trying to grok

SNOTTY

I completely related with what Andrew Sullivan called the snooty liberal self-parody.

"I was sitting in therapy describing an in-law I like, and quickly heading for a "but." "He's a loving, caring, selfless man -- but his politics are all about hatred," I said. "He's not educated, and more significant, he's ignorant -- he actually listens to Rush Limbaugh."
I waited for a "Whoo boy!" or a sympathetic smile, but my shrink just stared at me, expressionless.
"I assume you're not a Limbaugh fan," I ventured, assured that this woman, so nuanced in her thinking, couldn't possibly be a Dittohead. She was so reasonable that I couldn't imagine her getting off on Rush's demented tirades. She didn't seem square enough for his politics, and I was certain no hate radio fan was capable of her intellectual sophistication. Besides, she was an educated urban Jewish professional, and Rush's audience consisted largely of white suburban males.
She held my gaze a few excruciating seconds longer. "Actually, I am," she said. My moral compass began spinning wildly. I was suddenly sitting with someone new. The levelheaded sage in whom I'd confided for nearly a year had been replaced by an off-the-rack ideologue.
There were five minutes left in the session, and I felt like running. "Well, this could devolve into a whole political discussion, so I'll just finish the story," I rallied.
For the next week, I struggled with an overwhelming sense of betrayal."

It's an article in Salon by a woman who doesn't trust her shrink anymore because the shrink likes Limbaugh (don't bother registering; it's not a whole lot longer than this, and just more snotty). I've dealt with this before, when a friend told me she couldn't believe I leaned Right because I was so interested in other cultures and points of view.

And the Right's supposed to be the intolerant side.

MORE TO GROK:

Wow. Annika got slammed for no reason.

Posted by Sarah at April 12, 2004 10:19 AM