Wednesday, July 08, 2009

So yesterday, while on my way to lunch, I couldn't help but notice a booth set up across the street which had a prominent poster showing Obama with a Hitler mustache. It was the sort of thing I caught out of the corner of my eye but then kept walking because I was already late. Of course, as soon as lunch was over, I had to approach them. Turns out it was a LaRouche PAC table. There was a small crowd there and I just sorta stood in the back, looking bored. This is the best way to get these people to approach you, if you're wondering. Just stand there and look impressionable.

A girl behind the booth sidestepped the crowd and approached me:
girl: how are you today?
me: I'm fine, thanks. I can't help but notice you got the uh, the little mustache on Obama, there
girl: yes
me: and why is that?
girl: are you familiar with Hitler's healthcare policy?
me: nope

Then the girl starts telling me about said health care, which seemed to revolve principally around the euthanasing of old people. After about twenty seconds, I cut her off.

me: I'm sorry, but how are you tying this together? I mean, is Obama euthanizing people?
girl: Well, the health plan that-
me: I strongly oppose Obama's healthcare plan.
girl: Will you sign our petition?
me: absolutely not. Not while that's here[I point to the poster. Next to it, there's another one of Obama photoshopped into a brownshirt uniform. Classy-like].
girl: Well, they have the same health plan that-
me: So did Ross Perot. Why don't you give Obama bigger ears or... something.
girl: Well, because nobody would recognize that. But the important part is that these men have the same plan.
me: Is that what you think of when Hitler comes up? His health care plan?
At this point bystanders are agreeing with me, and I'm getting a little cocky
me: Do you know why I stopped paying attention to the extreme right?
girl: Oh, we're not on the right.
me: I know you're not. I don't care. Do you know why I stopped listening to them?
girl: why is that?
me: because they started making comparisons to Hitler when it was completely inappropriate. You're doing the same thing here, and I think it's cheap and I think it's lazy.
girl: But don't you think that the people should know what's going on?
me: I do, but I don't think that adding Hitler into this conversation is going to help anyone. I mean, what if I started a campaign against vegetarianism using Hitler as an example?

At this point, everyone behind the booth looked genuinely insulted and told me that that would be crazy. Things devolved quite a bit after that and I ended up arguing some more, taking a pamphlet, returning said pamphlet before reading it, and then leaving.

Things were polite, I never yelled or cursed. Actually, I think that girl yelled more than I did. When I left, I even wished them luck in a backhanded way. It was nice to have the discussion, but I still had to go home and feel sick to my stomach afterwards. I hate that Hitler shit. you could be arguing for not bludgeoning puppies to death, and as soon as that picture gets brought out in an irresponsible way, I'm fucking done listening. It's a lot harder to tell who the real monsters are when you've become as desensitized as we are to the ones we've had. That comparison is juvenile and irresponsible, and I'm happy I got the chance to tell them so. Still, it was a pity. I'd had such a nice lunch...

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