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What would you do? What would John Galt do?

Posted by dbhalling 10 years, 9 months ago to Politics
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You walk into a small beach bar on the ocean and a guy is sitting there. You have met him at this establishment before so you sit down near him and strike up a conversation. This is the sort of bar where patrons generally talk freely amongst each other. The man was in politics years ago in Kansas and occasionally brings up political topics. You know that his opinions are all over the map and have even moved to the pool table in the sand in order to not listen to him before. You try to steer the conversation away from politics, but he is not deterred. Then he says:
1) He is for raising the minimum wage
What would you do?
2) He states that minimum wage will not affect unemployment and the law of supply and demand has been repealed.
What would you do?
3) Then he says Obamacare is great.
WWYD?
4) After explaining that the only areas were the cost of medical has gone down are those the government stayed out of (e.g., Laser correction surgery), he says we are the only advanced nation without nationalized health care.
WWYD?
5) Then he says kathleen sebelius, who is from Kansas, is a wonderful women.
6) Then he calls you a racist, because you state Obama has the same philosophy Stalin, Moa, Hilter, etc.
7) Then he states we should get rid of the Constitution.
WWYD?


All Comments


Previous comments...   You are currently on page 12.
  • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 9 months ago
    You have to ask yourself what your objective in being there is. If it is to enjoy yourself (perhaps with spouse and/or family), asking for a different table or leaving the restaurant would be possibilities. If your goal is to publicly win an argument, I would seriously doubt that anyone is going to win a public argument in a restaurant. Others will likely get involved. A fight will make everyone look bad. You could ask the restaurant owner to talk to him perhaps.
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  • Posted by richrobinson 10 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Always the gentlemen. I have trouble speaking to a woman who used to work for us. She voted for Obama twice and so did her husband. They are so thick headed you can't have a normal conversation. I guess I am ignoring it as long as I can. Eventually one of them is going to say the wrong thing.
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    In a public place like the one you described, paying your bill and leaving probably was the correct choice.
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  • Posted by LetsShrug 10 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Polite gets you killed. Just ask Ted Bundy's victims. (Well, they can't answer you, but.....there's a book about it.)
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Well, I have been called some of those things over the last few days, too. Perhaps it is time for me to re-post my request for civility that I posted a few months ago.

    There were plenty of Germans who cowered. The ones who pointed out how evil Hitler's ideas were left if they pointed them out early enough. If they waited too long, they got sent to a concentration camp.

    Regarding public confrontation, privately taking someone aside, just ignoring the situation, or leaving, some of my response would depend on a) whether I was hosting the party, b) he was hosting the party, c) how well I knew the Obama supporter, and d) how much I liked him/her personally before this incident.
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  • Posted by LetsShrug 10 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Good for you! I agree with you....sometimes people need to have the truth flung in their face no holds barred style... old or not.
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  • Posted by LetsShrug 10 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Actually that doesn't even surprise me (the republican part...people should really stop using party titles...they're too often misleading and used as shields... He's making judgements about YOU based on your hatred for bo and translating that to his daughter's husband....which makes no sense. Is his son in law a marxist like bo? What an old bastard. Maybe he's senile. You'd think he'd have learned a few things in 88 years...how sad.
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  • Posted by Animal 10 years, 9 months ago
    Walk away. The more you mess with a turd, the more shit you get on you.
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    Posted by richrobinson 10 years, 9 months ago
    This guy sounds like he would be a real drag at parties. Not sure how pointing out Obamas political philosophy is racist. I usually compare Obama to Jimmy Carter, FDR and Woodrow Wilson. Unfortunately most people don't realize that the economy sucked under all of them so I end up explaining that too. I guess eventually I would have asked him to take his head out of his ass long enough for me to drown him in the ocean.
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  • Posted by khalling 10 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    he said that Obama was the worst president of his lifetime. then the guy said we'd hate his daughter for marrying a black man. Important point: this guy was in state politics-AS A REPUBLICAN
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  • Posted by khalling 10 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    there was no meat on that day...
    they guy is 88 yrs old. I was worried there would be a heart attack in front of me...which might be poetic justice, but as I said, in person I am not confrontational. ;)
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  • Posted by khalling 10 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    but there were millions of decent germans who cowered when he began to gather steam. I think in a discussion when someone pulls the race card and says to hell with the Constitution in the same breath, it's important to say something. db and I did not agree on originally on tactics. I am frustrated with myself on how I go to great lengths to avoid confrontation face to face. you guys would all laugh if you were at a dinner party or cafe with me. you'd say-this isn't k. I tend to diffuse and change subject, even though they may say something outrageous. After this incident I upgraded to cut-direct, but db makes the argument that it's time to make these people feel uncomfortable when they say outrageous things. Is this how we got to 50% of the citizenry on the Dole? because good people stood aside and did nothing in conversations? In this forum I have been called a racist, a bigot, among other things....I rarely down point. I need to get mad...
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    Posted by Zenphamy 10 years, 9 months ago
    1st temptation would be to get up and move back to the pool game in the sand. Then, i'd think, nah let's argue with this fool.
    1. I'd tell him, that's a great idea. How much of your money will you contribute to that effort.
    2. You're maybe right, but what would we do if you're wrong and you have to take a lay off.
    3. O'care must be great, but how do you afford these new high premiums and where do you find a doctor?
    4. Well that's true, but we're also the nation that has the best healthcare and the most advances in medical technology. How do we keep up to that under O'care?
    5. Did you date her when you were both in Kansas politics?
    6. Those other guys were white.
    7. Then how could you make sure that you could sit here and have this conversation?
    Then i'd simply say, We still have the 2nd Amendment and I took a solemn oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Then I'd get up and go to the pool game.
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  • Posted by 10 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I do not look for these situations, but I will tell them straight out they are pushing slavery and theft and it is immoral. It is important to stand up to bullies. Regressives think they can get away with this and we will be not say something because we are suppose to be polite.
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    Posted by 10 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    No. I think it is important for someone to point out that these people are pushing slavery, theft, and death, which is what I said. Regressives think they can get away with pushing these ideas and no one ever says to them they are evil, because we are supposed to polite. I don't agree, its important to stand up to bullies.
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