I love my dad. He's not an unintelligent guy. But he and my mother consistently watch MSNBC. Trying to talk politics with him is impossible. It's like he lives in an entirely different world, where: - Ukraine has taken back most of the land annexed by Russia; - We had to stop Putin in Ukraine, or Poland would be next, and the world would be taken over by "Communists" from Russia and China. - We have to back Israel, or a similar fate will befall the planet. All the while, he couldn't stop talking about abortion somehow. In a country and world, which is at the precipice of existential disaster on numerous fronts, somehow my almost 80-year-old father is made to care about abortion seemingly as much or more than any other singular issue of our time. Thank God cable news is going the way of the dinosaur. P.S. When I talk to old people who watch FOX, it's not much better, if at all.
Surely your intention wasn’t to convince him of there being the possibility of a different perspective and him then thanking you for expanding his horizons? You started your post Frank in a very telling way. That you love your dad. Everything else mentioned afterwards mattered little. Enjoy his company and make the decision to always choose topics you both agree on. Next thing is lots of hugs, twenty second kind, and finally when leaving, remembering to let him know ‘you love you him’ each and every visit. My parents have passed and I wish they were still here to share what was truly important.
@JohnAyr12294351 @FLOMBARDIMUSIC It wasn't about his dad as much as it was about cable news being evil. I hate seeing it with my parents, but it doesn't mean I don't love them and enjoy every minute I get with them.
If your perception was for one second that I let politics run or ruin our relationship, your perception is wrong. This was one micro-instance during an entire visit, when the TV was changed to a news channel. The majority of our visits these days have exactly zero to do with politics.