Frick!
So, went to the homeschooler's support group tonight. Shel and I had been looking forward to it for some time. We joined PATCH or Paducah Area Teachers in Christian Homes. They are the only show in town and keep inviting us to join. There are days when we both need alot of encouragement to keep plugging along. Since most people think Homeschooling is odd or even a crock of shit, a place without raised eyebrows is well worth sitting through some prayers and forking over some cash. We really needed some cheerleading. Then I found out that a speaker was coming to "teach us how to protect our Christian values in the current culture". Now, I expected a little ditty I like to call, "What the Queers are Doing to the Soil", but I remained unprepared for the Jesus Camp-eskness of what we were about to hear. We heard all about the degenerate liberals (That's me!), the morally bankrupt Atheists, the chaos that is sure to ensue without evangelical Christians to tell us right from wrong, the evils of universal health coverage, the absurdity of social security, wickedness of divorce, abortion, unwed motherhood, and of course about the plotting scheming sinning homosexicals. We also heard how downtrodden the poor dears were by all us nasty liberal scum. (Wow, if you are not of the straight persuasion, this may not be news to you, but Conservative Evangelicals do not like you. They don't like people who do either. They are frick'n scary in this way.) We learned all about the moral decay that my family is causing. I asked Shel if we could leave, but he was entranced. He likened it to watching a train wreck, or seeing a hippopotamus (You see them on TV and read about them in books, but how often are you in the room with one?) I felt lower and more beat down by the minute. I really didn't feel like hearing how the pornographers are free to sell smut but the state can't have a copy of the Ten Commandments in every court house and classroom. How were the two related? I'd get the ire if the courthouses were posting the porn rather than the commandments, but that isn't the case. What's the connection? I heard alot about tax dollars used to fund the gay agenda. I though gays paid taxes too. Meanwhile, how is wanting a job and a family an agenda? I was really in a muddle. I learned why I should vote against expanding gambling. (I already do.) I got to hear about why I need to shoot down domestic partnership rights at UK. It was explained to us all that polls suggested that only 10% of all Christians had the proper Biblical Worldview and how sad it was that they were the only ones who could hear Gawd. (I kept wondering if it didn't occur to them that Gawd was coming across loud and clear to everyone else and that perhaps they were the ones tuned into the wrong station?) What did all the politics have to do with homeschooling? What does Adam and Steve have to do with basic algebra? They have a plan to save America through the homeschooling movement, whether America likes it or not. It is called Generation Joshua and it trains kids to lobby for the lord. (It is a genius plan really.) I heard so much crap and most of it twisted beyond all reckoning that I insisted we leave during intermission. I marked my name of the sign in list and Shel ask for our dues back. They told him they wished he would keep coming and really give it a fair chance *boggle*, but they could not argue with him, since he was the "leader of his family". He corrected her that it was a co-leadership and left disgusted. It was all so bizarre. It occurs to me that with all the talk about the evils plaguing society today, the speaker never once mentioned domestic violence, rape or the meth crisis. I wonder why?
After a quick trip to the mall for glasses repairs, we headed home. That's when I broke down sobbing in the car. It was just more negativity than I could handle today, I'd already dealt with one crisis and needed some happy thoughts. But I left there so angry and feeling very out of place. What part of that was a support group? What did it have to do with education? The word degenerate kept running through my head. I almost asked Charlotte if she wanted to raise money for UNICEF again this year, but I figured, why bother? Let the kid have candy. We're all a bunch of degenerates anyway.
I'm getting over it. I mean, how pouty is that? I'm being a huge titty-baby. So, no homeschool groups for us. Who cares? We aren't really into the square peg / round hole thing anyway. I think I'm done joining groups. They cut into my social life too much anyway.
After a quick trip to the mall for glasses repairs, we headed home. That's when I broke down sobbing in the car. It was just more negativity than I could handle today, I'd already dealt with one crisis and needed some happy thoughts. But I left there so angry and feeling very out of place. What part of that was a support group? What did it have to do with education? The word degenerate kept running through my head. I almost asked Charlotte if she wanted to raise money for UNICEF again this year, but I figured, why bother? Let the kid have candy. We're all a bunch of degenerates anyway.
I'm getting over it. I mean, how pouty is that? I'm being a huge titty-baby. So, no homeschool groups for us. Who cares? We aren't really into the square peg / round hole thing anyway. I think I'm done joining groups. They cut into my social life too much anyway.