Oog - my little brother.

He’s a walking stereotype of a tech libertarian (which is to say, a shallow, bigoted, reactionary, right-wing IT guy who for some inexplicablec reason seems to think that all that’s necessary to count as “libertarian” is to rail against “the woke mob.”)

The first time I heard the term “mansplaining,” I knew exactly what it meant, because it’s his customary mode of communication. I already know that by about the third time I hear him say, " Well, what you have to understand is that…" I’m going to have to leave the room.

He likely won’t bring up politics directly - not surprisingly, he’s generally ignorant of both the philosophical side of it and the practical side of it. Instead, he’ll bloviate about whatever the right-wing/tech media bubble is bloviating about, so essentially political issues without the complication of political context.

It’s invariably awful, and it’s always a matter not of if but merely of when I’m going to have to leave the room because the only alternative is going to be a messy verbal explosion. And I presume it’s going to be worse than ever this year, since he’ll undoubtedly want to mansplain the mindless dogma he’s been fed about Trump and Musk and Ukraine and tariffs and immigrants and trans athletes and so on…

I have thanksgiving with only my wife and kids.

Then I have Friendsgiving, with a few friends and their family.

I haven’t seen my family in years except for video calls. Same for my kids, and wife and kids. Not that I dislike them. Or would be opposed to them staying in the same town.

My family members are toxic, and after I moved, we never bothered.

I think more people should do that.

We’re going out of town so our DIL doesn’t have to make up an excuse for not spending it with her fam.

Jim

Even my corrupted parents aren’t planning on a Thanksgiving visit because of how toxic the family is.

The writing is on the wall.

We all good. My brother leans hard right and is super racist but he’s also got the 'tism and we all know it, so we talk mad shit to his face when he starts up.

It’s hard to take a guy seriously when he worships someone that would have sent him to the gas chambers.

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Me. I’m the family member.

Myself

Fortunately, my family all died off in the pandemic. We were all liberal, and they’d be horrified by the state of things. I’m grateful they don’t have to experience any of this.

Probably my girlfriend’s mother. Her family lives in a remote part of Y’allistan kinda country. According to my gf they used to be quite moderate and intelligent but since moving (for better land to run their family business) her mom has become very isolated and feeds off nothing but Fox/OANN and whatever shit YouTube recommends. She’s become such an abortion hating, trans hating, gay hating person in only the last three or four years that even my girlfriend says she barely recognizes her sometimes.

This is my first Thanksgiving with her family after 2 years together, and depending on how it goes it might be close to the last, we’re not sure.

Thankfully not thanksgiving, but Christmas it will be my father… That whole side of the family really. Even my super religious grandmother chimes in with “the immigrants bring in disease!”

For a group of people that can love their family, they’re all filled with so much hate for “others.” :/

Take your pick.

• The brother who was fired from his job as a prison guard for being too racist. He’s told me on more than one occasion that he’s smarter than any black person he’s ever met… he’s dropped out of college multiple times and now works for a convenience store along with “being his own boss” for MLM, selling shit door-to-door (yes, he will be trying to sell stuff at holiday gatherings).
• The aunt who’s sure that Obama was, in fact, the antichrist mentioned in the Book of Revelations. She believes that queer people are all pedophiles who can convert children and others to “their ways.” Oddly though… not a Trump supporter, because DJT “let that beautiful daughter of his marry a Jew.”
• The cousin who is a flat earther and won’t shut up about how the Jews run everything with their power tied (somehow) directly to convincing everyone that the planet isn’t flat. His wife tried to get him to cut ties with the family because we don’t go to their church which is all of about 100 people and based out of a partially abandoned strip mall.

They’ve all been ostracized by family in the past, but keep getting invited to stuff.

This is the 3rd year I will be completely alone.

A sister that is a traditional conservative and brother that is a centrist liberal, they argue in talking points and both of their solutions are usually unrealistic garbage. It’s a big family though so most just leave the room when they get going.