A moment of cowardice -- or good sense?

[Cyrano]

A few days ago, I responded to a posting about gas guzzlers with a mild story about a Hummer owner I spoke with at a gas station last week.

Running into a second Hummer at a gas station within one week is a rarity, but it happened to me this morning. (Maybe the Hummer God is angry with me. I can't help but be apprehensive, since, as we all know, things happen in threes.)

Anyhow, my Hummer encounter this morning was, at the least, unsettling, and at the worst, dangerous. I was filling up my 20 mpg Ford, and a camouflage-painted Hummer pulled up nearby. His "Support Our Troops" bumper sticker was the least offensive one. There was also a Confederate flag bumper sticker, and one that read, "Jesus Hates Fags."

My first instinct was to walk over to this knuckle dragger and challenge his existence on this planet. But I didn't. It occurred to me that he might have a shotgun in the Hummer, or a gun in his pocket. And even if I'd had a shotgun, what was I supposed to do? Shoot him?

So my bottom line question here is: Why do we take so much shit from
red-neck maniacs because of our own fears and our sense of what constitutes "civilized behavior?" These kind of people don't care who they offend. Why do we?

[babylonsister]

1. I'd a shot him.

I kid. :P

[LeighAnn]

2. I know what I would have said (as I was safely driving away)

"Sorry about the size of your penis, man!" He would have noticed the Democratic Underground bumper sticker on my car, then he would have come here and found out the truth.

[Darth_Kitten]

10. ROFL!!!!

:rofl:

oh, that is just too good! :thumbsup:

[Ron Green]

3. Freedom isn't free.

You have to put up with jerks and assholes in our pluralistic society.

I'd a shot him, too, though.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Liberals believe in live and let live

Even the ACLU has defended the right of the Klan to have marches, because their aim is to support the Constitution. I understand your frustration-a lot of times, my Geo is cut out of traffic by big old pickups, often with W signs on them. I just think about the fact that my 15 year old car still gets over 30 mpg while I know those people are getting maybe 10. As for Confederate flags-I have a game I've played from time to time. Realize I live in NW Arkansas. I go up and ask, "Why are you displaying the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia? I doubt if any Arkansan fought under that flag. I'm glad you are proud of your heritage-but display the flag your ancestor would recognize, please!" They look sort of stunned-once I had to mention I go to reenactments, which made me "OK" and not some "intellectual".

[Harry S Truman]

5. Good point.

These people play total hardball, while too many on our side just whimper. Where is the antithesis of their extremism?
Where's the "F*ck Jesus and the ass he rode in on" bumper sticker?
Where's the "Nuke the Confederacy" signs?
Where's the "Buy guns, shoot rednecks" shirts?
This would be the polar opposite of the knuckle-draggers.
I find it strangely refreshing.

Then again, my truck has it's own sticker:
"Impeach the Chimp. Just shoot the other liar"

[Dr Fate]

15. I don't think I want to be the polar opposite of anything. n/t

n/t

[neebob]

6. What's the point?

The other day I was tempted to flip off a guy in a pickup with a bunch of stickers including W, support the troops, and one that said, "Piss off a liberal - work hard and be happy," but I figured it would just validate him.

[Zenlitened]

7. Feel free to laugh at him. Sure, he has a right to express his views.

And we have every right to note that his views are complete and utter bullshit. Just absolute filth.

If he asks why you're laughing, tell it like it is: Tell him you're laughing at the nonsense he has pasted to his tiny-penis-mobile. Then thank him for brightening up your day.

I guarantee you, he will respond by threatening you. That's what animals of limited intelligence do when they themselves are threatened. At that point, look him in the eye and tell him to go ahead and take a swing, take the first shot. Like any bully -- who is really just a timid, frightened insecure wuss at heart -- he'll make excuses and slink away.

Resume laughter. :7

[ComerPerro]

8. I say laugh

Tell him you are laughing at his stupid 27-cets-per-mile ass.

[Zenlitened]

12. Laughter is the best medicine!

:hi:

[growlypants]

9. You shoulda walked over and plugged him.

But then the whole gas station might have exploded from the spark, so once again you're screwed.

[Mythsaje]

11. People have the right to be

assholes.

Just as other people have the right to avoid them.

[Cyrano]

13. Maybe avoidance is our weakness.

Yes, they do have the right to be assholes. But right now, a minority of assholes are running and destroying our country.

I'm not sure what the answer is, but just walking away and ignoring the crap I described in my original post is starting to hurt a lot. They can spit on us, but if we object, then we're "traitors, wimps, liberals, commies, cowards, far-left lunatics, supporters of terrorism, girlie-men, and wine-sipping, cheese-eating fag lovers."

I've had it with red-neck assholes in general, and the brutal, ignorant, malicious Bush administration that gives them a wink and a nod.

[Dr Fate]

14. Choose your battles- you wont change *his* mind.

No point getting your teeth knocked out- or knocking his out and going to jail- over a dude who's mind you wont change.

Choose your battles- work on the people who you can swing over- plant some seeds.