(no subject)

[felicula]

I should probably preface this with some background information on the folks involved.

Uncle Jimmy: I've always thought my Uncle Jimmy was rather creepy. Up until his Mom (my Grandma) passed away in late 1994, he still lived with her. I've never known him to have a significant other except in the faintest of family rumors. Every family event that I've ever seen him at, he spends an inordinant amount of time teasing, tickling, or otherwise spending time with my younger female cousins. From his beerbelly and stained shirt to his vacant stare and lack of hygiene, he's the picture of a stereotypical hick.

My Dad: My dad was born and bred Democrat. He's been known to cry out in his sleep, "You whore! You EXECUTIVE whore!" He once bitterly called me a Capitalist Pig simply because I was besting him in a game of Monopoly. He's an occasionally recovering alcoholic, though to his credit I hadn't heard of him having a relapse since shortly after beginning his treatment for prostate cancer. He is very vehemently opposed to Dubbya. Somewhere in his family history, someone lost their home due to Republican governing. My dad has never and will never forget this.

Today during a phone call from my folks, my Dad told me he thinks he's made an enemy of my Uncle Jimmy. He went on to explain that Jimmy had been sending my dad a load of "Vote for Bush" e-mails. He got sick of getting them, and decided to e-mail a response. My Dad says that he told Jimmy to, "Shove it up his ass," to "go ahead and vote for Bush... If you're a millionaire!" I don't doubt that my dad's e-mail was saturated with his hatred of all things Republican.

My Uncle apparently was very offended by what my Dad wrote. He responded by saying that he wasn't going to attend any family gatherings at my parents' house from now on. When I talked to my Mom, she said she wished my Dad would have expressed himself more... gently. She sounded like she wanted to hear me say I thought my Dad was wrong to say it.

I'm not taking sides (between my mom and my dad). The fact is, Uncle Jimmy is creepy. The word pedophile has crossed my mind, whether he actually is or not. He certainly leers at, tickles, and teases my teenage cousins all too often. That started a long time before they were teenaged. He used to do that to me too, when I was smaller. My cousins seem like they don't care one way or another about it. It bothered me though. Even when I was really small I didn't want to hang around him.

All the hullabaloo might just die down in time. Then again, it might get blown all out of proportion. I wonder if it's going to end up with my mom's family all taking sides. I can picture my Mom having a really hard time if she and my Dad end up excluded from family events hosted by others of her siblings. Who knows?