Do you have any friends on the opposite side of the political spectrum?

I don't have many friends, and they pretty much have the same beliefs as I do. Do you have any friends on the other side of the political spectrum?

Not really. Buncha commie leftists. This wasn't an intentional thing. A couple of them used to be conservative, but they joined the military (one Army and one Marines) and the experience turned them into raging liberals oddly enough. I was the libertarian, but grew out of it :).

Lots of conservative family members though.

Yikes! There's bits of me scattered all over that political spectrum. It seems unlikely there would be an opposite out there at all, let alone that I'd know my anti-doppelganger. That would be kind of spooky.

If she forced me to eat those little powdery Parma violet sweets or watch darts tournaments, we most certainly would fall out. And I bet she would too... the sicko! D:

Yeah my best friend is a conservative, but in the traditional sense.

I'm fairly certain he voted for Trump, but more because he is a Republican, not so much because he actually likes Trump.

We've never actually spoken about it, though when we were in college we had a lot of debate over Bush Jr.

In either case, he is the best man I know, and I'd never hold it against him if we had differences in political ideology. We are actually a lot alike on most things we just disagree on a handful of issues, i.e. he's a raging Catholic hick farmer and I'm a devil-worshiping atheist city boy.

Pretty much everyone here hates the Tories. Scotland is historically anti-Tory. It gets it's bread and butter votes from toff places in England. And they've now royally fucked the country that even most of their home areas are turning against them, gonna be a wipe out.

My friends are from other countries, so their views of politics don't match the American one axis political spectrum.

Many are Chinese (who simply don't understand very well the concepts of right and left since it doesn't match what happens in their country), African ( they deal with much more basic issues like government stability, physical and food safety), Eastern European ( usually socially very conservative, but very pro wealth distribution) , latin American (this includes many types of different political views depending on the country)

Of the few ones that are American, I would say half are republican, half are liberal,. One is a trump supporters, but doesn't enjoy justifying it.

Of course.

If you let political ideology interfere with your friendship, something is amiss.

It's a mixed bag for sure. Right leaning libertarian so I disagree with both my liberal and conservative friends from time to time. I enjoy it though. Don't want to only talk to people who just head nod back n forth. Everyone has a perspective.

Not an issue for me, since I'm not aligned with either party. The Republican and Democratic parties have both contributed to the decline of the US over the last few decades. Both have also put corporate interests and lobbyists payments over the American people's well being, so their's not much to argue about when I agree with what they say rather than go tit for tat for bullet points on why one sucks more than the other.

yes, it's not a big deal

@Solaryellow: I'd even argue that you should seek out people you don't agree with - on a variety of topics, not just politics.

I'll go a step further. I have siblings that are on the opposite spectrum. We don't talk politics.

No, but I do have some family members that are. My mom and my sister are very liberal and I'm a conservative.

Most of my family is conservative, while I'm fairly progressive. Most of the time we just don't talk about political stuff. They didn't attach their entire identity to Dumpalump like some, so it's easy to ignore.

Most of my friends share my political views which is natural. There are some others that just don't get things or they think opposing corruption and fighting for what you believe in is for fools. Sadly most of those others are younger than me.

Most of my friends are non-political.

Yeah it's nice having a variety.

I'm in California so growing up in my suburb it was mostly liberals but I've since lived my adult life in semi-rural areas and you get a lot of diversity in the political spectrum.

People hear California and they think "SF and LA" and assume it's all like that, but California has a lot of agriculture and is really, really rural in a lot of areas. You don't have to drive more than 40 minutes outside of SF to find a billboard on someone's farm off the freeway blaming Pelosi for all their problems 😀😂It's pretty great.

Variety is the spice of life, as they say.

Yeah, I know people on both ends of the political spectrum.

For the most part, people in the real world keep discourse civil, regardless of one's belief.

I don't typically run into the toxic vitriol of the current vernacular of opposition politics until I poke around the media wagon.

I got no idea who they vote for.

People don't like leaving their comfort zones and they only want to hear whatever it is that best suits them and their opinions. It's fine hearing different views on topics and while you don't need to agree with opinions, you can respect them. Too many people are content with hearing only one side.

I agree with people being not willing to leave their comfort zones, but leaving your comfort zone doesn't always mean hearing a different opinion. If you're smart and you're talking with a stupid bigot, you'll be more comfortable avoiding getting into an argument all together, if you know what I mean. That shit sure can be exhausting!

@PfizersaurusRex: With people like that I typically just listen and ask questions. There's no sense in trying to give information in that case, but there's still plenty of value in receiving some.

I am open to friends that reside all along the political spectrum.

That said, it is conditional. I'm fine and can respect political disagreements, but when an individual has gone so far as to be willing to abandon things such as common respect, civility, intellectual curiosity, reverence for our democratic norms and institutions, adherence to and the utilization of logic, evidence, and reason, the respect for law and order (amongst other things) because they are so lost to demagoguery and toxic partisanship, I want to have nothing to do with them. They've, at that point, demonstrated they are willing to concede these values I treasure in order to enable, excuse, and justify their political allegiances and emotional desires at all costs.

They've sold out. In the age of Trump supporters, this is depressingly common. I'm not friends with any Trumper as they demonstrate a lack of personal integrity, character and a basic acknowledgement of reality (as well has shown a lack of critical thinking skills), and those are very important to have in anyone I choose to associate and allow into my life. They extend past politics in their effect, and that would directly affect our friendship. I suppose I could be friends with one, on the condition they are able to reconcile me to an understanding of that support while defending these values and traits. I've not yet met a single one who can, and am dubious it's possible. My father is a Trump supporter, but the only reason I retain relations with him is because we have history, I love him deeply, and am grateful for all his love and support. But I've lost a tremendous amount of respect for him as a person regardless, which is a large part of why I hate Trump with a passion.

I know how this comes off, and I don't care. You're not a friend of mine when you sell yourself out to align yourself with everything that is despicable and contemptuous in another (not to mention enabling the continual attacks on a country I love) simply for the sake of political capital and expediency. You can have him.

@PfizersaurusRex: pretty much

In agreement with you. There’s no reason to get into someone else’s mind and try to figure out what their reasoning is.

@mrbojangles25: lol. Have you seen those signs that say something akin to….”no water? No food” on farm lands and in rural areas??

I also agree there’s more that LA and SF. There’s San Jose, there’s San Diego, there’s lot of places. California is a very big place.

yep it's pretty funny.

"No water, no food" and "Stop the CONGRESS CREATED water problem" (with a big picture of Pelosi, who is retired or retiring now)...there's others, I just don't remember them.

My friend is a farmer, Republican...same guy I was talking about earlier. He says these farmers are full of shit. Long story short they have these absurdly cheap water deals with the district and after decades of basically getting water for what might as well be free (they pay, but it's so little), they are being asked to renegotiate and they're scared lol.

And I don’t doubt that for a second.

My favorite co-worker at one of my last jobs was a bonafide flat-earther, but he was my favorite person to work with because he actually did his job.

@judaspete: Came out of the military as liberals... wtf? I went in swearing I'd never be political and got out more sure than ever that Republican ideology is the better of two evils. These days it's not even a comparison.

I'll talk and be cool with anyone, but if you take it political don't expect me to back down. I've had friends online in games from every walk of life. The way I see it is that you can put aside your differences long enough to have fun and work together.

It's all a lot of bs and mumbo jumbo on the outside (bs social media) but on the inside (when shit hits the fan), but when it matters people put their differences aside and work together.

That last line is something the news stations and political affiliatio s NEVER want you to see. However, take a look at natural disasters and freak accidents. People all work together to help out neighbors and they don't give a shot about petty crap used against us to keep us constantly fighting.

Doesn't sound like you can do that. As for conservatives, they traditionally back Republicans because of the overspending on the military industrial complex, not the actual service members, and their propensity for war. I served and did NOT suddenly go conservative. There's not even a comparison.

@LJS9502_basic: To each their own man. I feel that different experiences probably play a large role in the mentality of each individual. I don't know your story but I do respect everyone's opinion regardless of how much they differ from that of my own, and I do respect anyone who has served militarily or publicly in positions of safety, law, or education as long as they served honorably and kept the interests of others in front of their own without trying to force it off on others. That's the beauty of it.

Traditionally I'm more liberal about many ideas, programs, and theories. However, the laws have stretched and the chaos that has ensued has been taken to unhealthy levels and been turned against law abiding and hard working citizens in favor of criminals, those looking for a free ride, and normalizing unstable mental health. The laws have bent to the will of those in power, and an inproportionate balance has left the people confused and backing shadows of former administration's and ideologies that no longer exist.

That's just my take though. Like I said, I respect the right of others to disagree, and on a work/play level I truly believe that we can get back to a point where we can leave political ideologies out of it and get along. Both sides have us chasing shadows and want to keep us fighting for their own personal gains... problem is... not many people can see or understand that. Unfortunately these days we are but pawns in a game of kings and queens.

I do hope your father hasn't lost respect for you based on your vote as that would be quite crappy. What I am guessing is that your father didn't just vote for Trump. Rather, he's a die-hard Trump is being railroaded kind of guy?

Yes, but I don't really talk about politics with my friends. Sometimes someone will say something that gives a small hint, but it doesn't become a digression. Everyone else just accepts it, because different people are different and that's just how it is.

We do talk about issues, but they relate more to family, mental health, and religion. Some political things affect that stuff, but the conversation never goes there. It's more personal.

@girlusocrazy: sorry but are you the same person that likes Bloodborne?? I’m asking because it says you have 69 posts. I’m also sure that the username has way more posts than that. Was there some sort of mixup with your account, or something? Thanks.

I served as well. I feel as if soldiering shouldn’t be mixed in with politics. I used to lean left in the political spectrum. Now I’m really neutral. And not by choice. I don’t identify significantly with any party. i do like some of the points the two major parties make. But I can’t be a Liberal and a conservative at the same time.

Looks like post counts are off.

Yes, my father supports him in principle because he views him as being unjustly persecuted. Victimization is all he spews when talking about him. It wouldn't matter to me if he told me he didn't respect me, one because I doubt he ever really did, and two, because I don't respect the opinion of anyone who still supports Trump at this point. 2016? Alright, the guy's an obvious piece of garbage, but at least he had the presumption of operating in and was abiding democratic norms (despite his rhetoric). He hadn't tried what he did after losing. Post 2020 and still supporting this man? You have lost your damn mind.

This isn't just an innocuous political divergence anymore, a heated debate on policy. Trump is attempting to delegitimize our democracy, weaken our institutions, and disenfranchise my vote, and the votes of all Americans. He is in dangerous proximity to be at the height of power again. I am all ears as to why I should respect people, much less befriend them, who support that? If not tolerating that in others makes me crappy, then I suppose that's what is required to be an American in the age of Trump. That's never something I'll excuse as "Yeah, well, everyone is entitled to their opinion and have it respected".

I don't respect it, I'm entirely intolerant and hostile to it.

That's a trick question, everybody likes Bloodborne. I have deleted some posts that I thought were useless or duplicate, but at one point all of my posts got deleted for some reason. (And nothing of value was lost...) I have no idea what happened. Maybe they could be restored but I didn't ask and I don't really care. This site has a lot of bugs.

@girlusocrazy: ah. Makes sense. And now that I think about it, I’m sure I have way more than 4k posts. I have been a for almost 2 decades.

Oh and about bloodborne, there’s only 2 types of people….some who played bloodborne and like it, and some who don’t know they like it.

Your dad is a real one, would 100% crack a couple beers with your dad while listening to foghat. Sounds like a no bullshit type a guy 🍻

@sargentd: I’m sure you’d have much to talk about. When facts are irrelevant, conversations tend to be….unburdened.

He likes Troginator, though. Bring Troginator.

Yes of course my friends all have varying political stances, my workplace too is a mix of left and right. Some of my family are right, some are left, some are centre left/right. It's a terrible idea to only surround yourself with like-minded people.

Yes, although it's harder than usual due to one side behaving more and more like a literal cult.

We used to have disagreements on real political discussions. Like spending & funding, how to handle immigration, long debated economical solutions, etc............

Now it's about whether entire fields of science are fake (virology, climatology, psychology) or not.....wtf? Muh Gays (I thought this was put to rest in the early 2000s)? Whether or not the clear law applies to certain people because of....tweets? History being fake now because PragerU said History is fake? Disney, Bud Light, Target? Why slavery was good? Wtf?

It doesn't cause problems but you just give up talking about politics all together, since there is no reality involved now.

What's troginator? Is this a band. I tried looking it up

Beer.

This has to be a name inspired by:

Right?!?!?!

Surprised no one's heard of this.