Politics and Religion

I like to talk to men. My favorite companions at lunch are Everett and John.  I do not flirt with them – I am too old, and I never was good at that. We talk about politics. 

Many women here at the retirement home where I live refuse to talk about politics or religion. 
We talk about our grandchildren or what we had for lunch.  Today we had a choice of fried shrimp or beef tacos.  Isn’t that fascinating? 

For endless hours we discuss the weather.  That also does not make for sparkling conversation.  After a balmy 70-degrees yesterday, a cold north wind dropped the temperature 40 degrees over night, and we needed to put on jackets to leave our apartments to go out for breakfast this morning.  That’s not something reported on the national news.  Now if it had been a blizzard such as the one that hit the East Coast last week . . . .  

Some of my neighbors talk about religion.  They are self-righteous, fundamentalist Christians who take it for granted that everyone should agree with them.   They pray for me.  They want to save my soul so that I can go to Heaven with them.  I appreciate their prayers; it shows they have concern for me.  But I don’t want to be saved.  Their Heaven sounds like an excruciatingly dull place to spend eternity.  

So at lunchtime I try to sit with either Everett or John and we talk about politics.  We have some lively discussions.  The men usually agree with me as we comment on events of the day.  Everett says he does not understand how workingmen can vote for Republicans, “the party of the rich folks.”  John jokes with me about “your friend Ted” because he knows I despise Ted Cruz. 

Perhaps Everett and John are more liberal in their ideas because neither grew up in Texas.  Everett is from Wichita, Kansas, and spent most of his adult career in Seattle, Washington.  John is from Chicago, Illinois.  They learned to think for themselves.

Texans are brain-washed from infancy in the “old time religion.”   They are conservative.  “If it was good enough for Grandpa it is good enough for me.”  They vote straight Republican. 

Just as they want to convert everyone to their religion, they want the government to reflect their narrow view of rights: no gun control but a ban on gay marriage.  As for abortion, they oppose it, and any other opinion is wrong.  They ignore the fact that desperate women do whatever must be done.  Before the Supreme Court upheld a woman’s right to make decisions for herself, Texas was a place where women died from botched, illegal abortions.

The attitude of people here is: We know what is right, there is no need for discussion, so don’t talk about it.

No one questions that all their opinions might be wrong.