Re:The long-term effects of ugly political discussions on Fa...
by PavlovsCat on Tuesday May 03, 2016 @01:27AM
(#11618148)
> many people want to be accepted and liked by everyone, which is impossible once you start expressing your political views
Joke's on them.. I unfriended plenty of people for being sick of their never taking a stance on anything meaningful. There is no safe option, at least not with me. Or as the title of that documentary about Howard Zinn goes, you can't be neutral on a moving train. Besides:
> She had blue skin, and so did he. He kept it hid and so did she. They searched for blue their whole life through, then passed right by - and never knew. -- Shel Silverstein
Of course this includes not being on FB, or not talking about politics in social settings, if that is what you want. But it's also the reason I wear my heart and mind on my sleeve.. I don't miss any of the people I "lost" that way, and I wouldn't want to miss any of the people I gained through it.
As for your A/B scenarios: the latter seems more common amongst my peers, but it may actually be indirectly caused by the former.
I frequently see people opting out of political discussions just to avoid being tag teamed by a group of political extremists.
I think the fundamental issue is that many people want to be accepted and liked by everyone, which is impossible once you start expressing your political views. Therefore, we take the safe option of remaining silent.