# Having friends along ideological lines



## King_Scrotus (Apr 9, 2017)

Have you guys ever had friends on the other side of the camp, so to speak? It seems like society in general is becoming more radical lately, people are picking sides more than ever, even in small circles of friends.

I don't think keeping a friend who opposes everything you stand for is a bad thing, after all, it's mentally invigorating for anyone to have to think about things, and have their ideals challenged, but sometimes it's harsh to deal with.

I'm someone who's pretty on the right, nationalist, etc, and I have a friend who's a diehard feminist Liberal sort. I don't think a person is defined by their politics, that isn't what makes someone, but sometimes I find it a bit depressing to think about, knowing that we both absolutely despise each other, that in any scenario we're literally satan to the other's beliefs, and it's hard to think of someone like that as friend, you constantly wonder if they don't actually hate you behind your back.

I'm bad at explaining it, anyway, this is just some late night shitpost I thought up because I was half asleep. Anyone else have similar thoughts?

How do you deal with stuff like this?


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## Club Sandwich (Apr 11, 2017)

worthwhile people see you as more than your beliefs - they see you as a whole person composed of many different backgrounds and associations, but having the strength of character to form your own thoughts and make your own decisions.

worthwhile people should be your friends.


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## AnOminous (Apr 11, 2017)

I've had close friends along all ideological lines, from flat-out literal fascists to tankies, and the only ones who have pulled the "disagree with me and you aren't a friend" bullshit are on the left.  

I hate to say this.  But a right-wing prof who I openly mocked in his own poli sci class and trolled in every paper I submitted to him by citing Foucault just because it pissed him off was also the only guy I trusted to give as a reference when I applied to law school.

And this kind of shit continued.

I had a number of profs whose opinions I generally agreed with and where I had good experiences with them, but people who were right wing or even moderate (and not assholes but just conservative) had horrible experiences with the same profs.  

Academic freedom is not all it's cracked up to be, and these days it's a lot worse, because a lot of these fuckwads don't even pretend to care about freedom of speech.

If I were pursuing an academic career and had conservative opinions these days, I'd be fucking terrified.  I'd have to lie about my opinions to have any chance of a career.


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## ZeCommissar (Apr 11, 2017)

I tend to keep away from fascists, I have friends that lean very very close to that, but honestly being friends to a fascist/Nazi is completely anathema to my worldview and wouldn't be possible. I will debate with a fascist, I will debate with a Nazi, but I wouldn't call them my "friend". I do have friends that claim to be communist, but I think they are just naive and misguided (although he does look like a young stalin).

I don't get too political with anyone, since I go to extremes on both right and left, and especially not religion since 95% of the area I live in is Christian (or claims to be) and I am not.


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## Reynard (Apr 11, 2017)

I like to have friends I disagree with on some things.  That's not all they are, you know?  But honestly, it's really hard to befriend people these days because they don't think friends can disagree, as if it would make them a hypocrite and immoral.  Typically I've mostly been hanging around like-minded people, but I know this isn't really the best thing.  I don't want to be in an ideological bubble, but people are so polarized they'll basically harass people for not agreeing with them on everything.  I want civil discussion and an exchange of thoughts, but it seems very few people do these days.


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## Diana Moon Glampers (Apr 11, 2017)

I also have experienced the issue where leftists will disown decade plus friendships over ideological difference, while conservatives will stay friendly even though I am a rabid pro choice classic feminist type.  They like the debate and discussion that results, while the leftists have been told that discussing an issue with someone is basically like conceding that they have a point before any argument begins.

This means liberals no longer have to develop rhetorical skills, since they can just declare themselves victorious and pure by banning heretics from their spaces.  I fear that this fragility will leave no way to successfully oppose fascism.


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## DoctorJimmyRay (Apr 13, 2017)

Abortions4All said:


> I also have experienced the issue where leftists will disown decade plus friendships over ideological difference, while conservatives will stay friendly even though I am a rabid pro choice classic feminist type.  They like the debate and discussion that results, while the leftists have been told that discussing an issue with someone is basically like conceding that they have a point before any argument begins.
> 
> This means liberals no longer have to develop rhetorical skills, since they can just declare themselves victorious victorious and pure by banning heretics from their spaces.  I fear that this fragility will leave no way to successfully oppose fascism.



I've experienced similar people like that before on the left. These nutty young liberals tend to gravitate towards a black and white mindset. The world is a huge scary complex place, and a lot of young adults like the comfort of having a good vs evil dichotomy, rather than a more nuanced spectrum of relationships. Liberals tend to fall into this trap rather explicitly. They spend more time on social media, engaging with their political camps over Twitter, tumblr, Facebook, etc, far more loudly and publicly than conservatives. If you believe that men cannot legitimately become women, then you're evil (pardon the generalizations). Or if you get drafted during the Vietnam War and report to basic training, you're automatically a baby killer.

The conservative equivalent of these people seem to also operate on a black and white worldview as well. They do so more implicitly, and seem to direct their fanaticism elsewhere, like higher voter turnout, Trump rallies where they want to crucify journalists, etc. The main difference here is that they tend to see their liberal counterparts as just dumb or misguided, rather than outright evil (again, pardon the generalizations). They would rather argue and debate with you, rather than treat you like a leper. 

There's more to it than this, but I'd wager that this is a component of the issue.

To be clear, I'm not talking about the majority of the American voting populace, but rather a somewhat nuttier, and more fanatic minority of left vs right. Give them another 15 years of living and learning and lets see just how fanatic they wind up being.


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## Kazami Yuuka (Apr 13, 2017)

King_Scrotus said:


> How do you deal with stuff like this?


It's better to find out _why_ someone has certain viewpoints, rather than what exactly they are. Someone having liberal beliefs because they have charity in their mind is reconcilable, while someone having liberal beliefs because they are a violent Communist is not.


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## Broseph Stalin (Apr 13, 2017)

My best friend is a right-leaning "centrist" who doesn't quite agree with some of the more fashy things I say, but he doesn't really shoot me down. His sister on the other hand is a hardcore Bernie Sanders supporter and feminist who leans pretty far to the left, but not too far. Surprisingly enough she's not a complete FemiNazi. She wrote a paper on what real feminism is, and drew comparisons to that Powerpuff Girls episode with the chick who only stole Susan B. Anthony coins. Femme Fatale was a misandrist rather than a feminist, whereas feminism wasn't female domination, but being on equal footing with males. I can get behind her on that, but a lot of her actual political stuff is a lot of socialist and communist rhetoric which I kiiiinda don't mind, since I end up winning most arguments with her.


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## King_Scrotus (Apr 13, 2017)

Kazami Yuuka said:


> It's better to find out _why_ someone has certain viewpoints, rather than what exactly they are. Someone having liberal beliefs because they have charity in their mind is reconcilable, while someone having liberal beliefs because they are a violent Communist is not.



I guess this was all moreso me trying to be general about the situation, a lot of people have said a similar thing about just taking someone for themselves rather than their beliefs, and of course I accept that, and it's one of the main reasons I continue keeping up this friendship, that and I don't think it's bad to know people who will challenge you.

It's mainly harsh enough for me to vent about it, because, like I said, I'm one of those harder right types that promote things like nationalism, and I met this person and got to know them since we both originally had similar ideologies. Then, we stopped talking for awhile, and when we recently met back up and got to talking, this person had fully, I guess you could say 'converted' to exactly the opposite, diversity/globalism promoting liberal type who goes at discussing politics exactly as hard as you'd figure someone who does a 180 on their beliefs would, and it's a point of contention, and something that drives a wedge in things due to that.

It's harsh on me losing that thing that used to be what I connected them over, and doubly so since now they are hard on me because I still stick to my own ideology.


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## Save Goober (Apr 13, 2017)

I agree with other people saying leftists are worse about this. My theory about it is since I live in mostly liberal areas, conservatives are used to people being assholes and shitting on their beliefs while liberals are used to echo chambers.
I've come to enjoy talking with people with extreme views more recently, but I used to be one of those "if you believe x we can't be friends" type leftists. I grew out of it.


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## MMMMMM (Apr 14, 2017)

We've all dealt with 'that' family member or coworker who has retarded political beliefs, most well-adjusted people can deal with friends who have different ideas too.  Personally I'm too far outside the majority to pick and choose, if I only made friends with people who were in total agreement I'd have no friends at all.  
And I think that's part of what's causing this recent trend of ostracising others, these college kids already have large social groups so the loss of a single friend is fairly inconsequential.

And despite being on the far left myself, I'm tempted to agree with what other people are saying in regards to who engages in this behaviour more.  I've had lefty people on lefty forums screeching the word "fascist" at me over some fairly trivial horseshit, despite all the evidence to the contrary.
I think there are other reasons for this, but I almost wanna make a thread to get into detail without derailing this one.

As polite as we can try to be though, there have to be limits somewhere.  We don't voice these opinions publicly very often, but there are groups of people who would call me a traitor for what I believe, and there are people who think I deserve jail time or worse.  Can you be friends with somebody like that?


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## cuddle striker (Apr 14, 2017)

there are people who believe I shouldn't vote, work, exist. I don't like the far right, the religious right, and I have a few extreme sjw friends that likely hate me for not being left in the "correct" way. all these people treat others as non human if they aren't part of the in-group. it's kind of vile.

I'm very socialist but I have a lot of soft libertarian friends. we have good debates. I'm socially libertarian but economically a socialist, I guess? right/left politics seems a lot harder to reconcile.

 I think good companions across the aisle are a great idea in theory, but in practice it results in a lot of degrading shit. when one side hates women in general and one side thinks the other is retarded, you've got shit flung in every direction basically. my one lone conservative friend hates trump with a fiery, deep passion I just don't get. it's a lack of fiscal conservatism in trump's "new money" persona that I think is getting to him. he keeps calling him "baby Gatsby".

then again he called Sanders "angry grandpa", and I liked Sanders. so.


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## TheProdigalStunna (Apr 14, 2017)

I'm a right-leaner myself, have been for many years, and most of my friends and family members are either liberal or leftists.  I live in a deep-red state, so I can't exactly play the "lone conservative" card, but I went to a fairly progressive church and an alternative high-school which surrounded me with mostly liberal people.  Going downtown to some bars feels more like Portland.  Most of the time I've hidden my power-level.  I once even dated a girl who is a self-described "Marxist," we just never talked about politics.  

I've been opening up about my beliefs recently, and most people have been fairly receptive.  I get the feeling that liberal self-righteousness is starting to diminish, as a lot of them are starting to reconcile with the fact that not everyone shares their worldview.  Of course, a lot of the more hardcore leftists have started to double-down, but for the most part I think most people have started to realize ruining friendships over politics is petty and immature.  My roomies were pretty upset with me when I told them I voted for Trump at election night, though.

I will admit that I once had to cut off a friendship (more of an acquaintance than a friend) because of politics, however.  It was three-event punch that did it for me that all happened in close proximity to each other.  One was defending North Korea hacking Sony over _The Interview, _which was not a movie I particularly cared for, but he called North Korea a part of an "anti-Imperialist bloc."  The second was when he praised the New Yorker who killed the policemen in retaliation for Eric Garner.  The third was when he basically defended the Charlie Hebdo massacre because they were "punching down."  It would be one thing if we just agreed to never talk politics, but it was literally impossible with him.  I never revealed my powerlevel to him, but if I had, he probably would have cut it off first as he had done with many others.


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## Cato (Apr 14, 2017)

AnOminous said:


> I've had close friends along all ideological lines, from flat-out literal fascists to tankies, and the only ones who have pulled the "disagree with me and you aren't a friend" bullshit are on the left.



In my experience, right-wingers tend to "just" consider their political opponents to be naive, misguided and often stupid, while it's people on the left who far, far more often consider people who disagree with their politics to be outright evil and irredeemable.


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## Oh Long Johnson (Apr 15, 2017)

Like most, I've got friends and family all over the spectrum, from state level Republican fund raisers to stupid hippies. And I'm still not entirely convinced one of my brothers isn't Moldbug. I get along with everybody. Always have. 

Funny anecdote regarding politics and friends - I was best man at a friend's wedding over the winter. The groom is slightly conservative and his bride is prototypical suburban progressive. Nearly their entire guest list was 30-something, professional liberals. As a joke, I packed a MAGA hat along and when we met up for the rehearsal dinner, I showed the two of them and told them I planned on donning it for the reception speech. 

It was as though I had shown them a dead baby. Pure dread and fear. I had no intention of busting out the hat for reals, I just wanted to make a $20 joke, and I explained this to them. It took them a half hour before they calmed down. I got plenty of chuckles from their reactions, but they were totally freaked out.

I met a bunch of the guests at the reception and wound up sitting at three or so tables for periods of time. After the, introductions, it was invariably a non-stop stream of, "Trump, rape, rednecks, fuck, assholes, can't even, fucking Mississippi, Trump, recount, hillbillies, retards, Trump." 

I've been a lifelong liberal. Despite my love of calling everyone on the internet a nigger faggot, I vote positively for most progressive causes. But I don't understand most of those people at that wedding. Quite a bit of the rhetoric was just objectively wrong, and Siri could have told them that in three seconds. But they hate the ignorant. So..the IQ bell curve's has states as one axis? The party of the poor is now the party of the upwardly mobile? Are we going to continue to just pretend conservatism hasn't had a better brand for the past 50 years? Bunch of hateful ostriches, those people.


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## AnOminous (Apr 15, 2017)

Oh Long Johnson said:


> I've been a lifelong liberal. Despite my love of calling everyone on the internet a nigger faggot, I vote positively for most progressive causes. But I don't understand most of those people at that wedding. Quite a bit of the rhetoric was just objectively wrong, and Siri could have told them that in three seconds. But they hate the ignorant. So..the IQ bell curve's has states as one axis? The party of the poor is now the party of the upwardly mobile? Are we going to continue to just pretend conservatism hasn't had a better brand for the past 50 years? Bunch of hateful ostriches, those people.



Imagine that you're in the majority and your opinions are actually more or less sane, but that the angry minority is so shriekingly insane that if you dare to express your opinion, you will immediately be attacked as if you are a monster, literally Hitler, a Nazi.  

This is why I am embarrassed to be a liberal.  

And I do not usually use the word "liberal" about myself.  I am a socialist, actually.

But I am definitely left, and I am definitely disgusted by my cohort.

Nevertheless, I will have Easter dinner with my family and there will be no politics at all.  Because my family is not stupid.  They all have guns, but they're all not stupid.


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## John Titor (Apr 15, 2017)

I consider myself Center Left. I don't think I was ever in a situation where my politics clashed with others because I hardly bring up politics except to someone who I think is politically ignorant. He supports gun rights but dislikes Bible thumpers but...let's just say he didn't know the difference between a liberal and a conservative for quite some time. I think I only have a few friends that consider themselves Conservatives. One of them I believe voted for McCain and Romney but absolutely disliked Trump. The rest are pretty liberal, enough to read HuffPo but some of them also think SJWs are being ridiculous.

I have friends that have friends on opposing ideologies but they like to joke about their differences; losing friends over politics just isn't worth it.

I don't think I'm willing to be friends with a dangerhair or an unironic /pol/tard though.


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## Magnum Dong (Apr 16, 2017)

My views are somewhat far left, and I've found that I can reasonably get along with people across most ideological lines, provided that:
1. Their views can't be more "radical" than mine -- from my experience, extremists on the left and right alike are likelier both to start conflict over minor bullshit (e.g. expressions of approval toward groups they dislike, etc) and to be killjoys in general who can hardly participate in conversations without turning them into political discourse.
2. They can't hold people/actions to double-standards and/or have hypocritical views which they judge purely based on ideological reasons (e.g. "I think classism is dangerous and evil but also I HATE those poor uneducated white trash Trump voters", etc).
3. Their whole personality can't revolve around belief in one particular cause. I see this especially with NRA types and people devoted to marijuana legalization, for example. I find they come across as shallow and narrow-minded. I also think they're just hard to talk to because they see themselves as Deep Ideological Thinkers yet tend to dismiss discourse unrelated to their favorite issue.
4. They should try to show an understanding of ideological differences and the people who have them. Not a requirement, but I definitely respect someone more if they're able to admit "I can see, given someone's circumstances, why they might believe in this policy" or "This politician I disagree with is actually very eloquent and intelligent".


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## vertexwindi (Apr 16, 2017)

You know, it's funny, all of my family and friends swing more to the right side of the pendulum. My extended family are all on the older side with kids and spouses (sometimes) so it's logical for them to be so, but I did not intentionally seek out right-wing people to befriend, it just happened that way.

At least I can joke about Hitler and trannies all I want I suppose.


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## MW 002 (Apr 16, 2017)

Being more or less a Centrist with some Libertarian views, I have quite a few friends who are liberals and a few who are conservative. I keep both around so that I can do my best to stay up to date on current events while getting to hear varied points of views on the subjects at hand. 

Interesting thing is, I find that those who unfriend over politics are not often people I'd say have enough emotional intelligence to be worth talking to. In other words, people who are actually confident in their view points have no problems engaging in discussion. 

People who are confident enough to engage in discussing their beliefs are my kind of people- even if I disagree with them.


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## Dr. Voss (Apr 16, 2017)

I've had friends from all across the political spectrum, and I've found that in general a friendship like that can teach you a lot more than just hanging out with people who share your beliefs. As long as they can make a sensible argument to support their ideas, I'm all for befriending people whom I disagree with. At least it gives you a chance to learn some debating skills.

One strategy I've used a lot when having to get along with people with drastically different views is finding the common enemy. I once was in the same team with an old-fashioned Mussolini's fascist, but we got along really well because neither of us liked anarchists.


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## Joan Nyan (Apr 16, 2017)

Abortions4All said:


> I fear that this fragility will leave no way to successfully oppose fascism.


If you think conservatives represent fascism that actually goes to prove your point that liberals don't listen to the other side.


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## Diana Moon Glampers (Apr 16, 2017)

Jon-Kacho said:


> If you think conservatives represent fascism that actually goes to prove your point that liberals don't listen to the other side.



I don't think conservatives in general at present represent fascism.  But there are absolutely people at the fringes of the current conservative movement who support outright white nationalism and fascism.  Liberals have forgotten how to argue against the actual ideas contained by these philosophies, and are instead content to simply shout about them.


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## Maiden-TieJuan (Apr 16, 2017)

I used to work at a local school, so I have known and have close friends who are EXTREMELY  Leftist.  As in, calling Antifa Messiah's and shit.  But I also have very conservative friends as well (they took muh gunz!!!!) that I get along with.  I consider myself kind of . . . . Wishy washy on politics, I guess?  I just cut my friends off when they start to tard rage on their politics of choice and tell them "Stop it.  That shit there.  Stop." And they usually do stop.  I have a couple people tho.  Gawd.  My cousin is very conservative and his wife is very liberal.  During the time between Trump's election to his inauguration,  he and she completely unfriended each other on all social media, and he moved in with his sister and her husband.  Because politics.  It was hilarious and sad at the same time.

I think if you set ground rules with friends and respect their rules, they will respect you and not try to "convert" you.  If they dont, then why are you friends at all if they don't respect you?  Meh.

Family, tho?  I do enjoy winding up my grandmother with a few well timed "Hillary should have won"'s and then watch the nearly 90 year old sweet old lady get frothy with rage and cuss me out.  Good times....  and laughing at her while she does it makes it better.


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## MMMMMM (Apr 17, 2017)

Abortions4All said:


> I don't think conservatives in general at present represent fascism.  But there are absolutely people at the fringes of the current conservative movement who support outright white nationalism and fascism.  Liberals have forgotten how to argue against the actual ideas contained by these philosophies, and are instead content to simply shout about them.



Because of the middle-ground fallacy, even lowering yourself to speak to them actually makes them appear as a credible alternative to many.  We've seen it happen time and again, they're absolutely not interested in debate, they build their numbers with attention whoring.

And while its a stretch to equate conservatism with fascism, let's just say I don't need to worry about being hospitalised for going on strike when the liberals are in charge.


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## Lackadaisy (Apr 17, 2017)

The simple solution: don't have friends.


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## DuskEngine (Apr 17, 2017)

I just want all the cool and hip white supremacists to be friends with me but they keep calling me a fucking nigger. does anyone have any advice?


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## Lackadaisy (Apr 17, 2017)

DuskEngine said:


> I just want all the cool and hip white supremacists to be friends with me but they keep calling me a fucking nigger. does anyone have any advice?



Don't be a nigger.


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## Joan Nyan (Apr 17, 2017)

DuskEngine said:


> I just want all the cool and hip white supremacists to be friends with me but they keep calling me a fucking nigger. does anyone have any advice?


I'll be your friend nigger! <3


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## ICametoLurk (Apr 21, 2017)

>having friends


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## cuddle striker (Apr 21, 2017)

I'm a pro science pro choice abortion on demand feminist socialist who loves and collects firearms and believes in freedom of speech even for idiots, and I'm mixed race.

if I didn't make concessions I wouldn't get along with anyone. liberals think I'm a violent black bloc gun nut, conservatives think I'm a baby killer, and the more extreme think I'm a miscegenated bitch. doesn't help to be atheist and yet understand the need people have for a faith community.

there's just too many things I disagree with on every damn side.


to:dr, fiscally socialist, socially libertarian, have to just be friendly to every one I disagree with or they'd be nobody left.


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## cuddle striker (Apr 21, 2017)

DuskEngine said:


> I just want all the cool and hip white supremacists to be friends with me but they keep calling me a fucking nigger. does anyone have any advice?


double post but, just kick the shit out of them.
literally. they're chickenshit.


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## millais (Apr 21, 2017)

Unless I know from past experience that they are tolerant of diverse political beliefs, then I just avoid prodding them on political issues or if pressed, I mislead them with half-truths that will placate them. But if I know they are tolerant of dissenting opinions, I'll gladly have at it and nonstop argue with them until the early hours of the morning just for the hell of it, everyone knowing that we're not likely to change anybody's mind and just enjoying the friendly competition that comes with a battle of wits.

For sure things been more awkward since the election and having voted for Orange Hitler, but so far it is easy enough to defuse tensions by pointing out that he won the district where I'm registered with 59% of votes, so there was literally nothing I could do


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## AnOminous (Apr 21, 2017)

DuskEngine said:


> I just want all the cool and hip white supremacists to be friends with me but they keep calling me a fucking nigger. does anyone have any advice?



Bang their moms.


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## Chemical snorfare (Apr 21, 2017)

I'm pretty left, one of my best friends is a (minor) Conservative politician and theres no problems. We talk politics but its never become an argument. Its because we accept that we both have a belief that people should have the ability to persue happiness, just disagree on the best way to accomplish it.

Actual racists though, people who believe one person can be superior to another just because of skin colour, nah fuck them guys.


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## Zarkov (Apr 21, 2017)

I try to be as open-minded as possible, but unfortunately what @AnOminous said is the sad reality. You can't disagree with leftists, especially the younger ones. They'll scream and screech and keep throwing their mantra at you until you concede or simply choose to pretend to. 

I've never had this problem with people on the right or the far-right, regardless of how old the people I was talking to were.


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## cuddle striker (Apr 22, 2017)

WhatNemesisMeans said:


> I try to be as open-minded as possible, but unfortunately what @AnOminous said is the sad reality. You can't disagree with leftists, especially the younger ones. They'll scream and screech and keep throwing their mantra at you until you concede or simply choose to pretend to.
> 
> I've never had this problem with people on the right or the far-right, regardless of how old the people I was talking to were.



actually the right/far right start using Bible verses to call you a whore or a race traitor. both sides have the REEEE quotient.


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## Club Sandwich (Apr 25, 2017)

resonancer said:


> actually the right/far right start using Bible verses to call you a whore or a race traitor. both sides have the REEEE quotient.


i've met an awful lot of people across a wide spread of the US and other than tiny minorities of Westboro, Scientologists, Moonies, or Sovereign Citizens; far far and away people more on the left side of politics tend to be much more inclined to be condescending, dismissive, argumentative, and reliant on emotional arguments quoting rhetoric or talking points. somehow, something about modern leftist ideology insists on silencing opposition and dehumanizing their opposition.

like what many here have already espoused - many people on the left are more willing to cut out friends and family that disagree with them politically than people on the right.


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## AnOminous (Apr 25, 2017)

Club Sandwich said:


> i've met an awful lot of people across a wide spread of the US and other than tiny minorities of Westboro, Scientologists, Moonies, or Sovereign Citizens; far far and away people more on the left side of politics tend to be much more inclined to be condescending, dismissive, argumentative, and reliant on emotional arguments quoting rhetoric or talking points.



Let me put it this way.  I've had close friends be literal cult members, in cults like Scientology where it's literally against their religion even to associate with people who think their religion is a crock of shit, and the current left is WORSE THAN THESE CULTS.

I'll give an actual example.  One friend of mine, an ordinarily sane liberal, in the early part of Gamergate threatened completely out of the blue to unfriend anyone who supported it in any way.  This was before I knew anything at all about GG and I've really not given a shit about it except as a source of giggles, but it was the first time I noticed that the obsessives who hated it fanatically were definitely worse than GG itself.


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## Club Sandwich (Apr 25, 2017)

AnOminous said:


> Let me put it this way... the current left is WORSE THAN THESE CULTS.


i feel there's a strong appeal in these people to be lauded and approved of in their chosen peer group; the pleasure they receive from having an easily identifiable opposition they can put in a box and label as evil; and lastly the divestment of personal responsibility - if there is someone who fails the group, that person is expelled and un-personed. if the group suffers a setback or failure, they take comfort as a group in each other and can separate themselves from being personally responsible for any part of that failure - instead asking others for validation. lastly the divestment of personal responsibility allows them to easily buoy themselves when the group has successes and vicariously celebrate their small part in a victory.

it's a crutch for an ego that wants to belong. not leftists in general, but the specific sort of leftist that venerates it, to the exclusion and hatred of others.


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## HG 400 (Apr 26, 2017)

I am a fully registered Knight of the Ku Klux Klan and active fundraiser and speaker for White Aryan Resistance. I also write for the daily stormer occasionally.

That said I get along great with everybody of all races, creeds and from all political backgrounds (including groups as diverse as ANTIFA and the Nation of Islam) because I take the effort to see the good in everyone and don't let silly things like political disagreements get in the way of friendship. If anyone gets mad about my political affiliations I just remind them that's just their opinion and we should agree to disagree, and they always settle down and realise that it's dumb to fight over politics and apologise. I honestly don't know what you all are talking about when it comes to people breaking up relationships over politics, I've certainly never seen anything like that happen.


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## DNJACK (Apr 26, 2017)

Dynastia said:


> I am a fully registered Knight of the Ku Klux Klan and active fundraiser and speaker for White Aryan Resistance. I also write for the daily stormer occasionally.
> 
> That said I get along great with everybody of all races, creeds and from all political backgrounds (including groups as diverse as ANTIFA and the Nation of Islam) because I take the effort to see the good in everyone and don't let silly things like political disagreements get in the way of friendship. If anyone gets mad about my political affiliations I just remind them that's just their opinion and we should agree to disagree, and they always settle down and realise that it's dumb to fight over politics and apologise. I honestly don't know what you all are talking about when it comes to people breaking up relationships over politics, I've certainly never seen anything like that happen.


tbh its the case of most klansmen


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## HG 400 (Apr 26, 2017)

DNJACK said:


> tbh its the case of most klansmen



tbh the official Klan cookouts are such cheerful and neighbourly events that it's practically impossible to worry about anything but beers with good friends and some of the best pork sausages you'll ever eat


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## BoingBoingBoi (Apr 26, 2017)

politics is often the grounds of people's relationships these days, good or bad. so much of Western daily life is political bickering. everything is politicized. friendships are both made and broken on the basis of people's political views. for the most part that's fine: some friendships are based in common political views. the problem is just that everything is so politicized these days that a huge percentage of people's friendships and hatreds are formed on the basis of politics. i hardly ever talk politics with most of my irl friends even though i think i'm pretty far to the right of them. 

overall yeah i think it's just emotionally healthy to have deep and fulfilling friendships that are immune to political disagreements.


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## vertexwindi (Apr 26, 2017)

This thread reminded me of some autist I know. He's pretty far left, the kind of guy who says shit like "real socialism has never been tried", you know the drill. He used to have a girlfriend who was left-ish herself, but they broke up because he felt she didn't agree with him enough. As you do.


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## cuddle striker (Apr 26, 2017)

Dynastia said:


> I am a fully registered Knight of the Ku Klux Klan and active fundraiser and speaker for White Aryan Resistance. I also write for the daily stormer occasionally.
> 
> That said I get along great with everybody of all races, creeds and from all political backgrounds (including groups as diverse as ANTIFA and the Nation of Islam) because I take the effort to see the good in everyone and don't let silly things like political disagreements get in the way of friendship. If anyone gets mad about my political affiliations I just remind them that's just their opinion and we should agree to disagree, and they always settle down and realise that it's dumb to fight over politics and apologise. I honestly don't know what you all are talking about when it comes to people breaking up relationships over politics, I've certainly never seen anything like that happen.


so you've stayed married to your black wife, then?


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## HG 400 (Apr 26, 2017)

resonancer said:


> so you've stayed married to your black wife, then?



Sure have. We're still as much in love with each other as the day we met.


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## cuddle striker (Apr 26, 2017)

Dynastia said:


> Sure have. We're still as much in love with each other as the day we met.


now that's what I call maintaining relationships despite political sentiment


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## HG 400 (Apr 26, 2017)

resonancer said:


> now that's what I call maintaining relationships despite political sentiment



She has a great ass!


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## Closet Sorcerer (Apr 26, 2017)

Does family count ? My family is all the way to the right (not neo-Nazis, but they consider the National Front _too soft_) and I'm a Stalinist. Sure, we fight like Hell as soon as politics are involved, but we manage to keep good relations.


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## Chemical snorfare (Apr 26, 2017)

dynastia @ a Klan gathering, and I'm not talking about Gene Wilder.


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## WW 635 (Apr 26, 2017)

@Dynastia is a caring person who is able to look beyond another's racial handicaps.


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## Angry New Ager (Apr 26, 2017)

I'm pretty far to the left on a lot of issues, but I manage to maintain friendships across a pretty wide political swath. That wasn't always so; I was pretty hotheaded when I was young. But I've mellowed a lot with age.

Part of that is because I've had to change some of my positions over the years, as more information became available, or as I had different experiences that gave me new insights. A lot of my core beliefs have remained essentially the same--I've always been some flavor of  lefty-libertarian--but while I've gone further left on some issues, I've gone further right on others than my younger self would ever have expected. 

Because of that, I'm now much more aware that while I might hold a certain view on a given issue at this time, and feel justified in it, I know that view is still subject to change with knowledge and experience. I don't know what the future holds, or what might happen that could cause me to completely re-think a given position, but I accept that it could potentially happen. So it's hard for me to get too dogmatic over a political position I didn't hold 20 years ago, and might change my mind on in another 10 years--that's not a hill I want to die on, and losing friends in the process of defending it would be a Pyrrhic victory. 

Having experienced this, I know that other people's politics evolve across their lifespans, too, even if they maintain a certain core set of values and political identity. And just because somebody calls themselves a "conservative," or a "liberal," or a "socialist," or a "nationalist" doesn't mean they toe the party line 100%, all the time--far from it. It's a label they use for themselves that feels right, but individual people are much more varied and complex than those labels would suggest. 

So I prefer to avoid arguments over politics, preferring instead to ask questions. I like to know how people reached the conclusions they did, and how they came to adopt their political identity. Their views didn't just come out of nowhere; each person chooses them (however consciously or not) for certain reasons. And by discussing our own lives and the reasons behind why we've adopted certain positions, it's possible to talk about some really charged, hot-button issues without going at each others' throats. And we each might just learn something new, and see things in a different way. 

And it's also pretty cool to find the issues we agree on, even if our respective political labels would suggest otherwise. Given how horribly divisive American poitics are these days, that always gives me some hope that we might not end up completely Balkanized, after all.


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