friends with different political views

[mewchoochoo]

My friend and I were discussing this few days ago...
I would like to know, do you have friends (and here I don't mean just someone you know, but your close friend) that have different political views from you? And if you do, how do you get along?
I used to think that I couldn't be close with someone with rather different views from my own, but I was wrong - I have few very good friends like that.
So, I'd appreciate if you'd share your thoughts ^^

[Eris]

I rarely ever discuss politics with friends. It can be devastating to a friendship. If they've formed a political opinion, you're likely not going to be able to change that, so it's just fighting windmills.

[Sagat]

My friend Kyle is a bleeding heart liberal. All for the useless gun control (+1 to Harper for getting rid of long gun registry), he's all for the Liberal party ruling Canada with an iron fist again, he's all for our lame "cultural mosaic" and giving total benefits to minorities even if they aren't qualified to lift a spoon let alone use computers. In short he's one of those touchy-feely "let's all get along" types who doesn't use his brain.

We're still good friends. But sometimes I feel like introducing him to some face time with sweet lady brick for his inane views on things.

Which is why we don't discuss it.

[MistressPookyChan]

Of course I do! Heck, my boyfriend and I have different views of things. A lot of my friends are liberal whereas I'm more conservative. There are some topics that we just won't talk about, but having a good debate every now and again never hurt anyone. As long as you respect the other people and agree to disagree, things will be peachy.

[Snowscala_Xx]

tell the truth politics dont do it for me i like to know going on in our enviroment every once in a while but mainly politics are reason for why my friends and familys' fight.. i dont really blame them some times the government just pushes ones' nerve to far O.o .... X)

[Eris]

It has to be the right type of person to discuss politics with, someone who knows their politics. As someone interested in the subject, I shred average Joe's arguments into confetti in moments, whereby a-Joe gets upset and takes it as some sort of attack on their persona; whilst if I'm discussing it with someone who isn't just echoing what they've heard on TV, it can most certainly work.

[Manhattan_Project_2000]

My friends from Michigan became Uber-Christian Conservatives. The only one I can talk to about politics and/or religion is the one who a Theistic Evolutionist/Conservative. Although I contend he is more of a Deist then Christian.

As for my friends in Florida, I haven't tried. I don't think they have the right personalities to talk about Politics and/or Religion and be interested.

[Yugure's Goddess]

I live in the bible belt constantly surrounded by uber christian conservatives and nearly everyone has the opposite view as I do. I'm considerably more liberal than they are (though not so much to the extent as Sagat-sama described). One of my friends can't be argued with. He rarely knows how to argue with me. He uses the same arguments all the time even after I shoot them down. And it usually gets us upset with one-another because he usually takes my opposite view points as an attack on his beliefs and religion. I've decided it's really not worth it. There are a few of my friends I can discuss differentiating views on life/religion/politics but as for my psycho-conservative friends I avoid it as best I can...

Just as long as you can tell what they can or cannot discuss without taking it too far, things should be alright. And if things get a little out of hand, most likely you can work it out and know not to tread upon those ground again. You sorta have to meet somewhere in the middle!

love
dani
dude

[Chaux]

no, not really, but i have different views with my classmates.. ^^
lol, and so, we often have debates...
xD
^^

[Opinionated]

Rarely do I discuss politics with friends. Often, we don't care. We don't talk about religion and politics outside of school. Now, at school, the discussion is encouraged and usually with people who know how to discuss, at which I can display my unique viewpoints. But rarely with friends, as we don't care and accept each other's views.

[Nighthawk]

A friend of mine is a die hard christian conservative whod condemn any non believer to the fiery pits of hell. Im exactly the opposite. Best is not to discuss topics like politics because the world is like split 50:50 into liberals and conservatives. So you just deal with the bullshit others are believing in, because they wont change their opinion, neither will you.

[Ami~chan]

I hardly ever discuss politics with friends. Firstly, I'm not too interested in politics myself, and few of my friends watch CNN every day. Also, I don't know too many people who are prepared to talk about it, and not take my disagreeing as an attack on them personally.

[Infinita]

I don't even like how our prime minister runs things here. I hate wat he's doing and its just plain stupid. I only discuss this topic onyl when it is just brought up or if someone goes on and on about the environment.

[Sagat]

I don't even like how our prime minister runs things here. I hate wat he's doing and its just plain stupid. I only discuss this topic onyl when it is just brought up or if someone goes on and on about the environment.

Which Prime Minister?

[Katrina_Survivor2]

My friends in New Orleans pretty much all have the same political views as I do, even though some of them are religious. It just goes to show that smart, intelligent people are perfectly capable of keeping their religion out of issues like that. Why certain people in office have so much trouble, I have no clue. But back to the topic.

When I was living in Austin, TX, my friends could not even stand the fact that I wasn't a Christian (which just goes to show what a bubble of ideas they had been raised in). I remember the first two days I was there, Chase (the only moderately intelligent one there) and I would not stop fighting about religion and politics. And when I say fight, I mean almost physical. We hated each other with our hearts and souls. But one day, without me even noticing it, we stopped fighting. Later on I asked him about it and he said, "I just figured if we were ever going to be friends we needed to stop talking about it," and I always held a pretty high respect for him for that.

My New Orleans friends and I don't discuss it all that much. The people who I really discuss it with are older people who I see at family get togethers. They always have things to say that are alot more interesting than you can hear from kids.

[Sega saturn x]

We're still good friends. But sometimes I feel like introducing him to some face time with sweet lady brick for his inane views on things.

Yeah because wanting stricter gun laws is totally insane. I'm aware of the arguements and counter areguements of the matter and both are valid to a degree. That doesn't make them inane. I'm against the death penalty are my views inane too?

[Sagat]

Yeah because wanting stricter gun laws is totally insane. I'm aware of the arguements and counter areguements of the matter and both are valid to a degree. That doesn't make them inane. I'm against the death penalty are my views inane too?

Wanting to maintain the long run registry and increase it to include short barrel banning is an inane view and completely detached from reality, because reality itself proved how it wasn't working (see - Toronto)

[Vendetta]

My friends aren't smart enmough to even know what the word "politic" means....

A few of my friends (not very close) I can talk to about politics, and usually we have about the same ideas and what-not...

[Music Fiend]

Yeah, I do have a few friends that have differing political views from my own. Even though I'm more Liberterian, I'm looked at as the most conservative person, in my group of friends. I do believe in some ideals and vaules that are typically stapled to Conservatives (like Capitalism - not to say that there aren't any Democrats that value it), but I also have some Liberal views. One thing is for certain: I'm not nearly as politically correct as my friends are. It's like, they are always afraid they are going to offend someone.

[The-_-Wizard]

well my friend he was thinking wrong and i had facts to prove that he idea over polictas were wrong and we fought a lot them soon after that we stoped being friends..

[om3n_7]

well im a green so about 99% of conservatives disagree with me and about 50% of liberals disagree with me...so um yes i argue with my friends and family constantly...

[viewtyjoe]

Actually, most of my close friends have different political views from me. If and when we discuss politics, we know that we shouldn't let our views get in the way of our frienship and that we need to respect others views, no matter how stupid they are. So, we actually can intelligently discuss politics.