Fuming

Things on my mind. Extreme agitation after yet another political argument with my husband and his condescending friend, where, as usual, I get pinned for not being able to back up my opinions with research. As usual I am called on a technicality such as speaking out of turn, being a right brain thinker, or not knowing how the American government really actually functions. Well, forgive me for not having a degree in political science. I was also ignorant of the fact that only those who are properly educated and actual American citizens are allowed to have an opinion on the affairs of the world's most-in-your-face country. The argument began at a nice French restaurant. It could have been a nice evening. We were hosting a college friend of my husband's, who'd been traveling Europe and was debating a move to the EC. But he had to complain, again, about how the nasty Europeans, who are too uninformed to have an opinion, seem to enjoy backing him into a heated political lambasting at every given opportunity. I suggested that maybe it would be more useful to listen to them rather than to engage in defensive behavior. Maybe if so many people are up in arms there's something to be said... But apparently they're all to uninformed to have any legitimate points and all they want is to verbally abuse the first available American. Or maybe they're just probing to see if Americans are as arrogant as they seem to come off at times. Hmn, I wonder what their conclusion was... My advise was that he should go home to America where everyone is so much more sensible. (This guy has a degree in international relations...btw) So now I'm in a quandary. I would prefer to stick my head back in the sand and forget about this icky feeling of not being able to carry on a proper political discussion but I can't. I feel I must make up for opting out. Somehow. I owe it to myself to at least not get creamed like that by a couple of rich boy smartypants conservative males and sit there all defenceless with nothing but my little B.A. and my crappy MRS. and a fork to cling to.
Does anybody else ever feel this way?