She bought the tickets without knowing about the strike. We accepted the gift without knowing about the strike.
She’s a Republican and still wants to go and cross the picket line. She doesn’t care.
My wife understands my hesitancy, but says that it’s too late, and so we have to go regardless.
The kids are really looking forward to it.
I just feel so horrible. But I have to go with them.
What can I do to make amends?
Get her tickets to a drag show. If she doesn’t go, then you know there’s a double-standard, and you can decline future invitations using her same excuse.
I don’t want problems with my mother-in-law. She’s been respectful of my politics for the past 20 years. No sense in ruining the relationship now.
But you do realise that this particular scenario is her not being respectful of your politics, right?
We actually talked about it on the way home (she started the topic)… she said she felt bad for the strikers, but she was already committed to bringing the family and the kids were so excited about it and she didn’t want to let them down.
So she does have a conscience. It’s just not as important to her to support the strikers as it is to try to give the family a fun time.
We also talked about how only the Buena Park location is on strike and even the New Jersey location (which is also union) isn’t on strike, which is weird. And how the other locations aren’t supporting their fellow workers and how that sucks too. If the company isn’t hurting, a strike isn’t going to do anything except prove to the company and non-union employees that the union has no power.
We talked about how these aren’t just actors, they’re skilled horsemen and animal caretakers and that deserves more than just $18/hour. She agreed.
It was actually a good teaching moment for us to talk to her peacefully about union solidarity etc. and she at least thought about it for once.
So it all turned out ok. Relationships intact, conversations were had without fighting. Which is all I can ask for in this day and age.
But drag shows are so much fun ! Last year I got to go backstage with a couple of drag queens from Canada’s drag race and one of them fake murdered me on stage to the Keshia sound cannibal
That’s rad.