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One ... and counting. The second one, which seems imminent, called me 'effed' and an 'arrogant a-hole' via message on Facebook.
And here, I though the arrogant ones were supposed to be GOP?
At any rate, forget the above sentence, and discuss.
Hi robertpolyglot--
If my Facebook friends list is a good indicator, about 40 or so have dropped off in the past six months. Up until a couple weeks ago, I railed endlessly against Obamney. It cost me friends on both extremes, I think. The vitriol and name-calling was almost exclusively from 'friends' on the left, whereas most people on the right just accused me of supporting Obama.
I prefer NOT to talk politics with the relatives/friends because 99.% of them are Republican supporters. One or two are salivating to get rid of the Democrats and make sure they post every darn thing they can that is anti-Obama or anti-Democrat.
The only other person who is not pro-GOP is my cousin in CA who my father calls "A liberal like me." (???)
My brother has accused me of saying I think I am living better now than 4 years ago--I never said any such thing and called him out on F/B about it.
We're living A LOT worse!
My dad sends me emails and posts about how great the GOP are. Another gal is always posting how she LOVES the GOP/Fox News. The same for my former sister in law. These are lower middle class people who never went to college and I have no clue WHY they think the way they do but that's their choice.
I just chuckle and try to ignore them for the most part. Occasionally I post reference to articles I get from a certain site on my wall.
I'm an Independent by the way so they want me to give up my vote to them in the worst way.
I do not talk politics nor Facebook politics. I do however, respect others choices and opinions. I do not respond negatively or positivley on Facebook. If it bothers me I hide the post.
It has always been known that you should not talk or FB politics or religion, it's safer this way.
Hung up on my father today. We have an unspoken agreement that politics are a demilitarized zone, but when he found out it was me on the line this afternoon, he immediately launched into a rant that was utterly irrational. When I said I wasn't discussing it with him, he continued like he hadn't heard me. I hung up the phone. Kinda sucked - I was calling him to ask for advice on behalf of another family member, and he couldn't respect my boundaries at all. I'll try him again tomorrow, but it really ticked me off. Especially since he knows exactly the reasons why I vote the way I vote and says he respects them.
The only people on facebook I know have unfriended people have been liberals.
I find that interesting.
I don't really care who you vote for. If you are my friend, it's because I respect you.
Another thing I find interesting is what people have to say about money and entitlement and evil rich people. Since I don't advertise my income or status, I get to hear a lot of 'thoughts' about 1%ers and what they deserve or don't deserve or how they are mythical medusa creatures that should all be beheaded.
I would unfriend people and Im a moderate. I don't think its because liberals are mean or worse than republicans, but some people that are conservative give the conservative base a bad name with their xenophobic, over the top, racist comments. I don't have anything against people that make a lot of money though
Maybe I'm naive but I think most people are moderates. The extremes of either direction get a lot of attention and as voters we are forced to choose a side. Team A or Team B. Rarely is there a strong candidate in the independent sector because campaigns are fueled by money. So we pick the side that we feel we most relate to. I have several friends that always vote republican. But when we really talk about deep issues, they tend to fall more into the democrat side. This always baffles me. They believe in one issue strongly such as abortion or gun control but dont look at the whole package. In doing this, they dont realize that other policies hurt them more individually than those two issues. The flip side is I have very liberal friends that do the exact same thing.
Politics are really complicated and require a lot of study. Most dont have the time and we are pounded with a lot of misinformation. We watch a little bit of news and judge our opinions on that. This can include a lot of biased information. Also add that the average Joe doesnt really hear the truth either. In my opinion, politicians are pretty much scammers in various areas. They promise a lot they cannot deliver and it boils down to a popularity contest. They say what they can to get the most votes.
To answer the OP's question, I am finding myself feeling a bit put off by some friends and family regarding their views because most are misinformed. They see a cartoon or photo on facebook laced with a quote taken out of context and go with it. I find myself biting my tongue more and more. I know that if I question it will result in a heated argument that could result in the loss of a friendship or drama in the family. I learned this the hard way a couple of years ago when I put a specific issue on facebook about unions. I'm pro union and had no idea a family member was not. I thought we were having a respectful debate but it turned very personal when that person felt I didnt deserve what I had. I had no idea this person harbored such ill feelings about my lifestyle. This person deleted me off facebook but not before threatening to physically beat me. WOW. I have known this person for over 20 yrs and never expected such a strong reaction. I dont know about anyone else but I dont remember people choosing sides and destroying relationships over political beliefs before. Its seems out of hand because in reality I truly think that most do fall in the moderate category. I think its rare that people are so strictly conservative or strictly liberal. I do believe these groups exist but if someone is open to a discussion, I find most people have conservative beliefs on some issues and are have more liberal beliefs on other issues. I think people need to chill the hell out and stop drawing the lines so much.
Maybe I'm naive but I think most people are moderates. The extremes of either direction get a lot of attention and as voters we are forced to choose a side. Team A or Team B. Rarely is there a strong candidate in the independent sector because campaigns are fueled by money. So we pick the side that we feel we most relate to. I have several friends that always vote republican. But when we really talk about deep issues, they tend to fall more into the democrat side. This always baffles me. They believe in one issue strongly such as abortion or gun control but dont look at the whole package. In doing this, they dont realize that other policies hurt them more individually than those two issues. The flip side is I have very liberal friends that do the exact same thing.
Politics are really complicated and require a lot of study. Most dont have the time and we are pounded with a lot of misinformation. We watch a little bit of news and judge our opinions on that. This can include a lot of biased information. Also add that the average Joe doesnt really hear the truth either. In my opinion, politicians are pretty much scammers in various areas. They promise a lot they cannot deliver and it boils down to a popularity contest. They say what they can to get the most votes.
To answer the OP's question, I am finding myself feeling a bit put off by some friends and family regarding their views because most are misinformed. They see a cartoon or photo on facebook laced with a quote taken out of context and go with it. I find myself biting my tongue more and more. I know that if I question it will result in a heated argument that could result in the loss of a friendship or drama in the family. I learned this the hard way a couple of years ago when I put a specific issue on facebook about unions. I'm pro union and had no idea a family member was not. I thought we were having a respectful debate but it turned very personal when that person felt I didnt deserve what I had. I had no idea this person harbored such ill feelings about my lifestyle. This person deleted me off facebook but not before threatening to physically beat me. WOW. I have known this person for over 20 yrs and never expected such a strong reaction. I dont know about anyone else but I dont remember people choosing sides and destroying relationships over political beliefs before. Its seems out of hand because in reality I truly think that most do fall in the moderate category. I think its rare that people are so strictly conservative or strictly liberal. I do believe these groups exist but if someone is open to a discussion, I find most people have conservative beliefs on some issues and are have more liberal beliefs on other issues. I think people need to chill the hell out and stop drawing the lines so much.
I've studied American history extensively, and have lived through many administrations, and the progress our country made from the New Deal to the 1970s is being destroyed by the upper class/'conservatives'. They've wanted to destroy labor and the middle class for decades, and through legislation, elections, propaganda and lobbying organizations like ALEC, they are succeeding to an extent. I believe this is the most dangerous time in American history for representative democracy, and that's why I think it is difficult to 'chill out'. Some people underestimate the threat. The anti-labor/violent reaction of your family member shows the effectiveness of propaganda. I also don't recall the polarization being this extreme, but that's because the threat has never been this ominous.
I've studied American history extensively, and have lived through many administrations, and the progress our country made from the New Deal to the 1970s is being destroyed by the upper class/'conservatives'. They've wanted to destroy labor and the middle class for decades, and through legislation, elections, propaganda and lobbying organizations like ALEC, they are succeeding to an extent. I believe this is the most dangerous time in American history for representative democracy, and that's why I think it is difficult to 'chill out'. Some people underestimate the threat. The anti-labor/violent reaction of your family member shows the effectiveness of propaganda. I also don't recall the polarization being this extreme, but that's because the threat has never been this ominous.
Our country is in extreme peril.
I agree with this and the post you quoted. Most people are reactionary. I have some education in economics and business and do not purport to know the ramifications and outcomes because I am not privy to the factors in penciling out possible outcomes. I'll let people who are "in the know" and "in the machine" do that.
Most people, per the post you quoted, just don't know anything. They latch onto something like a floating log in a body of water, and cling to it. It's interesting that the friends I've been sparring with both majored in business, but in marketing and are very number phobic. The first was someone who got this degree by the skin of his teeth and on his death bed at degree mill University of Phoenix, and has never held a significant job in business with it. Similarly, the woman who has cut me off her news feed but is still a friend has a marketing degree, and within a year, moved to the Midwest and became a Mom, again, never working with her degree. She is currently pursuing a degree in hospitality/culinary. If you can't run some numbers or percentages, I don't want to talk politics with someone.
This is the absolute most polarizing election because almost all the posters here never experienced the Great Depression, but we have experienced the Great Recession. For us, this is the pinnacle of scary.
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