On the Upswing!

Fiorella had quite an invigorating Facebook conversation yesterday.  In fact, it was a debate which her opposition tried to turn into a brawl. Ross, whom Fio knew from a writing group she once belonged to, had been posting garish anti-Hillary posters accompanied by Trump-type slurs. Fio was planning to unfriend him on the third time around, but decided at the last moment to talk to him, to try to calm him down a little.  But he came out swinging, justifying himself by saying that he and his partner lived in fear that Christian fundamentalists would kill them at their upcoming wedding, that his son was in the hospital because the police had shot him three times, and that he suffered from several debilitating physical conditions.

He also attacked Fio personally. She, of course, had the urge to hurl every epithet back at him and then some, but managed to stay cool.  This man had once been a friend, and she wanted to help him. Not to change his vote--he's an undying Sanders fan--but to soothe his anger. After a couple of back and forths, with him getting angrier and angrier with each exchange, she asked him why, since he didn't like Trump any more than Hillary, he hadn't put up any negative postings about The Donald. Could it be because Trump is male and Hillary is female?  Ross's answer was an explosion of upper-case vituperation, but Fio stayed cool as a cucumber, then played a hunch and asked him if Hillary resembled some woman he had known in his past.

Fio was willing to continue the discussion, but Ross cut off communication. Fiorella is sad, but also more than a little relieved to be out of the hot seat.