Often, on the radio show, and more frequently now in the aftermath of the NAACP Tea Party Resolution and “Sherrod-gate,” we’ve talked about the tendency of the Left to go on this vicious, ballistic, and, oh so very personal, attack on conservatives.
Last night we interviewed Michelle Malkin. Despite her journalism credentials and extensive career “in the biz,” one glance at some of the items in her Twitter feed, and those of us who still possess a modicum of “couth” have to turn away. The epithets hurled at this woman on a day-to-day basis literally make me sick to my stomach.
I’ve also discussed this trend numerous times with Allen West. He is another conservative icon whose ideology earns him names I, as a Christian woman, cannot reprint here.
So, as I have warned numerous times on the show, I’m over it. As of today, I’m playing the “Mama Card” every time the Left plays their “Incivility Card.” The “Mama Card” is akin to getting caught in a lie by your mom. Think of it as “The Look” right before she busted you out. The one that said, “you better come up with something good before I send you to your room long enough for people to forget we ever had a kid.” Let’s see it in action:
Left: You’re an idiot
The New Marie, Playing the Mama Card (“TNMPTMC”): Please explain how my lack of intelligence negates the statistic that those who disapprove of our President’s job performance outnumber those who approve?
Left: What kind of racist nutjob are you?
TNMPTMC: I didn’t realize they were classifying racist nutjobs now, however, that doesn’t address how, exactly, the President’s stimulus plan helped us, given that our current unemployment rate of 9.6% is higher than it was when George W. Bush left office over 18 months ago?
Left: You fat, ugly slob! I can’t believe what a piece of crap you are!
TNMPTMC: I don’t understand how my excessive love of popcorn, my beauty regimen (or lack thereof), or my housekeeping patterns are to blame for the fact that more Americans are against the new health care law than for it?
Left: That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard! All you tea waving butt-clowns care about is George Stinking Bush! It’s his fault!
TNMPTMC: Whereas I am unclear on the exact relationship two disparate words like “butt” and “clown” could possibly have with each other, I’d like to direct your focus back to the issue, and ask how that could possibly have any bearing on the fact that 48% of Americans feel President Obama is the one with extreme views?
I think you can see where I am going with this tactic. You can even skip my pithy attempts at snarkiness (but where would be the joy?), and just redirect the conversation back to the facts. One caveat: be sure to have a change of clothing on you, as this line of redirection can cause Lefty implosion…and sometimes that gets messy!
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All of your responses are top-notch Marie! Those that left the idiot remarks just go to further prove the current situation this country is in.
What really gets my goat is how Michele Bachmann & Sarah Palin have their intelligence consistently called into question when we have just in *today’s* news, 1) a Senator who doesn’t know you have to be born in this country to be President, and 2) the President getting his child’s age wrong.
Clearly we are *all* prone to making a mistake, but conservatives aren’t allowed that….it turns into an intelligence litmus test of some sort. But Gaffe-tastic Joe Biden can talk about the “3 letter word J-O-B-S.”
Dear Mrs. Stroughter,
I have to admit that I like the tone of your rhetoric and the quality of your discourse. I think that it allows for an honest exchange of ideas from someone like myself – a moderate. I don’t find either side to have a monopoly on the truth despite whatever they may pontifi-cate to their respective audiences.
Dear Mr. Wisher,
As an Independent Conservative, I completely agree with you: I don’t find either side to have a monopoly on the truth. Further, I will be watching the new arrivals to Washington with a keen eye and interest!
Thanks for chiming in 😉
“Marie Stroughter is a Big, Fat, Right Wing Extremist (and She’s Dumb, Too!)”
……as usual liberal Democrats, etc., etc., have to resort to unfounded character assassination to make his, her, or their case.
“I’m so happy to see that i am not the only black man that does not support this amnesty BS…black people need to wake up and stop goingt to march with Mexicans for immagration reform.When have you ever seen Mexicans marching for any black causes..Furthrmore blacks are the ones being squeezed by these 20 million illegals. We have the highest unemployment rate of any race and it’s getting harder and harder to find a job if your not biligual..all because they want to cater to these illegal lawbreakers…when have you heard of a black man getting any kind of amnesty for breaking the law…NEVER AND IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN! Stop supporting President Obama on every issue because he is a black man…ive voted democrat for most of my live but you can guarantee that i will be voting republican when November comes around.” by JoeJoe a commentator from BlackSpin/BlackVoices
…..times are a changing though, because as more, and more former ObamaCrat supporters, like JoeJoe, etc., etc., find how worthless President Obama, the Obama Administration, liberal Democrats, liberals in general have been in reducing high unemployment, especially as it pertains to high unemployment, etc., etc., in most any Black community…….
……the same support for President Obama and/or liberal Democrats, won’t exist.
http://againstallodds.blogtownhall.com/2010/10/28/sweet_music_to_my_ears_that_more_and_more_black_people_are_moving_like_a_bat_out_of_hell_away_from_obama_etal!.thtml
…..because after all, the Democratic Party has proven itself time, and time again, to be the “Premier Political Party of Slavery” and “Black Code Law Enforcement”, the Party that works to the demise of all law abiding U.S. citizens.
…….this being said, the formerly liberal supporting Black electorate and/or other voters will stay home, vote Republican, or vote for a Conservative Democratic (Conservative anything are not in the “Obamacrat, doomed for failure, un-American, Big Government through heavy taxation, anti-Free enterprise, anti- U.S. born Black community”, anti-law abiding U.S. citizen camp) candidate in November.
Just remember — not all of us on the left call those on the right names as part of our political arguments. So maybe those on the right who call us names could stop, too? I bet we’d all get a lot further with our agendas, especially women.
You are spot-on, Joanne! The name-calling goes both ways (I, personally, *hate* the expression “Libtard” … I think it’s insulting on many levels, and to many groups!). However, this article is addressing a trend that I tend to see more on the Left, than on the Right: the tendency to outright evade a legitimate discussion of the issues by devolving into name-calling.
“Mac, two of the three of us who run the site are from the Bay Area, so I get what you mean about this part of the country ”
Really all through the grade schools, middle school, and high school, there were kids from all make ups of life ( Mostly white however there were black, hispanic, Japanese, naughty and nice etc.) and I never heard much between the kids about race. I do remember however in the 5th grade seeing what I think was a social studies film (it WAS film on a reel too, maybe this was ’68) where they were discussing minorites, partucularly blacks. There was a black girl in my classroom at the time (yes, I remember her name). The narrator was going on about how blacks try to fit in and try to be “more white” and as evidence they were showing (I kid you not) Peggy from the Mannix TV show sitting in a white Mustang wearing white clothes and a white scarf. Inside I was calling BS, was incensed and felt bad for my classmate whose name ironically was White. Was she my friend? EWW! She’s a girl! Still to this day that feeling of watching that film stays with me when I think of it.
Thanks to you all for taking the heat as it were and lbessings as you persue true healing in this Nation
Marie, I read your piece on the NAACP and could not agree more. I am not sure why it is that the assumption for some is that if you’re white then your ancestors owned mine and not I hope your ancestors fought to free mine. I think the media plays a big role in this as well as some modern day white jerks. For the most part people are decent until proven otherwise and that’s the rub…the risk of personal injury if wrong about that.
If the NAACP wants to move on they ought to eliminate “Colored” from their name but NAAA or NAAAAP might not go over so well either 🙂
It is refreshing to at least have a dialog. Many times I think conservatives would rather have a discussion but have experienced the left’s Dis and cussin’ and realizing their passion based rant will not allow for a word in edgewise we shake the dust from our feet and move on. But as you rise and the likes of Star Parker, Kevin Jackson, Lloyd Marcus and many more are coming to the front doing the work of truth that only you can do there is hope for political diversity within the African-American populace. With that there is hope that the left will lose it hypnotic grip over so many minds and the scales will fall from many eyes.
“We are asking that the law-abiding members of the Tea Party repudiate those racist…” I think he meant “Refudiate” 😉
You are *so* on target there, MacG. Thank you for the kind words, also…they are a true balm 😉
My wife was also reading your piece, and we were laughing, partly because I sometimes take that parental approach to extremes, like everything else. We are disappointed to learn that you are in California, because you’d be welcome to come over for coffee any Saturday morning, and we’d have all the world’s problems solved by noon.
Awwwww, thank you! Greetings to your lovely wife & rest assured, that even though I’d almost *rather* we all live near each other in a nice utopian Red State, it’s probably better that we live apart so we can help teach others a little at a time. Humor helps 😉
Marie,
This is how daft I am, I just jumped from Bookworm Room to this article. I did not even notice the name of your site. I meant no offense and thanks for your kind redirect to your podcast. Oprah took on Chris Rock over his use of that “word”. I think she was right to do so. My concept of the use of the word by some is like this: I worked at Silver Dollar City to a couple of summers with a lot of interaction with customers and being kind of a smart aleck on occasion if a customer wearing glasses was staring at the menu over my head not looking at me I would say “What’ll it be four eyes?” They would look at me and glare about to tear into me and only when they saw my aviator style glasses (actual glass) did they relax and get the joke. I was in their club. They knew that I identified with the pain, hassle and sometimes stigma of wearing glasses. Now before you knew that I wear glasses I bet that sounded very inapproprite and even offensive (inparticularly because you identify with the lifestyle as well) . The same goes when I hear the revelry in that “word” in the form of a greeting or blaring out of some car. I mean I get it but it seems backwards. I don’t hear the Jews I know say “What’s up K…” or other ethincities refer to themselves by ther racial slurs. It just seems so in your face, it is not helpful. Now the name Christian was a demeaning name in the first century used by the Pagans and Statists and it was adopted as a badge of honor by Peter who considered it made him worthy to suffer for he Name of He who suffered most. Coud it be that those who use it are in some way are making a connection to the suffering of the past to the present suffering they may feel? Persecution is a funny thing. My pastor said from the pulit regarding being persectued for being a Christian: Just double check yourself before assuming the promotion was lost because you’re a Christian, because it may be because you just may be a jerk.”
Slavery was a nasty period all the way from the largely Arab/African supply side to the world wide buyers (yes Christians included)but what I do not understand is why there is not more gratitude for the whites that fought to set them free? The blood of some 50,000 Americans is not worthy to be honored? Why is the focus still on the atrocity and not the deliverance? Africans are still being enslaved TODAY in Africa and if not for their ancestors’ sacrifice American Africans would be running the risk of being enslaved in Africa today.
My cousin nearly killed a guy while DUI. I was out of state and all his parents focused on it seemed as they told this story a year later was how bad it was that this guy was paralysed. I was about to meet him as he was to officiate at my cousin’s wedding (a marvelous story of forgiveness in and of itself). I looked for the guy in the wheel chair and there were none. This guy was walking! My family members were so mired in the shame of the paralaysis they could not rejoice in the miracle of his walking (he had been walking for some time well before their telling me he was paralysed). They were trapped in their past telling me how bad it was when actuality he was set free of paralysis. Why is there not more attitude like that of Flip Wilson who once said in an inerivew in all sincerity “Thank God my ancestors were slaves”. The interviewers eyes popped out. “Yes. Thank God. Look where I live because of their sacrifice.” He lived to honor their sacrifice.
Now since you mentioned the bible, it does say in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female we are one in Christ.
Granted I was born and raised in Marin where the ethnic make up was, shall we say, incongruent with the rest of the country, perhpas that’s why I don’t get the whole thing as race identity was never a real issue to deal with so my ideas may be naive but I have no malice and open to discussion.
Blessings,
Mac, two of the three of us who run the site are from the Bay Area, so I get what you mean about this part of the country 😉
No offense was taken at all! We enjoy when those with an open mind will give a listen to what we have to say. Additionally, I (Marie) wrote an article that somewhat alludes to your comment regarding the important role Caucasians played in freeing slaves & in the Civil Rights movement (the line that starts with “Resolve to learn your own history…”)
Glad you “stumbled upon” us, and we hope you will stick around provide more of your insights!
MacG & Michael: You may want to check out our podcast on “The Hyphen.” Maybe you will agree with us, or maybe you won’t, but we thought it was at least a conversation point
“Americans of African descent ”
For a long time now I have been advocating use of American African. Now that the english majors have finished cringing, the problem I have with African American is that is starts with our differences. It is a long road to civility when we start with our differences. Utilizing American African forces the common ground to the front and by the time we run out of common ground there is less time for differences.
The term African American says I’m different. If you’re going to put out front that you’re something other than a basic American then you’re probably too complicated and have way too much baggage for me to get involved.
All the label African-American does is keep the wedge of psycological segregation firmly in place.
Bravo for you, Marie. Guess I’ll have to start using the Dad Card myself.
Leftist: You’re an Islamophobe.
Me: Pointing out Islam’s homophobia, superiority complex, and support for violent repression makes me an Islamophobe?
Rightist: You’re anti-marriage.
Me: Supporting the right of two mature adults to enter into a life-time partnership makes me anti-marriage?
Religionist: You’re anti-God.
Me: Supporting scientific inquiry and what such inquiry learns make me anti-God?
Atheist: You’re anti-reason.
Me: Being open to the limits of our knowledge and that we still have a lot to learn makes me anti-reason?
And so on and so forth.
There is another category. We have a pediatric diagnosis of “failure to thrive”. Parents of grown children describe “failure to launch.” There are also, I am sad to say, “failures to integrate.” These are Americans of African descent (Note the lack of hyphen. We are all Americans.) who insist that the most vile stereotypes of their race are part of the essence of Blackness. These are the people who insist that doing homework is “Oreo” behavior, or refusing to engage in some scam, or to assist them in doing so, is “denying your own people.” I have done my small part, in my day, to promote racial equality, and so I find it very disheartening to see people internalizing such negative stereotypes. However, I no longer argue with them, because this is a pathological condition, essentially a defense mechanism, protecting against the shame of failure in some endeavour. The Southern plantation culture is a Shame/honor culture, not a guilt/conscience one. Looking too earnest, “trying too hard” must always be avoided. The effort to appear cool often results in deferred success, and, to folk who are shame oriented anyway, this is intolerable, so, the defenses go up, adding on the charges of racism against the teacher who returned the paper with the “F” on it, or the boss who insisted that one must do the work one was hired to perform. For this delusional structure to be penetrated, probing questions must be used, drawing out insight over time, if you have it.
I do play the Daddy card, and more sincerely, most of the time, than your very funny piece appears to do. I admonish Conservative commenters on a thread to speak/write politely to the “Liberal” trolls. For one thing, most of them are really quite young. If you read them over time, they give this away by the things that they do not remember directly, but must cite some reference, usually leftwardly leaning and, therefore, wrong. I write, all the time, that everyone has to go over fools’ hill, and we need to help Young Lib not to get stuck at the top. When they respond with invective, at least on line, safe from spittle, I use the tone that you have suggested, a distinctly parental one. At least, after that, they usually drop the thread.
In person, with elderly people, mostly from my old church, I just do not discuss politics. I try to explain that I changed because facts, known to me first hand or close second hand, or even seined out from the lefty media, changed, and I now longer believe as I once did. Every time, they try to pursue this “fact” thing, always conflating facts and opinions, and I just change the subject ASAP. They get bored with real facts, anyway. Their eyes glaze over, or they jump from topic to topic. It’s just better, this way
Actually, Michael, I’m usually much more serious as well. I wrote this on a day where I heard one too many a “conservative-bashing rant with no facts to back it up.” I just wanted to get the point across (with a little humor, okay 😉 ) than rather than react in such a way as to make it degenerate further into name calling, why don’t we just flip the table & usher them quickly back to the facts (while pointing out that their comments have nothing to do with what they are saying, and calling them out on it, yet humorously). I cop to a fair amount of snark, though, knowing 1) I am talking *to* friends here, and 2) painting an accurate enough picture of what is said to us to help any of our liberal friends reading this to understand how they sound when they name-call without factual basis.
This just might work. Thanks heaps! I’ve been so frustrated in trying to debate issues with a co-worker who almost immediately resorts to “Palin is an idiot.” or, more original, “Bu****ler lied.”
I’ve no experience being a ‘mama’ and my ‘papa’ approach (take the offender out behind the woodshed and tan their backside) doesn’t go well in the workplace.
I’m going to give the Mama card a shot tomorrow.
sheesh. i always think to myself when i read or hear vile attacks from the left directed toward conservatives of color:
i’m pretty sure Democratic Voter Registration is NOT the single issue for which MLK fought and died.
…you “almost” gotta feel sorry for them
This just made me chuckle. You have a wonderful sense of humor Marie. When the left can’t answer a question they go into an attack mode. Much like a child who has been busted, but can’t bring themselves to admit the truth. In reality your decision to treat them the way they act (like children) is a perfect solution. By the age of 12 any child should know that you, (MOM) are onto them. Which brings me to my last point that none of these people are mature enough to be asking any questions when they have no credible answers of their own. And nothing of course to back up any statements made (up) by them. Good job, and keep it real, (THEY HATE THAT). LOL
Awwww, thank you! Thank you for commenting…you are right on the money, and I thank you for keeping it real!
LOL I love it. Perhaps I will try the dad card 🙂
Thanks, Mary Jo — I try 😉
–M.