Didn't Want to See the Hippos??

My good friend, Lisa, recently went to the zoo and shared this story:

Well, we went to the zoo with (son) and (daughter). Usually we spend quite a bit of time in the Gorilla/Hippo area which are part of the same exhibit (outdoor gorilla exhibit is behind the mini hippos and the indoor is right beside).

(Daughter) declares loudly though that she doesn't want to go to see Hippo Chrissy cause the hippos are stupid. Since when did (Daughter) start calling one of the hippos by name - especially when none of them are named Chrissy?????

Well, we were stumped. I asked her again why she didn't want to see the hippos cause she usually really likes them. Nearby, a docent had been listening and (kinda arrogantly) comes by to talk (Daughter) into seeing the hippos. She starts talking to (Daughter) and daughter tells her that she doesn't like the hippos anymore cause they aren't very nice and lie about stuff.

WHAT????? So, now the docent is looking at us like we're really strange and I can see in her mind that she thinks (Daughter) is not quite firing on all cylinders (silly witch). So, I step in ('cause ain't nobody gonna make my baby feel stupid, ya know?), and asked her to explain because mama was confused.

Well, short explanation is that she overheard us talking politics and social lunacy in the car on the way to the zoo, but was wearing her headphones listening to her iPod so she only heard part of the conversation. She thought she overheard us talk about the Hippo Chrissy (hypocrisy) of the whole Obama administration and decided she didn't like Chrissy anymore.

The docent assured her (while glaring daggers at us) that none of their hippos were named Chrissy and that they only had 'good' hippos that liked to help people (how the hell do hippos help people???). Daughter then said, "OK, as long as none of them listen to Obama."

ROFLMAO!

I dang near choked I was laughing so hard. Docent walks off muttering to other docent about we "must be some of those crazy Republicans and we had already ruined the kid."

Well, that was the gist of it - oh, and I did stop in to the zoo office to let them know that I didn't appreciate their docent (Kelly) insulting us and gossiping about us in a negative and hateful manner to the other docent. My parting shot was that if I didn't know better, that I'd think they were harboring a bunch of social terrorists and I was afraid it might not be safe to bring my conservative children there. After all, it *was* still America, wasn't it and technically we're still allowed to be conservative?????

She came out from behind the counter to stop me leaving (and shut me up) and explain how they were probably just confused and didn't understand what (Daughter) meant and was trying to help her understand what Obama was *really* trying to do.

Bullshit

I told her that daughter was right. Hypocrisy *was* truly alive and well there at the zoo.

Also told her that, thankfully, it was still my job as her mother to make sure she knew exactly what Obama was about and that I would do just that, thank you very much and have a nice day.

Freakin' kool-aid drinkers.

Thanks, Lisa, for letting me share that. It's priceless!

Comments

[Max]

"I told her that daughter was right. Hypocrisy *was* truly alive and well there at the zoo."

And it is. Preachy bunch, there.

[Roadrunner]

Hmmm.

First off, bad manners by the daughter, obviously learned from ill-mannered parents. If the docent's behavior is as reported, bad manners there, too, but I'm skeptical of that account.

In case you hadn't noticed, what passes for "conservatism" these days is in free fall. A big part of the problem is that so many "conservatives" view listening to the other side as a bad thing.

[MizDi]

Actually, the comment made by the daughter was to her parents. The docent happened to overhear. The daughter is pretty young, hence not understanding that the words were different. I have no skepticism about the account as this is a good friend of mine. It was her daughter and her experience, and I don't doubt her for a second.

Also, Lisa isn't a person who refuses to listen to the other side. She/we have just had some nasty experiences with Liberals (not "liberals" mind you) that have left a very bad taste in the mouth. She's perfectly willing to discuss things rationally, we all do prefer that ... unfortunately, what passes for "tolerance" from Liberals these days is limited to their tolerance for those who believe exactly what they believe.

[yarnpiggy]

Two things:

1. What is the difference between Liberals and liberals in the U.S. context? I'm not trying to be argumentative, here; I honestly don't know. As a Canadian, the difference here is that "big L" Liberals are either members of or supporters of the Liberal Party of Canada, whereas "small l" liberals don't necessarily support a particular party; they are "liberal" in general outlook (although "liberal" is a relatively nebulous concept; there are plenty of differing viewpoints on key issues within the larger group of "liberals"). (Similarly, there are "small c" conservatives, many of whom do not support the "big C" Conservative Party of Canada.)

I suspect that is not what you are referring to...(Well, obviously you're not referring to Canada at all, LOL...what I mean is, unless I am far more ignorant than I believe I am of U.S. politics, there isn't an official Liberal Party in the U.S. -- at least not of any real significance. So I'm not sure what makes a liberal a Liberal down there. And I'm curious. :-)

2. You write "...unfortunately, what passes for "tolerance" from Liberals these days is limited to their tolerance for those who believe exactly what they believe."

Ok...but the statement "Freakin' kool-aid drinkers" (which I read as your friend's words, not yours, but that you agree with them...please correct me if I'm wrong) hardly exemplifies tolerance on the part of conservatives toward liberals/Liberals. A bit of pot and kettle, there, don't you think?