be subtitled "Being Clueless and Cruel"
304,059,724 against Obama's Healthcare takeover
--Presumably the title of this group assumes that every last person in the US is against HCR. That ignores the 2008 presidential election, many polls, and the people who are part of Dkos, just to name a few. A great example of republican Fuzzy Math!
Conservative American Patriots
--If these people cared about their country more than their political party, they would have rejected the Reagan/Bush worldview decades ago.
GOOOH - Colorado - Get Out of Our House
--this group's goal is to "evict" all 435 members of the House. Good luck with that!
W.A.L.N.U.T.
--This group informs us that all liberal thought is unconstitutional. Even when you're choosing what flavor of bagel you want this morning.
Global Warming is a Hoax
--I do get offended by this sort of thing because I kinda hope my 7 year old stepdaughter actually has a chance at a decent life with minimal environmental calamity but it's frustrating to see my mom acting against her future. But, facts just have no place in their discussions.
I think you can see why I have hidden my own mother from my newsfeed. This sort of nonsense is distressing, sad and embarrassing. Sure, I could poke holes in every one of those groups, but the 20 years of republican proganda on the radio has her ability to reason and examine the issues utterly eroded.
I've tried to keep my facebook profile oriented away from politics, so in comparison, I'm fans of things such as The Balvenie, Scotch, ICanHasCheezburger?, Biga Pizza, Invasives, NoMeansNo and other musicians.
Thanks for letting me rant and vent. My eyes hurt from all the rolling, but it feels good to gripe to a sympathic audience