A rare political conversation with my mom

[cosmolinguist]

Mom was telling me about a story my dad read in the paper (ie the Minneaapolis Star-Tribune) about a woman who was prevented from putting the Hillary Clinton yard sign she wanted in her yard by fear that her house, or even she, would be attacked by people who didn't like it.

Mom says this seems possible to her. She said around them all you see is Trump signs, and that this story helped make her think that it might not be that the support is so skewed but just that other people are more tentative about supporting the person who doesn't advocate violence against people who disagree.

And this is fucking Minnesota. Yes like that Cracked article talks about it's the country and not the city. But damn if this is what it's like living in a blue state, I would not like to be living anywhere less white, with less cultural encouragement towards reticence (we got onto this topic anyway because Mom was talking about how she's had to make sure not to talk about politics with her best friend, or my aunt's partner...).

I remember Mom talking in 2012 about feeling a bit lonely as (though she didn't put it like this) an Obama voter in a sea of people who couldn't sufficiently get past their racism to consider voting for him. It sounds even worse this year. She talked about being frustrated that people aren't basing their decisions on facts, and of being worried about what will happen after Trump loses. I know this is all stuff I, like any other follower of American politics, has read in tweets and thinkpieces, but for my mom who lives in a world totally separate from any of that to come out with the same things is weird.

I did my best to reassure her that it'll be over soon -- in recent elections I've missed being in the thick of it and helping out on various campaigns, but this year I've been nothing but happy to be missing out on the worst of it and how it's talked about in American news -- and that I've already voted and done my bit, and that he won't win. But I don't think she was very reassured.

And I've promised that Andrew and I won't talk about politics with my family at Christmas. I fear I might have to bite my tongue so hard it completely comes off, but I hope things will have calmed down by then.

Comments

[silveradept]

It's a unique election for many reasons, but the biggest one I can think of is the complete disregard for what the majority of white folk think elections are supposed to look like. The ugliness has come home because one party finally got a candidate who is willing to overtly say what had been winks and nods before.

It will be over soon. It has better be over soon.

[sfred]

:-(

[nanila]

Not that it's anywhere near as bad as the toxicity of the American political divide at the moment, but I recall having that feeling when I put the Remain sign in our window before the June referendum. I was genuinely fearful that someone might try to do damage to our property.

[cosmolinguist]

I saw others saying the same thing. :/

[barakta]

Whatever happens, your Mum and Dad have to live with it on a daily basis like no non-US domiciled person has to. I hope it settles soon, that sounds quite hard for her too.