“Pizza girl has a son who is a Republican. Maybe there is a bit of influence from her son?”
My S held positions in Republican organizations in high school, and Democrat organizations in college. He’s now going to work in a non-partisan position for our Republican governor. He, like I, am not bound to any one party, we are easily more liberal than conservative, and we are definitely social liberals.
“Don’t worry. I’m lumping you totally in with the “liberals,” (though tempted to modify with the other L word.)”
I’m sorry, I’m not following. Do you mean limousine liberal? Or left-libertarian?
@jym626 #218
I know WHAT the “other L” word is (Libertarian). I was asking WHY do people hate them?
Nah. I think libertarians and liberals are totally opposite. For the record, I meant limousine. I plead guilty to having been in a snarky mood.
And no worries, definitely not calling you leftist. I think you should do like busdriver says, and embrace your inner conservative.
I definitely have to agree with garland on that. Not everyone follows party lines on every issue, nor should they. I get pretty sick of people telling anyone exactly what they should think if they are party A or B. So much for independent thought.
We are drones, forget about independent thought. Program and go.
Don’t they lean the same way on personal liberty issues like gay rights, abortion, drug decriminalization, freedom of speech? (come to think of it, liberals are the PC Police).
my libertarian brother thinks that businesses do not have to serve gay people if they don’t want to. My liberal self thinks they do.
Should kosher Jewish photographers have to do a gig at a pig roast luau?
See, that’s another discussion. for another day. I just wanted to illustrate a difference.
Also, my libertarian brother thinks private charity can take care of social and economic disparities. I think societal initiatives are necessary.
My libertarian brother doesn’t worry about climate change. I do.
Basically, he feels everyone should be left alone to do what they want. I feel we have an obligation to each other.
Definitely not the same thing.
Nothing about keeping kosher prohibits one from taking pictures of pigs and those who keep kosher have no vested interest in ensuring others don’t eat pork.
I know about privilege, yes, I do! I know about privilege, how about you?
It’s ok garland. I am in a snarky mood because I just moved my son into his first real apt and it’s simply not possible because it was just yesterday he was toddling around the house and I’m having a surprisingly hard time of it! So I get argumentative when I’m upset!
Sure, but it might be awkward explaining to your kosher friends and family why your coat and camera bag smell so…porky.
My logical self says that having a business is a privilege, made possible by the contributions of an entire society in terms of utilities, sanitation, public safety, transportation, telecommunications, etc.
Therefore, it’s not too much of a stretch to expect such businesses to serve everyone.
You’ve traveled to conservative Muslim countries and seen first hand how how crazy the pork issue can be. This one is my favorite:
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-25884523
Well you know how the Orthodox Jews in Israel photoshopped out Hillary Clinton from a photograph showing the US csbinet in s conference room because you can’t gaze on women!
I see a difference between refusing to serve a person and refusing to create / offer a specific service. But that’s another thread!
I’ve always been of the belief that it’s important for our daughters to grow up with a keen understanding of just how privileged they are. And they are privileged. They understand that, and they’re neither apologetic nor defensive about it, and neither are DW and I. Nor are we into denying that privilege, or putting our heads in the sand and pretending privilege simply doesn’t exist, or insisting privilege is too complicated to identify even when it’s staring you in the face.
How are they privileged? Well, they’re Americans, for one thing, which is a huge advantage in life relative to most people on this planet. Not only Americans, they’re full citizens, with unquestioned rights of U.S. citizenship, which means they have the protection of a system of laws and constitutional rights, protection of the most powerful nation on earth when traveling or studying abroad, a political voice in the most powerful and influential nation in the world, and they don’t need to live in fear that they or their loved ones will be deported. They’re privileged to be native speakers of English, far and away the dominant language in our own nation and rapidly becoming the lingua franca of global business, diplomacy, academic discourse, and more. They’re white, which is still a huge advantage in most corners of American society and much of the world, and only rarely any kind of disadvantage. They’ve had outstanding educational advantages and opportunities from pre-K through college that place them among the world’s and the nation’s elite in terms of educational achievement. They’ve traveled extensively, domestically and abroad. They’ve lived in New York City, California, and both urban and rural parts of the Midwest, seeing far more of rural life than most urban or suburban kids and far more of urban life than most rural or suburban kids, and they’ve seen how America looks from the East Coast, the West Coast, points between, and foreign shores. They’ve summered on Cape Cod and in the rural Midwest, milked cows and tended chickens and sheep, volunteered as costumed interpreters on a 17th century historical farm, and grown up on college campuses, exposed to the latest scientific advances and the cutting edge of human knowledge. They’re on intimate terms with the world’s greatest art museums and the artists whose work is displayed there. They’ve experienced some of the greatest theater that has been produced in their lifetimes; they’ve studied and performed theater under the tutelage of extremely talented and dedicated teachers and directors; they’ve been trained in classical acting and can rattle off Shakespearean soliloquies like native speakers of Elizabethan English. They’ve been blessed with natural endowments of intelligence and good looks, to which they have added, whether by nature or by nurture, charm, grace, warmth, sensitivity, easy senses of humor, a facility with foreign languages coupled with a keen interest in foreign cultures, powerful critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills, a facility in verbal communication, both written and oral, that is off the charts, and empathy, compassion, and the ability to forge deep and lasting friendships. Oh, and a deep and abiding love for the written word, developed at an early age, that led them to devour much of the world’s great literature by the time they ever started college, fed by access to great libraries and a virtually unlimited book budget at home. They’ve been blessed with strong bodies and, for the most part, excellent health. They’ve been blessed to grow up in a family that, while not wealthy, has always had a good professional income and some inherited wealth, sufficient that money, while certainly not unlimited, has never been a major obstacle, and has allowed them to do and see things that are beyond the means of most Americans, much less most humans on this planet. They’ve also been blessed to have parents who understand the ins and outs of the educational system, to help clarify their options and inform and guide their choices, and they’ve been given to understand from early childhood that college is not just a possibility but an expectation and an extraordinary opportunity. And most of all, they’ve been blessed to grow up in a stable, loving, and nurturing home, under the care, guidance, and companionship of caring, loving, dedicated parents whose highest priority in life, along with caring for and supporting each other, has always been to tend to their every need, to be there for them every step of the way (to the best of our ability), to share life’s joys, sorrows, challenges, and triumphs with them, and to encourage and foster their growth, education, and development, urging them to aim high and dream big, but also to empathize with others and to give back in gratitude for all their blessings.
That’s privilege. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, or to deny or run away from; it’s what DW and I aspired to and dreamed of when we first decided to have children, and we are fortunate—blessed, privileged you might say—to have had our dreams and ambitions become a reality. We’ve discussed all this with our daughters on many occasions. They understand and embrace the reality of their many privileges, and are comfortable with it. That understanding helps them empathize with and admire those they meet who come from less privileged backgrounds and persevere through greater obstacles, as well as those who find it difficult to overcome those obstacles, and others who are still struggling to overcome them. Recognizing their privileges takes away nothing from their own achievements, which would not have been possible without their hard work, diligence, dedication, perseverance, and character. As with any child, there have been bumps and bruises along the way, and crosses to bear, but on the whole theirs (and ours as parents) have been lighter than most. I am as proud of them as any parent could be. They started perhaps not on third base, but at least safely on second, and with the help of good coaches who understood not only the rules but also the nuances of the game, they’ve made it safely home. In short, they’ve made the best of every advantage and opportunity afforded them, and that’s all any parent can ask.