r/BoomersBeingFools • u/DecentExplanation750 • 18h ago
Boomer can't make it through 30 seconds of small talk before starting in about politics
My family was at the racetrack yesterday. As we were waiting for one of the races to start, the Boomer next to us strikes up a conversation:
Boomer: It's crowded today!
Me: Yeah, we were here last year for opening day as well, and they said it was a record crowd.
Boomer: I can’t wait until January!
Puzzled me: Why, is it less crowded then?
Boomer: When they get that (blankety-blank) Biden outta there and put Trump in charge -
Apologies, I missed the end of his comment as I have a health condition where my ears automatically snap shut when I hear the word Trump. I immediately turned to the family member on my other side and started talking to them.
Why can't these people have a normal conversation for 30 seconds without bringing religion or politics into it? You don't know me at all! It's crazy to me that this guy, who is alone at the racetrack the day after Christmas (not surprising in retrospect) can't pretend to be a regular human being so as to enjoy some company from strangers! I actually love talking to strangers and would have been happy to chat with him otherwise.
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u/Separate-Pain4950 18h ago
Too late in the game to have a real personality so they go with cult leader.
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u/buttfarts7 14h ago
Every conversation is basically
"Don't you worship and submit full obedience to leader? I sure do!"
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u/Flahdagal 18h ago
They can't help it, I swear.
My spouse and I went to a local bar and grill for Christmas Eve. It was sparse, three couples including us, a single guy to my right clearly watching sports, and a single boomer to my spouse's left, open to conversation. There was no one at the tables, just this group at the bar. We chatted to both the couples and to the guy on the left.
Discussion turned to military service so my husband was engaged. I listened, but I could tell the guy had that boomer trait of *only* talking about himself, not asking any questions, just telling his stories, no give-and-take. My husband is an absolute star as an audience, so he kept him comfortably engaged even though husband has a pretty interesting background, not that this guy would know. As I listened I heard the guy get more and more comfortable with his language, and sure enough: "this goddam WOKE military today!" Gee, look at the time, need to get home, thx bye! We may look like a typical suburban middle-aged middle-class couple, but we're pretty far to the left, so miss us with that garbage.
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u/GeauxFarva 17h ago
I have this affliction too. Live in the Deep South and am a big white guy. Boomers constantly assume that I am in their camp with Trump and say some vile shit. I go one of two way… 1) talk about how my partner and I are adopting a baby and get them to make the connection that I am gay (I am not gay)… 2) really lean into some wilder conspiracy theories than they are comfortable with (reptilians, chemtrails, shadow government, etc….) Most of the time they nope out. Usually I just tell them I’m sorry, I don’t speak English.
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u/DecentExplanation750 17h ago
Out of the whole wide world of possible topics of conversation, why must they step on the landmines right out of the gate?
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u/Flahdagal 17h ago
Like you I really enjoy talking to strangers -- People have diverse and interesting experiences! I learn things! If I wanted to hear a bunch of regurgitated right wing talking points, I'd go visit my in-laws, thanks, and hear all about how public school teachers are performing gender reassignment surgery, presumably in the faculty breakroom with their vast unspent budget dollars..
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u/SplatDragon00 12h ago
Because that's all they care about. It's rage porn to them
Also, their rage baba makes them think 'commie leftists look like (what we think of as stereotypes/parodies - short blue haired butch women, not slagging on short blue haired butch women my step-mom was one, effeminate men, etc)' so if you don't look like that then you must be on Their Side™️
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u/GlassObject4443 17h ago
Unlike these armchair warriors, those of us who actually served know that the military is the most diverse institution in the US. Bigotry is a threat to readiness.
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u/uni-monkey Gen X 17h ago
I always find that funny given that the military have always been more than a bit “woke”. They were the first major US institution to desegregate.
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u/Flahdagal 17h ago
At a time when volunteer enlistment is down, you would think that people would approve of immigrant service and see that as a solid path to citizenship. Also, in an age when a lot of warfare is done behind a computer screen, that brains might be prioritized over brawn, that being LGBT doesn't interfere when you're translating from your native Arabic tongue to 'merican.
But this crowd still thinks the military looks exactly like The Flying Leathernecks and we're still fighting Erwin Rommel in North Africa.
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u/uni-monkey Gen X 17h ago
Yup. The John Wayne stereo type. It shows up in every horrible AI photo they pass around social media as patriotism porn.
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u/steve-eldridge Gen X 17h ago
The group trained to kill other people are too "woke." I remain confident that gender identity will not divert them from their mission, and should one of these fools find themselves on the wrong side of the United States military; they wouldn't last too long.
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u/steve-eldridge Gen X 18h ago
They are 100% confident that they voted for the right guy and soon will learn that wasn't the case, but as the doubt creeps into their thick skulls, they will become more desperate for affirmation.
It's going to be a satisfying couple of months as the wheels come off the MAGA train and these fools cast about in denial and disgust at what they've unleashed. FAFO time.
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u/DecentExplanation750 17h ago
It's infuriating, though, that those of us who didn't FA will still FO.
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u/steve-eldridge Gen X 17h ago
Agreed, but the only hope we have left is that the tools that voted for MAGA learn a bitter lesson, or we're doomed to repeat this over and over.
I am still doubtful that regular elections will return, but if enough of these fools stop supporting the evil, it will collapse on itself.
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u/Wak3upHicks 17h ago
We ARE repeating though. They're convinced his first term was the best thing ever
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u/steve-eldridge Gen X 17h ago
And the people who controlled the outcomes in the last term are all removed from the equation this time.
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u/DecentExplanation750 17h ago
I don't really have hope that learning is possible with most of these people.
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u/casiepierce 16h ago
They will twist their logic to somehow find a way to blame the Democrats. Mike Johnson blamed the Democrats for tanking THEIR OWN CR bill because Mump cast about it on Truth Social and Xitter and that's all Fox and Friends will show them. So they think it's the Democrats fault. They will never capitulate and blame their dear leader OR themselves for being idiots.
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u/steve-eldridge Gen X 16h ago
That's why the Democrats have to make it very clear by simply voting present or not at all to remove any illusions that Democrats are actively preventing Trump from trashing the place.
It is painful medicine, but we're past the time of trying to patch up the mess.
Republicans have been trying to destroy the place for decades; time to let them.
The next generation will have to clean up the mess no matter what happens; at least this way, some fools might learn that they made a series of terrible choices.
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u/Dense_Dress_1287 16h ago
But the problem still remains, even if by some miracle they actually open their eyes and see what a mistake they made (like they would ever admit it, even to themselves), at this point its too late to do anything about it, we're still stuck with the orange clown.
He can do a LOT of damage in 4 years, who would stop him?
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u/porscheblack 15h ago
It sucks, but we can still make the best of it. Living in reality is an advantage so use it. If you're at a company that doesn't seem well positioned to deal with what's likely to come, start looking to move now before shit hits the fan. I'm planning on putting most of my 401k into bonds when Trump starts attacking the Fed to lower interest rates because I expect it'll be due to an impending market downturn.
I fully expect it to suck, but maybe I can at least make it suck less. Or at least I can try to position myself to take advantage of the situation once the dust settles.
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u/Cheetah0630 17h ago
They will not learn they made a mistake. Teflon Don because everything bad that happens will be because of democrat conspiracies
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16h ago
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u/TheRealSatanicPanic 16h ago
He literally tried to violently overturn the election results last time so I don’t think it was crying wolf. It just turns out Americans take democracy for granted
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15h ago
[deleted]
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u/TheRealSatanicPanic 15h ago
Yeah I’m not doing a thing going forward. I don’t intend to follow politics outside of California, maybe ever again. Not my problem.
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u/Same_Elephant_4294 16h ago
I mean... I get your idea, but we're talking about people's lives. Not conservatives, fuck them with a hammer, I'm talking about the other third of the country who voted against him. I'd rather they fight so we can stay alive
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16h ago
[deleted]
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u/cheerful_cynic 16h ago
You're still going at this from a "me individually, will not get affected" when the proof lies in the million+ dead from covid, & bird flu on the horizon. When literally everyone not cis while male is being bodily threatened.
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u/Same_Elephant_4294 16h ago
We're not down to the "stay alive" part just yet
My friend, a shocking number of us are. If I didn't have the living situation I have right now, I'd be in the streets. That living situation is absolutely in danger of no longer being an option, come January.
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u/Dantien 15h ago
This defeatist attitude letting fascists get what they want is an anathema to being an American. You may let them walk all over people but I won’t. I’m fighting tooth and nail to protect our most vulnerable and won’t give ground to fascists and bigots and MAGAts.
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14h ago
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u/Dantien 14h ago
But not if those mistakes hurt others. They don’t get to enact their oppressive regime without resistance. If it’s stupid shit like selling bibles, I don’t care as much. But if my family is being deported or my LGTBQ peers are being jailed or such, I’m not giving them an inch.
“Let them get away with crime so they hopefully, after 8+ years, learn their lesson” is futile and capitulation to their philosophy and I WILL NOT HAVE THAT. You can sit idly by and act smug but I’m gonna be working to fight them. Just stay out of my way.
Teaching morons to wake up by letting them run roughshod is how dictators end up in power. Over and over it’s always those people letting power hungry fools to get their way that results in genocide. “I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice”. - Dr MLK Jr.
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u/Same_Elephant_4294 16h ago
I'll get to feel some smug validation, but I also won't be able to afford to live 🤷♂️
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u/Blackbird136 17h ago
I have a client-facing job and this is absolutely true. If I spend over 2 minutes with a Boomer, there’s at least a 25% chance they bring up Trump, when it has nothing to do with anything.
It reminds me of when you get your first real crush as a preteen, and you will look for any excuse to work that person into the convo, because you’re basically obsessed with them.
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u/Loud_Dig_1120 17h ago
It's because they're literally trying to rebuild their social network. You mentioned this guy was alone at a race track the day after Christmas? He was probably cut off by any family or friends (if he even had any) for doing this exact same thing.
This is now round two of the orange baboon. This time, we "liberals" are saying enough is enough and cutting these people completely out of our lives.
Now they're trying desperately to find validation and a new support group because, as these groups are already finding out, these policies are coming for them with zero lube and they're going to need a community to get through it.
Too bad he already ran his off.
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u/DecentExplanation750 17h ago
It definitely occurred to me as I was typing it out that he was probably alone for a reason!
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u/StandardMundane4181 17h ago
It is a merging of lifelong passion for politics with weakening minds. It is sad and problematic.
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u/_-____---_-_ Gen X 17h ago
They can’t think for themselves. They can only regurgitate what they hear.
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u/DecentExplanation750 17h ago
So true, but I'm not going to stand there and get that delusional spit up on me.
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u/ShallotPractical9018 17h ago
Wait till they see all the Medicare changes he’ll make and the tax cuts they won’t qualify for and the groceries get even more expensive with the imposed taxes on trade. Watch how slowly more civil liberties will poof be gone
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u/DecentExplanation750 16h ago
I feel like they will happily let leopards chew their faces off as long as groups of people they hate lose something too.
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u/LemonFlavoredMelon Millennial 16h ago
They get all butthurt when I tell them I don’t like discussing politics because I honestly don’t know anything and would rather not provide any false information claiming I know.
They act like I just murdered a bunch of orphans
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u/DecentExplanation750 16h ago
I thought that it would be common sense at this point to avoid talking about politics or religion with someone you just met. You're right, though. When you don't want to engage, they choose to be offended instead of simply steering to a safer topic.
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u/Same_Elephant_4294 16h ago
I don't understand why they think that would be a good conversation to have. They always seem to target people they know won't agree with them too.
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u/DecentExplanation750 16h ago
I believe the loneliness epidemic is real, and I will listen even when the topic is boring or something I don't know much about. I won't listen to the Republican fantasy land fever dreams as I have nothing to contribute, and I know from experience that the hate train will come rolling around any second.
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u/casiepierce 16h ago
Same ones who say stupid shit like "I don't mind if you're gay just don't shove it down my throat" the second they find out you're a lesbian.
Excuse my but, did I ask you? Do I need your permission to exist? And they won't STFU about Biden.
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u/King_Catfish 17h ago
Not just boomers. My gf gives me crap for voting Kamala anytime she can in front of my mom who is a Trumper.
Some context is she immigrated here after hard work studying and getting a visa. So in her mind she did it right. She fell into the trap that a lot of my coworkers that are on work visas did. They believe the democrats are just handing out green cards left and right. Trump didn't really do anything but build a shitty wall in his first term.
Bonus thought. My coworker who has been on a work visa for 20 years (H2A visa so he has to go home then come back next year) is getting his green card because he married someone here. The kicker is he's pissed because now he has to pay all the taxes we pay. I'm like bro it's a system we all pay into for better or worse. That was a doozy of an argument over tequila haha
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u/CraftingQuest 16h ago
For my dad, the 1st thing he does in the morning is turn on fox and he falls asleep to it at night. It is literally all he hears, so it has become his entire identity. He's unable to talk about anything else.
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u/Cartman68 15h ago
The USA is fucked, and you guys asked for it. How anyone with a supposedly sane mind could actually vote for Trump is beyond reason.
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u/Reasonable-Penalty43 15h ago
It’s a cult. Cults run on feelings, not facts. People who have been brainwashed into it, probably won’t ever come back from that. Those of us who aren’t in the cult are pretty much in the same mindset as you. We cannot understand why on earth anyone would choose the orange monkey to “run” things.
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u/IntroductionLess2563 7h ago
Did the guy suggest that most of the jockeys and grooms would be deported in January?
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u/Caliavocados 16h ago
I very firmly told my silent generation dad that I wouldn’t discuss Trump with him after the election. He laid low until yesterday when he started dunking on Biden. My neighbor stopped by to deliver a present on Christmas Eve and within seconds said “You’re a democrat. Did you see my pictures from the Trump store on Facebook?” There is a Trump store. SMH. It is so culty and they seem to have this compulsion to bring up politics.
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u/TankWatch 14h ago
A constant diet of Fox News has made them into this. It’s all they know. Owning the libs, complaining about woke, etc.
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u/Icy-Moose-99 11h ago
Ngl. this has been a plague to us all on both sides.
Every boomer i know wants to talk about how its either the best thing or the worst thing that Trump won, and its just getting boring at this point. They can't handle winning or losing well.
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u/Lemonhaze666 10h ago
So I legit now tell strangers that the best advice my dad ever told me was don’t talk politics or religion. Point blank get fucked old ass shitbag.
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u/MostCryptographer508 16h ago
Kinda off topic, but were you at Santa Anita? I used to live like 2 streets away from the top of the hill! We went all the time. 🙂
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u/PaperHands_Regard 8h ago
This isnt just boomers. Half the posts on this sub are losers bringing up politics to their Grandparents on holidays
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