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People who live their whole lives in the same area can be incredibly cliquish, small-minded and unwelcoming to anyone outside their closed circle of lifetime and high school friends. We recently moved away from such a town.
I've not been called a communist yet but a close friend was when she declined an invitation to attend a GOP rally, stating that she was a Democrat.
I think that same mentality that leads people to have no interest in venturing into the larger world beyond their upbringing and enlarging their minds in any way is the same mentality that leads them to throw out the words communist and socialist without even bothering to look up the definition of those terms.
They toss out those words indiscriminately and then complain about "the elites" looking down on them.
My wife and I went to one of her reunions, 40th I think, that was being held in a large hotel with multiple meeting rooms. She hadn't seen any of her classmates since graduation and was excited to see them as adults. We pushed through the crowded lobby and down a hall to where the reunion was being held and walked in the door of a packed room but she didn't recognize anyone. She did turn to me and say, "they've all aged so much". I was feeling pretty good about my own appearance as well compared to the people I was talking to. We mingled about 30 minutes before we realized we were in the wrong reunion. It was a class that graduated ten years before hers and just happened to be having their reunion at the same place on the same night. We crossed the hall into the correct reunion and the reality of our age.
At one of our reunions, we had 2 well-dressed black women show up. As a rural northern school, we had minorities, but only a few. I'm looking at them and wondering why I don't remember them. They were at the wrong reunion. Pity, as I wanted to talk to them.
I forgot all about this thread. I need to remember to subscribe to threads when I post.
Well regretfully, I will not be going to my 50th high school reunion. The politics (both presidential and internal) got out of control. Politically, I lean left. But my Catholic classmates were overwhelmingly Trumpers. In 2020, I just couldn't imagine any of my Class of 1971 classmates voting for Trump. But they did. Twice..
Why are you surprised, the election was almost evenly split.
I forgot all about this thread. I need to remember to subscribe to threads when I post.
Well regretfully, I will not be going to my 50th high school reunion. The politics (both presidential and internal) got out of control. Politically, I lean left. But my Catholic classmates were overwhelmingly Trumpers. In 2020, I just couldn't imagine any of my Class of 1971 classmates voting for Trump. But they did. Twice.
So I was labelled as a California Communist-hippie. I avoid talking presidential politics with anyone. But when I read their Facebook posts, I was totally surprised by the number of Trumpers in my class. Catholics were advised by their Bishops and Cardinals that a vote for Biden was a mortal sin. Talking with my classmates became very difficult.
Much to my surprise, a costly Catholic education did not lead to a good job in my high school class. Most of my classmates were poverty-level and couldn't afford to buy a 50th Reunion ticket. So I wrote a generous check to my reunion planning committee and asked them to cut the ticket prices in half. Rather than thank me, they accused me of flaunting my wealth. I just couldn't win no matter what I did.
So I backed off from my global recruiting efforts. The reunion committee really didn't want out-of-the-area classmates to attend. They were happy with the same faces that attended our reunions for the past 50 years.
If I sound disgusted, I am. I really wanted our 50th Reunion to be an event to remember. My wife and I plan charity events here in San Diego. I gave them several easy ideas how to pay for this event but my ideas were not welcome. Everyone wanted to party and no one wanted to work. So I reluctantly moved on.
People who live their whole lives in the same area can be incredibly cliquish, small-minded and unwelcoming to anyone outside their closed circle of lifetime and high school friends. We recently moved away from such a town.
I've not been called a communist yet but a close friend was when she declined an invitation to attend a GOP rally, stating that she was a Democrat.
I think that same mentality that leads people to have no interest in venturing into the larger world beyond their upbringing and enlarging their minds in any way is the same mentality that leads them to throw out the words communist and socialist without even bothering to look up the definition of those terms.
They toss out those words indiscriminately and then complain about "the elites" looking down on them.
Yah. My highschool was literally blocks from the University of Wisconsin…. And in 1971 a hotbed of political action. We had teach-ins, marched against the war and the entire community was left-leaning.
But some of those 500 graduates were also from my Catholic elementary school….and I am certain they were not of the same cloth.
I like the idea of a FB page and links to others real FB pages… That way you know upfront where their allegiances lie.
Since connecting with a couple of former classmates - politics has not become an issue - because we know. Look at what they post - and you can tell.
I’m just surprised how many of my classmates ended up in Florida - hah!
My forty-year reunion was in September of 2016, about six weeks before the election. I don't remember anyone talking about politics there, thank God.
I did get a call from a childhood/high school friend who lived across the country (California). She called to let me know she wouldn't be able to make the reunion because of other events she had going on.
During the course of the conversation, she asked me who I planned to vote for. My antenna went up, and I said, truthfully, that I did not like either main party candidate. She had become very religious, of the born-again Christian variety, which I knew, and she said, "I'm going to send you something via email that might help you decide."
The next day I got an article that explained how a vote for one candidate was a vote for God and a vote for the other was a vote for Satan.
Although I was sorry she wouldn't be attending the reunion, I was glad that I wouldn't have had to get into THAT conversation. But as I said, I don't remember anyone bringing up politics at the reunion. We had a great time. We were a small town and school, and people connected who were never friends forty years earlier. As a matter of fact, about a dozen of us still in the area met about twice a year for dinner after that until COVID shut that down.
Many of us also connected on FB after that reunion, so I know that some people's politics differ from mine, but they don't know that because I NEVER EVER post anything political on Facebook. I just post my photographs and let people say how nice they are.
That's what I do too MightyQueen. Recently I did sarcastically post "people only want to see pretty pictures and talk about sweetness and light on FB. As usual, nobody responded. Most of them probably actually agree. I don't expect them to respond. Most of my classmates are now in Orange County, California. You know what that means. I didn't attend my reunion even though someone offered to help me come from out of state and pay my ticket. I said no. I didn't want to spend the evening being nice to people who think they're a true Christian. I'll leave it at that.
I kind of wish now that I had gone. I liked those people then, and I think that's what we need to focus on: good memories. The thing is, it's always the same people who show up. There were people who finally did show up at the 50th that had never come before. Those are the people I really wanted to see, so that made me sad.
I'm sorry for what the OP revealed here. I began my life in San Diego and spent many years visiting relatives there. A relative now lives there. I don't like it any more. I remember how it was: peaceful, beautiful, low key. They can have it. I even hate visiting now. The only place I like now is the OB Dog Beach - first dog beach in the country. Killer place.
San Diego has become so fast-paced, elitist and impersonal, and in the case of religion self-righteous. I think that's a lot of what the OP experienced with his classmates.
I forgot all about this thread. I need to remember to subscribe to threads when I post.
Well regretfully, I will not be going to my 50th high school reunion. The politics (both presidential and internal) got out of control. Politically, I lean left. But my Catholic classmates were overwhelmingly Trumpers. In 2020, I just couldn't imagine any of my Class of 1971 classmates voting for Trump. But they did. Twice.
So I was labelled as a California Communist-hippie. I avoid talking presidential politics with anyone. But when I read their Facebook posts, I was totally surprised by the number of Trumpers in my class. Catholics were advised by their Bishops and Cardinals that a vote for Biden was a mortal sin. Talking with my classmates became very difficult.
I really wanted our 50th Reunion to be an event to remember. My wife and I plan charity events here in San Diego. I gave them several easy ideas how to pay for this event but my ideas were not welcome. Everyone wanted to party and no one wanted to work. So I reluctantly moved on.
cruitr, I'm a California Communist hippie too, according to those with no critical thinking skills
For the record, I'm Catholic and I voted for Biden. No way would I EVER vote for someone like Trump. That's why I didn't go to my reunion. There were gonna be politics (it was in 2019).
When are people gonna learn that nobody is perfect? Eh, they don't want to. Just demonize, demonize, demonize. Biden is "demented," but Trump can do all sorts of really concerning and cringeworthy things that are far worse than Biden's done but Trump's entitled because he was ordained by God.
My uncle taught high school for many years in San Diego. I wonder if you knew him. Patrick Henry High School. Also Horace Mann Jr. High before he moved to Henry. My cousin graduated from Patrick Henry in 1971. My uncle had Annette Bening in his classes and she was in my other cousin's junior high classes (Pershing in San Marcos).
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