Results 1 to 20 of 28
Advice
Hello I have a very serious issue. My parents have asked me about my views and I explained them without mention of trotsky, lenin, or any others that would hint far left ideals. However they accused me of being communist so I explained that actually (lying at this point) that I was just democrat. Soon after ( they are conservative) I was scolded and grounded. Any advice on how to avoid this type of circumstance.
One thing is certain about the afterlife, what you do, who you are, and why you fight for those around you remains till the end.
Your parents punished you because you told them you're a Democrat? Wow...
Unfortunately, if you're underage, you're pretty much dependent on them for your sustenance and shelter, so you should either refrain from discussing political matters with them or agree with their views on things since you now know that this is how they'll respond.
My machine my machine,
Please bring my machine.
Tell them Jesus spoke to you and told you to become a communist, at the very least their reactions should be pretty entertaining.
FKA Chomsssssssky, Skwisgaar, The Employer Destroyer, skybutton
You could just lie to them from now on.
Society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand. ~ Karl Marx
formerly Triceramarx
Since he lives in Southern Mississippi, this probably wouldn't turn out as funny as you think it would given the beliefs entrenched in that section of the country's populace. They're already pissed that he's "admitted" to holding views aligned with the Democratic party, adding blasphemy fuel to the fire wouldn't be an advisable course of action. Being thrown out of your house or getting beaten up isn't funny.
My machine my machine,
Please bring my machine.
That is grim.
The answer, I think, depends on a whole lot of factors. For one, if they, say, found you posting on a site like "RevLeft" would you be at risk of violence, or other serious harm?
Do you have a broader support network outside of your parents' home (e.g. progressive relatives, a group of sympathetic friends)?
Safety first is a very real thing.
Of course, I stirred mad shit with my parents as a teen. There was definitely a point where they realized they could either (a) try to control my life and, in the process, engender my disrespect, disregard, and contempt, or (b) listen to me, respect me, support me and, consequently, have a healthy relationship with me. I don't know your parents, but my feeling is that most parents would prefer being respected to being feared, and being loved to being tolerated out of necessity. Sometimes taking a stand can make this line clear.
Again, on the other hand, "taking a stand" is no good if you haven't got a leg to stand on. Study, study, study and be ready to back up your words with historical examples, etc. Your parents are more likely to take you seriously if you take yourself seriously (not to be confused with dogmatically, or humourlessly). If your last discussion went poorly, maybe work through a few bookshelves before round two.
EDIT: Alternatively, my girlfriend's advice is, "Shut up until you turn 18, then get the fuck out ASAP."
The life we have conferred upon these objects confronts us as something hostile and alien.
Formerly Virgin Molotov Cocktail (11/10/2004 - 21/08/2013)
You could try showing support for your views in the Bible. Check the wikipedia pages on christian anarchism/socialism, and then take a fit if they try to keep you grounded for trying to be a good christian.
Then, when you're independent later in life, cut off all contact after telling them exactly how you feel.
Well that's just ridiculous. s/he shouldn't cut off contact with family because they disagree with her/him politically. This isn't a cult ...
I'm from south Louisiana, a similar environment to southern Mississippi. I'd say, just don't talk politics with your parents, don't hang a che poster or buy a shirt, just keep your head down and then when you hit 18 you can move out and you can do whatever you want. It sucks, but it's practical.
Also to everyone in the thread, to most of the super religious people in that area it's Reagan Jesus and everything else is liberal lies. So most of the using-the-bible-to-justify-socialism isn't going to fly more than incidentally. Unless OP became a liberation theologist or something ...
GourmetPez: Don't you know anything about
communism? We're for the enslavement of the Aryan
race by a global semitic reptilian dictatorship. Black
people will own white slaves, homosexuality will be
taught in schools, mad blunts will be smoked.
I know I'm being a bit presumptive, but any parents who would punish their child for having different political opinions than their own probably aren't very good parents overall. There is nothing ridiculous about an independent adult making a conscious decision to exclude anyone they want from their lives. My advice for the short-term isn't advice I'd follow: while I advised the OP to work other angles, I've never been able to lie about any beliefs I hold strongly... including the belief that it's bogus as fuck to ground your kid for liking the Democrats more than the Republicans.
Thank you for the help and advice.
One thing is certain about the afterlife, what you do, who you are, and why you fight for those around you remains till the end.
I tried that, but then came straight out as a communist. I'm unapologetically communist
If that would actually be their reaction then no, obviously this action shouldn't be taken - it's entertaining when dumb people get mad, just not too mad.
FKA Chomsssssssky, Skwisgaar, The Employer Destroyer, skybutton
Leave a note in the copy of the collected works of Lenin in your local library. Await further instruction from strong leftist mercenaries.
(No but in all seriousness, I would just avoid political topics for the time being.)
"Win, lose or draw...long as you squabble and you get down, that's gangsta."
It happens there, though, man. It's no indication of what else they do as parents. If OP said they were hit by their parents for saying they're democrats or something, then yeah, that's fucked, but all we know right now is they told OP to go to their room for a few hours and they can't do anything fun this weekend or something silly like that.
If some particular members of my family (not my parents) found out I'm an atheist I'm pretty sure they'd call their priest and try to get me out there under false pretenses so an exorcism could be performed. But other than that they're awesome, helpful, loving people who'd do anything for me. They just have to keep thinking I'm Christian! Chances are, OP is in the same boat. Until OP actually says they're being abused, I'm not going to assume anything ...
GourmetPez: Don't you know anything about
communism? We're for the enslavement of the Aryan
race by a global semitic reptilian dictatorship. Black
people will own white slaves, homosexuality will be
taught in schools, mad blunts will be smoked.
Yeah, I feel that.
I'm 27, and I'm just finding out now how many of my cousins are queers, radicals, etc. - we've all kept it more-or-less under wraps due to the conservative older generation. Now that we're all in our late-twenties/early-thirties, we can get away with being more honest at family gatherings. It's pretty great. I actually look forward to seeing my extended family on holidays now.
The life we have conferred upon these objects confronts us as something hostile and alien.
Formerly Virgin Molotov Cocktail (11/10/2004 - 21/08/2013)
Be thankful you weren't raised by Trotskyists. Every night my parents made me read the Transitional Programme three times before bed.
The criticism of religion ends with the teaching that man is the highest essence for man – hence, with the categoric imperative to overthrow all relations in which man is a debased, enslaved, abandoned, despicable essence, relations which cannot be better described than by the cry of a Frenchman when it was planned to introduce a tax on dogs: Poor dogs! They want to treat you as human beings!
- Karl Marx, Introduction to A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right
They were clearly too lenient on you. :P
Rough situation, OP. I agree with a lot of the advice given here; namely, don't talk politics with people you rely on for shelter and food. It's inevitable in many ways that you'll end up discussing some things but if you come at it from a way that tells your parents that you simply want to improve the lives of your fellow humans but avoid going into depth like defending revolution and abolishing wage labour then they might just dismiss you as young and naive rather than a communist. When I was still at school and living with my parents I thought the British Empire was awesome so you're already ahead of me.
Modern democracy is nothing but the freedom to preach whatever is to the advantage of the bourgeoisie - Lenin
Hello and I was supposed to be ungrounded from doing things like hang out with friends or something like that. After this incident the time was increased for " disrespecting them and my family" this time with a threat of if this "disrespect" continues to have physical punishment as well. I hope and believe they would not physically harm me. Sometimes tho if they threaten to bring my real father into it it could possibly escalate.
One thing is certain about the afterlife, what you do, who you are, and why you fight for those around you remains till the end.
honestly just dont let your parents push you around. You can stand up for yourself without direspecting them
Yes, we want to make your wife a radical feminist lesbian, we want to forcibly gay marry you to a leatherclad bear, we want to send your kids into white slavery at the court of a black communist dictator, we want to paint your church red with the blood of christian babies, we want to set fire to your ikea and your SUV, we want to rape your labrador with the broken pieces of your white picketed fence.
We want to wage nuclear war on the nuclear family.
why? because we are pinko freedom hating commienazi atheist bastards, its just what we do.
~psycho
Did you miss the threats of physical violence?
My machine my machine,
Please bring my machine.
