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“Comedy is not only a man’s game but also a women’s game. Always remember, women understand men but men do not understand women. Therefore, men are taking a back seat and they don’t appreciate that. This is America and people are entitled say what they want—right, wrong or indifferent. Women are usually right more than men.”
If you’re a dude reading this over his girlfriend’s shoulder right now you’re thinking, “Great, some man-hating chick...” check this out. My dad wrote that. Yup. A few years ago he had his man-panties in a bunch because Jerry Lewis stated as fact that women aren’t funny, and he wrote a blog post. (Well, for my website. He doesn’t have a blog, or any idea that there’s a thing called Wi-Fi and he can stop using dial-up.) I’ve always kept it and filed it under "My Dad is Kind of a Feminist!" He’ll tell you that women should be running the world, but—sigh—he’ll also tell you that he’s supporting Donald Trump. I mean he doesn’t support him financially. At least I hope not. I hate the idea that his Social Security check would go towards the first President in history who owns golf courses in Scotland and not towards my inheritance.
My dad used to like Hillary, but when he started watching Fox News a few years ago he turned on her. I swear that channel emits a high-pitched sound that only men in their seventies and older can hear.
Gloria Steinem has a notion that, “Women get more radical with age and men get more conservative.” My mom agrees. “It’s true. I don’t even ask your father his opinion on my hair color anymore! I do what I want!”
When I remind my dad that he has three daughters, and a wife and that Trump is going to be terrible for women, he says, “Nah. He’s just riling people up.”
My dad thinks he’s a feminist. He really does. He’s just choosing to have a blind spot that’s bigger than Donald Trump’s hidden bald spot. And I guess I’ve accepted it. Not because I’m some amazingly Zen person, but my dad lives in Massachusetts. The state is bluer than Bradley Cooper’s eyes. His vote doesn’t even count.
I truly think that my working class dad—faced with only a few elections left in his lifetime figures, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” He told me with a straight face, “Mr. Trump got a lot from this country and he’s going to give some back.”
“Dad, you make it sound like Trump is going to be handing out money like The Tooth Fairy.”
“The Tooth Fairy only hands out small bills and change. That’s why I’m voting Trump.”
There are two things you can’t argue with: things that make sense and things that really effing don’t. So, I don’t.
With that in mind, I present a short guide for feminists whose dads are voting for Donald Trump. You won't change his mind, but maybe you can save your sanity.
1. Find Common Ground When my dad starts Trump Talkin’, I pivot the conversation to something we can agree on. How annoying is it that Bernie Sanders is always yelling even though there’s a microphone right there in front of his mouth?
2. Agree—With a Twist When my dad tells me that Hillary Clinton is a crook, I remind him that all politicians are crooks. We’re not electing a Pope—and even the Pope is probably a crook. You think he paid for that fancy hat?
3. Distract When my dad tells me that an outsider like Trump is going to save America, I distract him with some magical thinking. “Do you think there are aliens? I mean, just what are they covering up at Area 51 anyway?” You’ll buy at least a half hour of dad stories about weird lights his brothers saw in the sky on a navy ship once.
5. Sell Someone Out Tell on your sister. Who cares if you’re both adults? Tell your dad that sis didn’t use her Christmas money to fix her septic tank. She bought an expensive collagen-enhancing electronic facial device. That’s why her yard still smells weird but why she looks so good.
6. Be Passive-Aggressive Say something to your dad like, “Boy, it sure is hot out today? I wish it were not hot at all. You know like a woman with small breasts. That’s what Donald Trump said when he was judging a beauty pageant. That’s right. Your candidate rates women in bikinis when he’s not forgetting that Belgium is not a city.”
7. Stop, Drop, and Roll Okay, this is actually what you’re supposed to do in case of a fire. But sometimes there are just no words.
And if you feel hopeless, just remember: Your dad isn’t trying to be a sexist. A wise man once told me, “Women understand men, but men don’t understand women.”
Jen Kirkman is a New York Times Bestselling Author. Her second book, “I Know What I’m Doing & Other Lies I Tell Myself” is out now.
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Source: http://www.glamour.com/story/a-field-guide-for-the-feminist-with-a-donald-trump-loving-dad
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