I met a wonderful older gentleman in the grocery store this morning.
We almost collided at the end of an aisle, where he paused and said, “Go ahead. Ladies before beauty.”. He had a delightful twinkle in his eye as I giggled.
He paused a bit longer saying, ” I said that to one lady and she called me a rascal. It’s fun to tease.”
I agreed that cheerfulness was always welcomed.
Well, I had watched his eyes so I hadn’t actually ‘looked’ at him.
We met again at the checkout. Actually, I chose that particular checkout to chat with him again.
This time I saw he was wearing a MAGA hat and a Trump 2020 mask!
I wasted no time telling him how much I liked his mask and he broke into quite a story.
He had an accent that I was sure was German.
He said, “Our country is being destroyed. “
He’d come here from Europe, had a sponsor, was supposed to have a job, and became a citizen following every legal step.
“I’ve been made a fool with these open borders and illegals given everything.”
Again, I agreed and said a few things about the move toward Marxism and not being allowed to speak without a hateful reaction.
Then he told me about a recent disgrace he’d had at, of all places, church.
Here’s a paraphrase:
“I was at church a few weeks ago and had removed my hat. A lady, who was recovering from a stroke, was having a difficult time getting out to her car. I offered her my arm and helped her. She was very appreciative and said I was such a nice man.
The next week, I met the same lady but this time I had my hat on. She grabbed my arm in a fury and gouged it leaving bruises.”
I don’t know about you, but that kind of unhinged intolerance HAS TO STOP!
As I left, he said, “What we going to do?”
I said, “You keep on wearing that hat, and I’ll keep on wearing my shirt.” I had to lift my sweatshirt to show him my Rush Limbaugh Tribute t-shirt. He smiled saying, “He was a very good man.”.
I told him that I won’t be silenced either and we need to keep speaking up. He agreed.
What a nice man!
(BTW- I tried to grab a photo of a MAGA hat in the free photos offered for blogging. All that came up was women in sunhats. Oddly, that image wasn’t considered a current topic. Keep speaking up people. 😉 )
Sillyfrog's Blog 
An old man wearing a MAGA hat and a woman wearing a Rush Limbaugh shirt. I’m speechless.
I was busy focusing on how he treated others and how he was treated. I didn’t focus on what he was wearing, I noticed it, but it wasn’t the point. But you can focus on what you want. The church lady did. Free country. 😀
What you wear is an indicator of who you are. I don’t care how nice a person is, if he — or she — is wearing a t-shirt with a swastika emblazoned on it, that tells me all I need to know.
I really don’t understand your level of ignorance but you seem quite committed to it. Good for you. 🤣
You share you opinion like it matters. Are you a comedian too?
Whoa. That’s harsh, Susan. I am, indeed, quite committed to my views, perspectives, and opinions. What’s the point of expressing an opinion if you’re not committed to it? I don’t support a leader who urges his supporters to, like lemmings, follow him into the abyss. And, yes, I do believe my opinion matters. Don’t you believe yours does? And as to ignorance, well, for anyone who proudly wears a MAGA hat or a Rush Limbaugh tribute t-shirt, they’re advertising their ignorance. In my opinion, anyway, which I know matters little to you.
It’s harsh, IMO, to equate a differing opinion and differing visions with Nazi’s. You diminish the evil concept of Nazism by throwing it around. (So I believe you stepped over the ‘harshness’ line with the swastika comment. 😁)
I don’t propose to define who you are… I talk about who I am.
I’d ask you why you believe something rather than tell you you’re ignorant, if your apparent distaste with my views wasn’t already expressed.
I don’t care or mind what you think. I don’t know you personally so I wouldn’t ever suggest you’re a bad person. In fact, I appreciate people who express opinions much more than those who pretend they don’t have them.
You and I are more alike than not. I believe we could tolerate each other and be friends. (I don’t think I disrespected you until you got a bit ugly. If I have, it was not intended.)
So don’t tell me what I should believe or who I am, try telling what you are about? I don’t bite. 😘
Wait a minute, Susan. All I said was that I was speechless about a MAGA hat and a Rush Limbaugh t-shirt. And then I said you are what you wear. Anyone who wears a MAGA hat is a strong supporter of Donald Trump. And anyone who wears a Rush Limbaugh tribute t-shirt apparently embraced his far-right political philosophies. I was never a Trump supporter nor a fan of Rush Limbaugh, but I assume based upon that you and the man you referred to in your post are, else why would you be wearing those items?
And to illustrate my point about “you are what you wear,” I used wearing a swastika t-shirt as an example of reflecting who the wearer of such a shirt is — someone sympathetic to the Nazi philosophy.
You are the one who turned things kinda ugly by referring to my “level of ignorance.” And, FYI, I didn’t equate differing opinions with Nazis. So I’m not sure how you got to my using that analogy as that I diminished the evilness of Nazism.
Finally, I never tried to tell you what you should believe in. My core philosophy in life is “whatever floats your boat,” so believe whatever you want to believe. I may not share your beliefs or opinions, but you have every right to hold them — even though I think they’re wrongheaded.
Once again, all I said was the attire you referred to in your post left me speechless. Apparently you didn’t like that comment.
So conservatives are bad. I think you ought to use your words and pick a topic rather than judge.
Oh, the Nazi sign on clothing doesn’t compare to a alternative political opinion unless you believe the difference of opinion falls into the identifying with evil category. It’s a poor comparison that just happened to be overused by people over the last 4 years. Don’t insult my intelligence pretending it was an innocent example.
You are free to judge anyone by anything.
I felt your ruminating ‘hate’ from some of your vitriolic posts. Believe it or not, I added the Rush shirt part expecting a reaction. It happened but revealing it wasn’t important to the story except to tempt the haters. You took the bait revealing through your actions and bigotry, you want to argue not learn about or unite with people. I don’t dislike you, even a little bit, but you’re not going to get anywhere. You haven’t discussed a single policy, or view, other than a judgement.
My reaction to your first comment was it’s a free country and a suit yourself attitude. That’s my position still. 😁
I find it interesting that you added the part about you wearing a Rush Limbaugh t-shirt just to bait the haters. Again, all I did was to say that i was speechless. I never said conservatives are bad. I think radical, far-right, bigoted, white supremacist, xenophobic,Trump adoring conservatives are dangerous for our country. But most conservatives don’t fall into that category.
That said, Susan, you are entitled to your opinions as I am to mind. We clearly fall on opposite sides of the political spectrum and I think it’s pointless for us to continue this thread. I will continue to follow your blog and like and comment on your post. And I hope you will do the same on mine. But I think this conversation has run its course.
Agreed… I adore Trump, am not bigoted, am not a white supremacist, am not radical, nor xenophobic, and enjoyed listening to Rush. Have fun finding the animal you described. I know you must see them everywhere they’re in your mind or maybe on your TV. God bless. Try more listening and less labeling. lol
Can I get points for telling you I think Hannity is a nut? Or am I already stuffed neatly in a box.
🤣
Yes, you get 100 bonus points for that. But as far as I’m concerned, all evening hosts on Fox News are nuts.
You say that you adore Trump, who is narcissistic, bigoted, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, and a white supremacist. But if you are none of those things that Trump is, what is it about him, arguably the worst president our country has ever had, that you adore? I’m just curious.
Well, you see those things in him. Understand, what people see in others are much like opinions. Not all the same and according to their own insight and meaning.
You seem like an intelligent and well meaning guy. I’m afraid you are a terribly harsh judge of people.
Trump did a lot for our country, IMO, and I don’t have time to explain it at the moment. Also, your judgement of him seems insurmountable too. Let’s split the difference for now and accept that good people can hold either of those opinions. Have a good night.
Yes, my judgement of Trump is, indeed, insurmountable. And apparently so is yours. You think he did a lot for our country and I think he came very close to destroying it. As they say, though, it’s best to avoid talking about sex, religion, and politics with friends and coworkers. So let’s stop talking about politics and maybe change the subject to something less controversial: sex or religion. 🤪
🤣
Oh, I’m not committed to my opinions. I respond to reason and I’m open to amending them. That’s where we differ. 😉
So you don’t think I respond to reason and I’m not open to amending my opinions when presented with new information? Wow, you really know nothing about me. My opinions are very much based upon research and reason and they can and have evolved over time based upon learning new information. And, yes, I’m committed to my opinions for those very reasons. I’m sorry to hear that you are not committed to your opinions. That makes you appear to be shallow. No offense meant.
I don’t think you’re understanding what I’m saying.
I’m not trying to diagnose you nor do I wish to judge you. I presented a story that you commented on and judged me. I don’t pretend to know you and what you think of me doesn’t define me. So what do you want?
I wanted only to comment that your post left me speechless. I know that what I think of you doesn’t define you. But what you say and write does, and to an extent, so does what you wear. That’s all.
So when I answered you, suit yourself. That would have ended the discussion. Ask yourself why you felt the need to pursue it.
On the other hand, I wear what I wear to be open about myself. I cannot be told what to say, or what to wear. (I know you’re not suggesting that.)
Think about all the real creeps out there who don’t.
Perhaps, I wear shirts (I have many nonpolitical ones too.)
Because I’m confident in who I am, live in a free country, and enjoy engaging with people. Not to judge them, but to hear what they think.
When I’m approached with hate or disgust, that tells me more about the other person than my shirt does. That tells me they’re bigots. 😉
This is a guess. But based only on your behavior, I think you need to believe your views are correct. Not by explaining them and why you believe what you do, but by deciding those with whom you disagree are ‘bad guys’. They’re not and it bothers you enough to poke them into behaviors that look unkind so it will validate your bad guy theory. All I can say is I think most people are well meaning. Try convincing them instead of judging them. It’s a happier way to be. At least, I find it good. Have a nice day.
I believe my views are my views. They are based upon reason, facts, and evidence. They are correct for me. As to explaining them, you never gave me a chance to do so before you slammed my “level of ignorance.” I never said you or your MAGA hat wearing guy were “bad guys.” I just implied that what you both wore that day said something about who you were — your views, your beliefs, your opinions. Those are views, beliefs, and opinions I don’t share, but that’s all. They’re yours, not mine, and that’s fine. And if anything, Susan, did you write anything in any of your comments here to try to convince me of anything before you disparaged me? Before you early on told me my opinion doesn’t matter and snidely asked if I was “a comedian, too.”
So maybe you need to look inward and ask yourself why you became so defensive? Why did YOU turn this discussion ugly? Why are you criticizing me for attacking rather than explaining when that is exactly what you have done in all of your comments in this thread.
A response to a judgement seems offensive but it doesn’t require an explanation. News flash, being offended isn’t fatal. To engage people, everyone risks being offended. Chill.
You came to my post. I didn’t pursue you. You got what you got. You need me to pat you on the head or agree with you?
Incidentally, we all need to challenge our own “facts” to stay honest with ourselves. Talking to people and risking the dread of being offended, is a good way.
I noticed you thought AR-15s shot 30 rounds in a few seconds. Um… facts are terrible things when replaced with opinions. We’re all fallible but some of us lack the humility to reexamine our positions on a regular basis. I’m busy today homeschooling my grandkids and being as good a person as I can. Relax and have a great day.
According to the Bushmaster AR-15 manual, the firearm has a maximum effective rate of 45 rounds per minute. However competitive shooters can fire at a maximum of three shots per second. Three shots per second equates to 30 rounds in 10 seconds. I don’t think my comment that it can fire “30 rounds in a few seconds” was that far off.
I do think it was far off. But a few means 3 to me. Use your own methods of measurement and your own reasons … free country.
Um… “correct for me”?
Just had to challenge that one. Is that like “your truth”?
If so, there are facts, there is truth, but all the rest is an opinion.
Facts don’t care about feelings.
Excuse my offensive but honest response. That’s, IMO, is an ignorant statement.
Do with it what you want. Best wishes. I done. See you around the blogosphere. 😁
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