I have not given in to the temptation to check out Parler or any of the other “alternative” social media platforms. I have many reasons for not taking the plunge. The main one is that I have absolutely zero desire to add more social media to my life. Facebook already annoys the fuck out of me, even though I am hopelessly entrenched. But there are other reasons…
First of all, I’ve noticed people cabling posts from Parler and, quite frankly, a lot of what I’ve seen is very negative. There’s a lot of scary right wing shit on there, posted by nutjobs who still think Trump won the election and was unfairly ousted from Washington. Naturally, if you have followed this blog for more than a few minutes, you know that I am DELIGHTED that Trump lost the election. I believe the election was fair and free, and Trump is by far the worst president in the history of the United States. Not only did he suck donkey balls as a leader, but he also inspired people to be violent and stupid.
Secondly, I’ve noticed that a number of my relatives have apparently abandoned Facebook. While I think a couple of relatives blocked me, I also think most have simply moved over to Parler, where they can spew their nauseating Trump worshiping crap in relative peace. I would not want to be on Parler to see what my relatives are posting. Some of them have legitimately scared me over the past few years… and some have just made me sad. I feel like I’ve lost a bunch of loved ones, thanks to Donald Trump. I’m not sure the rift will ever be healed.
And thirdly, I am really tired of writing about politics. I’d like to move away from that subject. I probably will, if Biden succeeds in making the country less crazy. But if I hang out on Parler, I know I will fall down several rabbit holes and feel compelled to keep writing about things I read over there. Facebook provides way more than my recommended daily allowance of political craziness.
Speaking of families being divided by politics… I recently read two different stories about parents and children going through significant strife thanks to Trump. The first one involves Claudia Conway, whose mother is Kellyanne Conway. I wrote about her a few months ago, when she was in the news for going off the rails a bit online. Claudia’s rants against Trump and videoed meltdowns were the reasons cited for Kellyanne’s exit from the Trump administration. Kellyanne had famously remarked that her family needed “less drama and more mama”.
Well… according to recent news reports about the Conway family, things haven’t improved so much since Kellyanne came back to the nest. Claudia recent shared videos of her mother screaming profanities at her. A police officer came over to do a wellness check and told Kellyanne that she should take away her daughter’s access to the Internet. Claudia then said that she pays for her phone and her computer belongs to her school. Claudia’s dad is George Conway, who has publicly trolled his wife. George Conway is not a Trump fan at all. So I’m sure there’s a lot of stress in that household. There would be anyway, since Claudia is going through major growing pains at her age. But add in the rest of the shit– politics and a mother who apparently has quite a temper to match her public persona– and it can’t be easy for any of them.
The second story involves a much less famous family in Wylie, Texas. 18 year old Jackson Reffitt, is the son of Guy Reffitt, a man who toted at least one firearm to the Capitol on January 6th and allegedly told his son, Jackson, if he told the authorities, he would be a traitor. And then, Guy allegedly told his son that traitors “get shot”. Wow…
Jackson told the FBI anyway, and Guy Reffitt was arrested. Jackson says he did it because he felt it was his duty to his country. He also says he “knows” he and his dad will make up at some point. I truly hope that will happen for him, although Jackson’s sisters have said Jackson took their father’s comments “out of context”. Frankly, I have a hard time imagining how someone can take those words “out of context”, particularly when they are said by a father to his son.
Jackson is also at a tough age. It’s not easy being 18. His dad is my age, which makes me feel old. Anyway, Jackson has a GoFundMe going, because it appears that he’s no longer welcome in his father’s home. At this writing, he’s gotten more than $129,000 in donations. Apparently, he’d only hoped to raise a few thousand dollars. Personally, I think he should probably stop collecting money, lest people turn on him. Everybody loves a feel good story, but when GoFundMe fundraisers go crazy, sometimes people have a tendency to get skeptical. Besides, that amount of money is enough to get him through college and help him with his expenses as a young man. It’s crazy that we feel like we have to reward people for simply doing the right thing. But I know it was hard for Jackson to turn in his father. He will probably pay a heavy cost for that.
Anyway… it wouldn’t surprise me if Guy Reffitt is on Parler, too. I don’t want to be rubbing virtual elbows with people like him, even if some of my relatives are probably also there, commiserating about how we’re all “doomed” because a sane, rational, decent man is now the president. Yes, Joe Biden is 78 years old, but he looks pretty vibrant to me, and he is definitely a better role model and a better person than Trump will EVER be.
I hope to God that we all learn from history– look at the rise of Hitler, for instance— and stop Trump from doing any more damage. I am fucking serious. Be a conservative if you must, but keep it sane. And I think insanity abounds on Parler, so I won’t be stepping in over there, no matter how curious I get.
In other news… Arran had his surgery yesterday, later in the day than was planned. He has a cone of shame on his head and an incision in his left thigh, where the mast cell tumor was removed. He seems to be feeling better today than he did last night, poor guy. He woke us up at 3:00am because he was ravenous.
If I were a fly on the wall of the Conway home, I would get the hell out of that house. I wouldn’t even want to know what went on there. Claudia doesn’t seem to understand that in absence of some sort of entertainment contract requiring that a percentage of earnings be put away for her, which her parents would need to sign off on, her parents are the legal owners of what she earns, not that their overtaking her earnings would be an ethical or moral thing to do At the very least, they have veto power over how she spends earnings. It’s just a symptom of her age, but she’s a bit full of herself, not that I would have enjoyed Kellyanne as a mother any more than Claudia seems to be enjoying the experience.
I think you’re right that Jackson should discontinue contributions into his account. He should have plenty to get him through college (I don’t know how takes work on GoFundMe, though). He cannot spend stupidly, though. $120,000 probably sounds like more money to a kid his age than it really is.
I’m glad Arran is better. My parent’s whippet/chihuahua/pit bull/beagle, GodKnowsWhatElse, Cardinal Gibbons, was neutered. He has such a snaky body that he was able to lick his scrotal incision easily even with the cone. He had to wear a dog onesie. I think it’s finally off. My parent sent in his DNA to Embark.com. God alone knows if the results will be legit.
I am very curious to find out what Noyzi is. He’s from a part of the world I haven’t seen yet. Arran is doing alright, but that cone is really annoying. The scraping sound on the floor and walls makes my skin crawl.
I hope Claudia doesn’t wind up at a brat camp. That’s a big risk in a family like hers. They have money and there’s an incentive to make the problem go away.
I am now working on today’s post.
I hadn’t though about it, but Brat Camp could be an easy way for her parents to throw a little money at someone to take her off their hands, spirit her away, and keep her out of the public eye and off social media. If I were she, I would probably retain an attorney STAT and get the ’emancipated minor’ process going, because George and Kellyanne presumably cannot not legally have her taken away (or at least will have to bring her back for court dates) if the process has been initiated and if an attorney is charged with representing her interests. She probably also needs a guardian ad litem appointed until matters have been resolved, though you, as a social worker, are more of an expert concerning such matters than I am.
Yeah. I am reading a book about therapeutic programs for troubled teens. It’s one of several I’ve read on this topic. Claudia seems like a perfect candidate. Her parents are wealthy and have connections. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did try to get her “special help” in a place like Provo Canyon, where she’d have Mormonism shoved down her throat, possibly along with psychiatric medications.
I do think she would benefit from an advocate, just based on the videos she’s shared.
I would not sign up for a Parler account, either. I see enough craziness from Trump supporters on Facebook and Twitter as it is, and from what I have seen of Parler in references (mostly by a guy who keeps an eye on that platform and shares sample posts as “Parler Takes’) on Twitter, I think I’d have a heart attack or a stroke in no time if I visited the actual site.
Yeah… it’s not good.