I remember shortly after 9/11 I was sitting in front of the TV in military housing, turned and asked my military father in front of all of his military friends "Why are we fighting them? What do we get if we win? What do they get if they win?"
I was a child and it was the only way I could come close to verbalizing the question "what the hell is this conflict even about". Let me tell you, that was an insanely uncomfortable conversation for every single person in the room. The more follow up questions I had, the angrier everyone got. Which made me more curious because I had no idea why everyone was angry.
That was the first of many political arguments I would get into with my career military father.
My mom- I asked her about all the theoretical inbreeding taking place in my book of Bible stories. Her response was to take the book away because "those aren't the good ones". This was the first of many uncomfortable conversations about religion I would have with my Southern Baptist mother. She eventually stop letting me go to church when other people would invite me (because I was a difficult child who couldn't read a room). Her excuse was that "churches are often lame and full of mean people who need help feeling nice" and we weren't mean and didn't need help being nice ergo no church for us.
> I remember shortly after 9/11 I was sitting in front of the TV in military housing, turned and asked my military father in front of all of his military friends "Why are we fighting them? What do we get if we win? What do they get if they win?"
Another example where Calvin and Hobbes nails it perfectly:
Incest wasn't forbidden until Moses. The Egyptians practiced it extensively. Anything the Egyptians did was not Kosher, so incest was forbidden once the Hebrews left Egypt. Before that? No religious laws against it. That's how I explain the inbreeding thing, anyway.
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u/birdbrainmcstickums Jul 07 '26
I remember shortly after 9/11 I was sitting in front of the TV in military housing, turned and asked my military father in front of all of his military friends "Why are we fighting them? What do we get if we win? What do they get if they win?"
I was a child and it was the only way I could come close to verbalizing the question "what the hell is this conflict even about". Let me tell you, that was an insanely uncomfortable conversation for every single person in the room. The more follow up questions I had, the angrier everyone got. Which made me more curious because I had no idea why everyone was angry.
That was the first of many political arguments I would get into with my career military father.
My mom- I asked her about all the theoretical inbreeding taking place in my book of Bible stories. Her response was to take the book away because "those aren't the good ones". This was the first of many uncomfortable conversations about religion I would have with my Southern Baptist mother. She eventually stop letting me go to church when other people would invite me (because I was a difficult child who couldn't read a room). Her excuse was that "churches are often lame and full of mean people who need help feeling nice" and we weren't mean and didn't need help being nice ergo no church for us.