As a product of two relatively staunch Conservative Republicans, my recent "liberalness" (a result of my youth, I'm told) has caused intense friction between my parents and I. Here are ten reasons why my parents may disown me (and more importantly discontinue financial support) if I don't change my "evil left-wing ways:"
My Recent Cartilage Piercing
On a trip to Dallas for my cousin's 19th birthday, I pierced my cartilage. This may not seem like a terrible parental offense, but I was explicitly told on my 18th birthday that, if I were to pierce my cartilage, I would be financially abandoned. My parents are notorious with my sister and I for being all bark and no bite, so I decided to pierce my upper ear when my cousin did. I came home sporting my newest bad decision, and when my mother saw it she said EXACTLY THIS: "You little shit, I told you not to do that." That's it. No punishment, no reprimand...since I'm 18 I guess there's not much they can do, but I'll admit I was nervous. When my dad noticed, however, he gave me a stern look and shook his head vigorously for about 2 minutes. I'm definitely not a disappointment (yet…!), but I have a strange feeling that this is something they're going to hold over my head when I'm 30 and regretting putting another hole in my head.
My Apathy Toward the New Law in California Concerning Gay/Lesbian Marriage
Though I haven't yet discussed this new law with my father, the subject came up when my mother and sister were watching The Princess Diaries 2 on the Disney Channel last night. As you may know, the character Heather Matarazzo, a proud lesbian who recently became engaged to her longtime-girlfriend, plays Lily in the series. Since the two women reside in California, they can be legally married as a result of the previously mentioned law. When I mentioned this in front of my mom and 13-year-old sister, Emily shrugged and nonchalantly dismissed the whole thing while my mom shook her head disdainfully and made a face. I quickly informed my mother that Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are also engaged, to which she quietly replied, “I know…” I could tell she didn't want to discuss the issue, so I left it alone. I can't understand why my parents can't accept homosexuality. Though it isn't something I personally identify with, I can respect that some people fall in love on a basis of personality and don't let gender restrict their view of people. As for my parents, it's safe to say that they are not supportive of the new California law (which, thankfully doesn't affect them since we don't live in Cali) and that I should tiptoe around the subject of homosexuality so as to not offend them. Oops!
My Support for Barack Obama
I'm sure that Triond is a frenzy of political opinion, much like my home. My parents, since they're older and McCain is “wiser and well-seasoned,” immediately latched on to John McCain as their choice presidential candidate. After thorough investigation of both candidates' platforms, I chose Barack Obama. I feel more comfortable with his platform for reasons that most first-time voters would; he's youthful, he's different than what we're used to, he's expected to be groundbreaking, and he's charismatic. When I announced this to my parents, I was bombarded with the ludicrous claims that he's a Muslim, that he didn't say the Pledge of Allegiance at some public event, that we can't have a man with the middle name “Hussein” running our country…the list goes on. We recently stopped talking politics completely because my parents would become frustrated with my liberal opinions and I would become aggravated when my mom would conclude all arguments by saying, “I can't wait until you're the mom;” something she often says when I talk about how I will or will not let my kids do certain things. In short, I may be shunned at Christmas dinner.
My Interest in Controversial Literature
I recently purchased American Psycho, the notoriously controversial and pornographic psychological thriller by American party-boy-turned-novelist Bret Easton Ellis. I often buy books in bulk just because I like to be busy, so the book sat on my nightstand for a while before my dad expressed an interest in reading it. I knew the book was controversial and pornographic, and I assumed my dad did too but…he obviously didn't. I came home from school one day and was informed by my mother that my dad threw my copy of American Psycho straight into the trashcan after reading a very deranged, very descriptive intimate scene. Woops! When I confronted him about it (because he never would've told me he had trashed it) and threw a fit about censorship and how I should be able to put whatever trash into my brain that I wanted, he told me to go fish the book out of the trashcan and read it if I was really that nuts. I didn't retrieve that book because I watched part of the movie and it scared me half to death, but I continued to read Bret Easton Ellis's other novels and every time my dad spotted me with one he'd talk about how Ellis was a pornographer and ask whether the book I was reading was as bad as American Psycho(though I wouldn't know because he didn't give me the chance to actually read it).
