Real Talk With Raze: Turkeyday & The Politics of Familia
Happy Thanksgiving yaw...it's that time of year again, when we all get together with family we simultaneously love unconditionally AND wouldn't trust for 3 seconds outside of our direct line of sight. Why do we do it? Well, some of us do it for the glory of securing The Bag (aka "The Glorious Plate Procurement") and nothing more. Others of us do it out of obligation to familial rules of upbringing that even as adults, we can't seem to shake the fuck off. Then, there's this really fkn lucking few of us who gather with the fam, because we genuinely love and miss them...and cherish every micro-moment we get to spend with them.
With all of these things, comes an eternal struggle of family. A struggle that really, is one of the first essential lessons/tools for adulthood that we ever learn: The Art of Getting Along In Spite of Disagreement. Let me explain...
I got into it with my Granny a few years back, over my voting habits. See, my Granny is from that Civil Rights era of Blackness when Black foke were swindled into blindly voting Democrat "because they're the party for Black people's best interests" or whatever...then they passed this absurd political follyshtick* onto the descending generations of their bloodlines to follow suit without question. So, point being...I got into it with my Granny bcuz I told her I wasn't voting for no damn Hillary Clinton, and didn't give a half damn about her being a Democrat. I explained my voting choice and reasoning to her, and unfortunately, in spite of how incredibly intelligent my Granny is and has always been, all those years of Dem sheeping wouldn't allow her mind to open up to my logic. We ultimately came to a stalemate once it was established that not even bringing my Grandpops and mother into the convo could sway me to their archaic way of voting. I'm not sure what they think of me, or what fears they have of who I might have voted for instead of Hillary. But, that leads me to today...
Today, I'll be spending the holiday with my fiance's family. Many/most of whom likely voted for Trump/Walker/etc. Over the last few years, for the sake of my love for her, I've had to endure hearing rants of ignorance regarding everything from why Trump deserved a shot, to why Kaepernick and all the kneeling NFL players are idiots that should be kicked out of the league and AmeriKKKa. I've mastered the art of polite disengagement (aka "Tellin MFs to get the fuck from round me with that bullshit...in not so Niggafied terminology). Some of them, I genuinely love and would definitely fight for...even tho we staunchly disagree with each other's politics and social beliefs.
With that said...after all the nonsense pre-ITIS talk and debating, a glorious thing happens mid-afternoon: the food gets served. Whether it's my mother's absolutely brilliant and CONSISTENTLY MAGNIFICENT Green Bean Casserole....or my future mother-in-law's perfect White Russians...the comfort of being around people that love each other, even reluctantly and in spite of deep seeded differences, that really matters and makes life temporarily struggle-lite. The sun gets low, the card games pop off and that 3rd football game on the TV gets real...and family does what fam does.
Basically what I'm sayin is...don't let the world outside of whatever house(s) you find yourself in today ruin the love within that house; no matter how hard it may be to see at times. Because, if you ain't cussin out your asshole co-workers for disagreeing with your political and social beliefs...you damn sure shouldn't be giving your family that treatment either. Love YOURS.
Happy Turkeyday yaw....I'll be toasting to all of yaw's Phat Plate ITIS wishes & Worldstar Black Friday dreams.
- R.
* - I just made that word up. I like it. I'll use it in the future. It means exactly what it reads like it means. Don't @ me, mayne*
With all of these things, comes an eternal struggle of family. A struggle that really, is one of the first essential lessons/tools for adulthood that we ever learn: The Art of Getting Along In Spite of Disagreement. Let me explain...
I got into it with my Granny a few years back, over my voting habits. See, my Granny is from that Civil Rights era of Blackness when Black foke were swindled into blindly voting Democrat "because they're the party for Black people's best interests" or whatever...then they passed this absurd political follyshtick* onto the descending generations of their bloodlines to follow suit without question. So, point being...I got into it with my Granny bcuz I told her I wasn't voting for no damn Hillary Clinton, and didn't give a half damn about her being a Democrat. I explained my voting choice and reasoning to her, and unfortunately, in spite of how incredibly intelligent my Granny is and has always been, all those years of Dem sheeping wouldn't allow her mind to open up to my logic. We ultimately came to a stalemate once it was established that not even bringing my Grandpops and mother into the convo could sway me to their archaic way of voting. I'm not sure what they think of me, or what fears they have of who I might have voted for instead of Hillary. But, that leads me to today...
Today, I'll be spending the holiday with my fiance's family. Many/most of whom likely voted for Trump/Walker/etc. Over the last few years, for the sake of my love for her, I've had to endure hearing rants of ignorance regarding everything from why Trump deserved a shot, to why Kaepernick and all the kneeling NFL players are idiots that should be kicked out of the league and AmeriKKKa. I've mastered the art of polite disengagement (aka "Tellin MFs to get the fuck from round me with that bullshit...in not so Niggafied terminology). Some of them, I genuinely love and would definitely fight for...even tho we staunchly disagree with each other's politics and social beliefs.
With that said...after all the nonsense pre-ITIS talk and debating, a glorious thing happens mid-afternoon: the food gets served. Whether it's my mother's absolutely brilliant and CONSISTENTLY MAGNIFICENT Green Bean Casserole....or my future mother-in-law's perfect White Russians...the comfort of being around people that love each other, even reluctantly and in spite of deep seeded differences, that really matters and makes life temporarily struggle-lite. The sun gets low, the card games pop off and that 3rd football game on the TV gets real...and family does what fam does.
Basically what I'm sayin is...don't let the world outside of whatever house(s) you find yourself in today ruin the love within that house; no matter how hard it may be to see at times. Because, if you ain't cussin out your asshole co-workers for disagreeing with your political and social beliefs...you damn sure shouldn't be giving your family that treatment either. Love YOURS.
Happy Turkeyday yaw....I'll be toasting to all of yaw's Phat Plate ITIS wishes & Worldstar Black Friday dreams.
- R.
* - I just made that word up. I like it. I'll use it in the future. It means exactly what it reads like it means. Don't @ me, mayne*
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