Jeepers Freepers!
February 17, 2010 7:00 PM Subscribe
Is the irascibility of the average middle-aged white guy a sign of some deeper problem?
I often meet guys in their late thirties and up who, without the slightest provocation, assume I hate Obama, or Kerry or whoever and proceed to froth to me about it.
The last time this happened, it was an older gentleman who began by telling me he was a C-130 pilot in Vietnam, and then began to give me a rundown of how John Kerry "was only hit in the ass by a grain of rice" and so on. By the end of his rant, he was practically standing on my feet. I changed the subject.
My question: What the hell is with these guys? Is it possibly a sign of a pre-Alzheimers type of syndrome? Is there any research that might indicate this?
I often meet guys in their late thirties and up who, without the slightest provocation, assume I hate Obama, or Kerry or whoever and proceed to froth to me about it.
The last time this happened, it was an older gentleman who began by telling me he was a C-130 pilot in Vietnam, and then began to give me a rundown of how John Kerry "was only hit in the ass by a grain of rice" and so on. By the end of his rant, he was practically standing on my feet. I changed the subject.
My question: What the hell is with these guys? Is it possibly a sign of a pre-Alzheimers type of syndrome? Is there any research that might indicate this?
This post was deleted for the following reason: This reads like old white dudes suck amirite? Not much of a problem to be solved here. -- mathowie
Maybe there's a correlation between people who hold extreme beliefs and people who lack the social knowledge/control to keep those beliefs to themselves, or to talk about them in polite ways? The guy at the pool party who buttonholes you to talk intensely about John Kerry would buttonhole you to talk intensely about whatever his current obsession is.
These guys may also see themselves as fonts of powerful knowledge; passing that knowledge to you is a good deed. If they tell enough people, they can change the world!
posted by sallybrown at 7:09 PM on February 17, 2010
These guys may also see themselves as fonts of powerful knowledge; passing that knowledge to you is a good deed. If they tell enough people, they can change the world!
posted by sallybrown at 7:09 PM on February 17, 2010
Middle-aged and older white men are the most conservative large group of voters. They are essentially the Republican Party's base, in the same way that African Americans, or young urban women are the Dem's base. And there is a lot of intensity in anti-Obama, anti-Dem feeling among the GOP base. So it's not at all surprising you would hear these views, and I doubt it's anything to get *too* alarmed about.
Let me know if you'd like links to polling on this.
posted by lunasol at 7:12 PM on February 17, 2010
Let me know if you'd like links to polling on this.
posted by lunasol at 7:12 PM on February 17, 2010
« Older Help me destink my parents' newly-bought house | Higher Ed Administrator seeks convention Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by John of Michigan at 7:07 PM on February 17, 2010 [1 favorite]