Letters From Home

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On speaking up

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Yesterday, we were in a store where we shop fairly often. In front of us in line was an older gentleman who was talking with the cashier when we walked up.

Out of the blue, he said “And be sure to vote for Romney.” It had nothing to do with the conversation, and nothing to do with the business of the store. And of course even if the cashier disagreed, he could only stand there and offer no opinion.

Not so for the lady behind the older man in line. “Romney, oh yeah, sure,” I said, in a joking tone of voice. And thereby discovered that the man was clearly not accustomed to hearing anyone disagree with his opinion. He spluttered a bit, and then tried to repeat the usual Fox News lies about how Obama’s so bad. Unfortunately, he wasn’t dealing with one of those phantom liberals that Fox and the other media windbags conjure up to display their own superiority. He was dealing with someone who had the facts at her command and was not intimidated by bluster.

His final shot was “Yeah? Well, where’s all that change Obama talked about?

“The Republicans blocked it all.”

“No, they didn’t!”

“Yes, they did. They blocked everything they could.”

“They didn’t! I’m not stupid!”

“I didn’t say you were. But I know what I’m talking about.”

That ended the conversation. He picked up his purchases and marched out.

There are people who are accustomed to making Declarations of their Opinion and not getting any opposition, either because the people they’re talking with agree with them, or the people they’re talking with don’t want to get into it by expressing a different opinion–or they’re in a position where they’re not allowed to offer an opinion. Thus, blowhards become more and more convinced of their own invincible correctness.

It’s astonishing how fast so many of those people wilt when someone who is both verbally fearless and informed on the subject speaks up, which is why I speak up. Someone needs to put a hitch in their gitalong. It doesn’t take much, and it doesn’t take much in the way of confrontational skills. Just have the facts on your side, which makes it easy to stand your ground.

I don’t know why so many people let windbags go on and on and on, when a simple “That’s not true” will go such a long way.  As Davy Crockett either did or didn’t say, “Be sure you’re right. Then go ahead.”

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Author: infmom

Otherwise known as Infamous Mom.

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