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[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

I was at a family reunion in a very red state a number of years ago, and heard quite a few stories -- conspiracy theories, really -- about how Obama was going to take people's guns away and/or make firearms or ammunition more expensive. I didn't really want to pursue that line of talk with most of the cousins who were on that kick (which was many if not most of the men but none of the women, for whatever reason). But one cousin who has been decently successful in the corporate world and otherwise seems like a reasonable guy explained to me how Obama was going to pass a tax on ammunition that was going to make it much more expensive, and so I asked him how Obama was going to do that, since the Constitution reserves taxing power to the Congress, which at that time was controlled by Republicans. He stopped and thought about it for a few moments, and allowed that that was a good question that he hadn't thought of and that he would have to look into that. From all of which I conclude that these sorts of stories are shibboleths told for purposes of group bonding, not necessarily as part of a search for the truths of the matters asserted.

shibboleth? wait, are a MotT or are you a cultural appropriator?