Happy Atheist Forum

Not sure where this should go... please move if you need to!
I went out today to pick up some hatching eggs and visit a friend.  The friend took me to the people I was getting the eggs from, these are rare heritage breed birds so I braved the unknown in order to get my hands on the eggs.  While there I met the most interestingly convoluted woman I think I have ever met.  I had to keep my mouth shut most of the time because to open it would have probably gotten a shotgun aimed at me.  Would like to get everyone's thoughts on her ideas since I will probably have to deal with this woman again at some point due to her being a friend of a really good friend.

While there, she decided to bring up the oil spill and how she believes it's just one more trick up the sleeves of this 'group' to bring in the 'new world order' by destroying all we have (I'm thinking she is referring to the whole bilderback conspiracy, I didn't ask though, it could be some other new world order conspiracy).  Obama is obviously their leader at the moment, she is obviously racist as well.  One thing after another was Obama bringing in the new world order, I stopped really listening so I have no idea what else she claims he's done.  When she asked if I was a democrat I just told her I don't affiliate myself with party lines, which is the truth.  "Oh, you're one of those."  Was the slightly disgusted response.  She continues to go on about Obama being a crook and the country is going to hell and the new world order thing.  It was insinuated that if I wasn't on their side that I was part of the problem.  On top of all that was the constant insistence that god had blessed her this year with so much because she didn't have to spend money of her flower garden (we got rain this year, wild flowers everywhere).  And that god was a wonderful god and I really needed to start coming out to cowboy church with them and bettering myself and my life.

I can deal with the latter part, most people here are this way but I'm trying to figure out how to deal with the new world order dribble.  It kinda caught me off guard since I normally ignore conspiracy BS.

Next time you see the warning signs,[spoiler:2stray8j](https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi46.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Ff105%2Fmudslag%2FTinFoilHatArea.jpg&hash=203a5aa22287b1ec8278d27436ea30298bd728f3)[/spoiler:2stray8j]be sure you're dressed in the appropriate attire.
[spoiler:2stray8j](https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Friverdaughter.files.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2Ftinfoil_hat_girl.jpg&hash=fb6923623f02ba439bb6696e9a02179f0992029f)[/spoiler:2stray8j]

Here's what I'd say. "Yeah, but this is Texas! We're Texans! Us Texans don't let anyone push us around! You're from Texas, arent you?"

Quote from: "i_am_i"Here's what I'd say. "Yeah, but this is Texas! We're Texans! Us Texans don't let anyone push us around! You're from Texas, arent you?"

I think that would work.  

Quote from: "elliebean"Next time you see the warning signs,[spoiler:2av60n0q](https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi46.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Ff105%2Fmudslag%2FTinFoilHatArea.jpg&hash=203a5aa22287b1ec8278d27436ea30298bd728f3)[/spoiler:2av60n0q]be sure you're dressed in the appropriate attire.
[spoiler:2av60n0q](https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Friverdaughter.files.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2Ftinfoil_hat_girl.jpg&hash=fb6923623f02ba439bb6696e9a02179f0992029f)[/spoiler:2av60n0q]

 lol[/quote]

I think that would get the rifle pointed at me  :hmm:
I don't confuse easily but that one got me.

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg517.imageshack.us%2Fimg517%2F6655%2Fpmslsu0.gif&hash=864936626eaf8fd08f72c935dec3770cf5cd5bb5)


Glad I don't live in Texas! I'd have had a stand up argument with her!

So I'm looking through all the various NWO conspiracies just to have a handle on them the next time I bump into her..... I thought there were just a couple, nope, boy was I wrong  

It's amazing what some people will buy into.

I'm glad I don't live in rural Texas...

Quote from: "Whitney"I'm glad I don't live in rural Texas...

Rural Texas is actually a very interesting place, quite beautiful in some places, but it's not for the easily intimidated.

Quote from: "i_am_i"

Quote from: "Whitney"I'm glad I don't live in rural Texas...

Rural Texas is actually a very interesting place, quite beautiful in some places, but it's not for the easily intimidated.

Interesting and beautiful...yes.  Could I survive there as I do in DFW (openly supporting freethought groups) without being strung up or "accidentally" shot...probably not.

Quote from: "Whitney"Interesting and beautiful...yes.  Could I survive there as I do in DFW (openly supporting freethought groups) without being strung up or "accidentally" shot...probably not.

Yep this area is not for the faint of heart.  Takes a lot of verbal self control to keep me from getting myself in serious trouble  :shake:

Quote from: "KDbeads"I just found out there's a group out here that are stock piling ammo and meds for when the NWO take over thing happens.  The have a ranch with 10 foot electrified fences and a small housing area on it  

What. The. Fuck.

That is something i am simply unable to get my head around.

*shudders*

Quote from: "karadan"

Quote from: "KDbeads"I just found out there's a group out here that are stock piling ammo and meds for when the NWO take over thing happens.  The have a ranch with 10 foot electrified fences and a small housing area on it  

What. The. Fuck.

That is something i am simply unable to get my head around.

*shudders*

You and me both.  Even the former mayor buys into this stuff.......

I would just as neutrally as possible shrug off whatever she says. Don't agree with what she says (otherwise she'll see a fellow tinfoil wearer in you and will never shut up about her conspiracy theories, and for somebody who doesn't find them amusing, encouraging her to rant on that sort of nonsense is obviously the last thing you'd want to do.

But you'd probably not want to oppose the nonsense she says either. That would just create heated 'debates', and we all know what talking to a nutter can be like...

One technique I've come to master is pretending to pay attention to what people are saying around me and to me without provoking an upset response in the person that's talking to me but rather just letting them get bored and kill the topic themselves.

Quite frankly, I would never go back...eggs or not. I would not knowingly support a person with such beliefs, also knowing that some of her profits are going to that cowboy church that reinforces such idiocy.

Having grown up in rural Texas I'm well acquainted with this sort of situation whether it be government conspiracies, UFOs, mythical creatures (See the culture thread about my hometown and the chupacabra) or religion and the attack on scientific theories such as evolution and, no joke, modern biological psychology - you'd be surprised how hostile some people when I explain what my education is in.

I usually choose my discussions wisely - would it just make the situation easier if I just kept quiet and nodded?  Many times it does.  However, other times, usually after I've had a few beers I have the motivation and endurance to talk about the topics at length.  However, it usually ends up with the other person or persons getting a bit upset and just proclaiming repeatedly that I'm wrong and it usually ends there.

Right now I'm in San Antonio but within the next couple of weeks I'm moving back to a more rural area.  The closest city is Victoria, Texas which has bout 60,000 people.  I had an idea to possibly attempt to start a sort of skeptic's society there with the tentative title of Victoria Society for Evidence-based Inquiry and focusing on mostly issues which are raised locally such as the chupacabra thing, local myths and even things such as the rebuttal I made to a guest column in the local newspaper about evolution.  It'll probably take me a good while before I ever get it off the ground but eventually I'll see how it goes there in south Texas.

I've got family scattered from the Longview-Tyler region to Midland-Odessa, and from Austin to Amarillo.

I prefer rural Texans, because, while they may or may not hold some odd views, they're much more open about them, in my opinion.

'Course, I haven't lived there in so long I could be seriously out of touch with current streams of thought.

I'm a bit north of you right now, it's 40 miles south to Fredericksburg just for groceries  :verysad:   Hence why I'm here, I'm learning how to talk like an educated person again  

I like listening to the crazy people. I can make up my own stories and they often agree.

Next time if and when she direct any questions at you, just yawn, then say, "hmmm....sorry, keep talking, I usually yawn when I'm interested"