Like Father, Like Son and Unlike Son

I am the Unlike Son

I had an engaging political debate with my father and brother recently. It occurred on mother's day after dinner. My mom, my brother's wife and my girlfriend Jenny were all present for this landmark moment in family history as well. Somehow the men-folk ended up in the kitchen in deep discussion and the women-folk ended up in the living also in deep discussion; just alot more polite. The way the males in my family communicate are with loud voices and hand gestures. I suppose it was enough to drive the women-folk into the living room. I don't think that there has been a political discussion in my family ever. I never knew what my Dad thought or my brother thought about anything political. I assumed they thought like me since we all lived together and grew up together. I am not sure how it started but conversation opened my eyes to what the rest of America must be struggling with. And I didn't like what they had to say.

How the West Will be Won

We started with immigration. It turns out that my Dad and brother are more into nationalism than I am. My dad asked me whether I thought it was a right or a privilege to be an American citizen. I actually told him that I didn't really care where I was as long as I was doing architecture and getting paid fairly for it. I didn't really understand the point of his question and I don't think that he understood my response. The point, to me, was that I just want work at doing something that I enjoy that is going to put food on the table. Which is what I think that most people want, including immigrants. And if we are dedicated to proposition that all men are created equal and that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is an inalienable right then we should find ways to help the people who are striving to claim the rights that we believe that they have.

Fear and Loathing

The conversation turned to oil. I knew that they were speaking from a position of ignorance and fear so I had to forgive them for what they said. I have read more on this and studied this more than both of them combined. They have both bought the idea that there is going to be some kind of near catastrophic economic crash caused by oil that will make the depression look tame, that the American living standards are going to fall to unprecedented levels. So I asked them to tell me about their standards of living. Several TV's each, lawns, 5 cars between them. They commute a combined 100+ miles each day each way. They said "Hey, we live in a suburban culture now. How do you expect us to change?" I swear that my brother stopped short of telling me that the sky was falling. I told them that they were not thinking things through very well. I told them that they had forgotten how the world used to work. How cities used to be dense and people lived on bus lines and train lines. People used to live close to where they worked.They weren't buying it. I still don't think it will come to the point where we have tenements and typhoid all over again. Before we quit our suburban culture we will find a way to make cheap fuel again. In my opinion business will continue more or less as usual.