Family Reunions

Kat over at Just Another Pretty Farce has a beautiful post on her great-grandfather in honor of her upcoming family reunion. I have a family reunion coming up too, but didn’t want to tarnish the lovely sentiment of her post by mentioning it over there. You see, my last family reunion experience was a little different…

I went family reunions as a child but I was young enough that I played with the other kids and really didn’t have to interact with the bulk of the family. Last family reunion was the first that I attended “as an adult,” in which I had to do more than simply submit to hugs from random people who I assume are my family but whom I scarcely remember having ever seen before (or worse, don’t remember at all). This time I actually had to talk with these people. To be honest, that wasn’t so bad. Most of them seem like decent folks, and interspersed among the unfamiliar faces were those of my grandparents, parents, and an uncle or two who lived close enough growing up for me to be familiar with. To be honest, I was probably the strange one, after all, who brings a “roommate” to a family reunion (coming out is a bit more drama than I feel like investing in people I only see for one weekend every several years).

This particular reunion happened to be in 2003 or 2004 (I don’t know how often we have these things, I just get an invitation in the mail), during the lead-up to the 2004 election. Without really thinking about it one way or the other I tossed on an “Anybody but Bush” t-shirt one morning and headed on out for breakfast. Glancing up from my eggs, I caught a glimpse of one aunt’s eyes scanning my shirt. Then she asked, with a tone that seemed to combine confusion, frustration, and utter terror, “Are you a Democrat??”

I started to explain that I don’t really consider myself a part of either party, but I simply did not like the way the current president had been running the country. Unfortunately I was interrupted by her husband (my uncle), who informed me that I should just consider myself “lucky to be able to wear a shirt like that.” Now, I know on the internet I’m not necessarily one to back down from a political fight, and I certainly don’t mind having a political conversation face-to-face, but when someone raises their voice to me over politics in the real world, I typically just go quiet to avoid the conflict unless it’s something really worth standing up for (and trying to explain my issues with the way Bush is running the country to some random uncle, who has already decided that Bush is the best president we’ve had, just doesn’t cut it).

So I sat there, occasionally trying to get a word in but mostly just staring at my plate as I moved my eggs around with my fork, being berated for “buying into liberal propaganda” and being all but called stupid for daring not to share his point of view (not that he knew mine because he never bothered to ask beyond finding out I wasn’t a fan of Bush). I’m choosing to believe that it was just the shock at the force of this uncle’s objection to my dislike of Bush that led the rest of my family to sit quietly and just listen. On the other hand, I was shocked to hear approval voiced by a few family members (even one that I see on a more frequent basis) when he announced his support for such things as the Flag Burning Amendment (!!!), which I thought added some unique irony to his first comment, but I didn’t say anything (by this time, I was no longer even trying to get a word in).

Despite the strong desire to finish my eggs, go pack up the car and head home right then and there, I managed to stick it out for the rest of the weekend (which fortunately contained no more political talk). Needless to say though, being insulted and berated by people who are supposed to be my family didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth. The next reunion is in a week or so. Will I go? I don’t know, but I haven’t yet RSVPed either way.

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3 Responses to “Family Reunions”

1. 1

   July 10th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
   KipEsquire says:
   

   Next time wear an “I Can’t Even Think Straight!” t-shirt.

2. 2

   July 10th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
   Music City Bloggers says:
   

   […] Dolphin relays a tale about his last family reunion Last family reunion was the first that I attended “as an adult,” in which I had to do more than simply submit to hugs from random people who I assume are my family but whom I scarcely remember having ever seen before (or worse, don’t remember at all). This time I actually had to talk with these people. … To be honest, I was probably the strange one, after all, who brings a “roommate” to a family reunion (coming out is a bit more drama than I feel like investing in people I only see for one weekend every several years). […]

3. 3

   July 10th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
   Southern Beale says:
   

   Then she asked, with a tone that seemed to combine confusion, frustration, and utter terror, “Are you a Democrat??”

   I think what’s most disheartening to me right now is that there are thousands of intelligent, decent people out there whose minds have been poisoned against anything that looks, talks or acts like a liberal. Democrat is not a dirty word, you know? When did we get to this place where having a Democrat in the family was like some badge of shame? And how did this happen, right under our noses?