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A comment on At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics say they’re isolated. Parent comment

Re:At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics... by rayiner on Tuesday September 05, 2017 @11:46AM (#15176341)
I'm not sure why we'd expect politics not to be highly contentious and divisive. It's life-or-death stuff. Do you force a teenager carry an unwanted pregnancy to term, or allow her doctor to kill an organism that is, at least genetically, human? Do we let unfettered immigration undermine the welfare state, or break apart families who are just trying to have a better life? What kind of legacy will we leave our children? It's bizarre to thing these sorts of questions wouldn't lead to fist fights.

I myself tend to get along with people with a wide range of political views. But I've always assumed it's because I'm a bit of a sociopath. I don't care enough to put other peoples' struggles above my personal relationships.

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Re:At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics... by RepressedEmu on Tuesday September 05, 2017 @11:57AM (#15176438)
I really enjoyed your framing of some common issues. Most people don't think there are actually two sides to any political argument and spend the majority of their time laughing at strawmen rather than learning about someone else's perspective.

Also I think lowered emotional connection to the issues can actually be a huge benefit to understanding them rather than just "feeling" what side to pick.

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Re:At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics... by well-framed on Tuesday September 05, 2017 @02:53PM (#15178079)
I wanted to second this comment re: approval of the framing of the discussion. One of the few ways to have, IMO, meaningful discourse if to be able to understand the other side, for who they are and instead of a talking point (e.g. a strawman). I can't say that I've lived enough to be firmly on one side of the discourse or the other, but I've found that it's much easier to be "center" when the issues are framed in such a way that show both sides properly.
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Re:At liberal tech companies, those who disagree on politics... by harryh on Tuesday September 05, 2017 @11:59AM (#15176452)
Another thing that might make it easier for you to get along with people of other political persuasions is that you will personally be less affected by whatever policy decisions are made. If you were a pregnant teenager or a poor person who just lost their job to an illegal immigrant you would likely care more.

So maybe you aren't a sociopath. :)

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