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Take a deep breath - 3/17/2012 4:21:11 PM

Iamsemisweet

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From: The Great Northwest, USA
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Name calling and disrespect in political discussions was always something I tried to avoid. However, I never really realized how much conservatives irritate me. I admit I live in the bluest of blue states, although in a fairly conservative community. Still, the vast majority of people I come in contact with either don't care much about politics, or the topic doesn't come up, or they have roughly the same views I do. I tend to hang out with other women and men who are educated and professionals. The last conservative I spent any time with was my ex husband, and he didn't give a fuck about social issues, he only cared about things that affected his industry.

So, CM is about the only place I talk politics with conservatives. Do the rest of you tend to run into people with wildly different political views in RL? Do you talk politics? Do those discussions degenerate into name calling slugfests?

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RE: Take a deep breath - 3/17/2012 4:58:12 PM

tazzygirl

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Mine dont. I used to talk to the owners of the place I worked... very republican, even as foreign owners.. and to a few who were staunch republicans from birth. You agree to disagree, we are polite, patient and remember that we still have to see each other.

Thats the difference here. People feel they can hide behind a screen and not worry about what they say to others. There are some who would still say what they say here to your face, and make no apologies for it. ( talking about those who demean, belittle and berate others)

For me, manners go a long way. Perhaps some here need some Ms Manner's lessons.

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RE: Take a deep breath - 3/17/2012 5:50:08 PM

TheHeretic

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From: California, USA
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Iamsemisweet

Do the rest of you tend to run into people with wildly different political views in RL? Do you talk politics? Do those discussions degenerate into name calling slugfests?

Yes. Sometimes we go on vacation with them.

Yes. I don't have to talk politics, but am happy to do so, if it comes up.

Rarely, but with the right lubricants, it has been known to happen.

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RE: Take a deep breath - 3/17/2012 6:11:04 PM

Owner59

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Joined: 3/14/2006
From: Dirty Jersey
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Regular republicans(moderates) for sure.NJ has a good mix and my Obama bumper sticker get`s the many I cross paths with, going.

The birther types cons(extreme) and yes,I know a few of them,I don`t talk politics with.

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RE: Take a deep breath - 3/17/2012 7:00:42 PM

Aylee

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Iamsemisweet
Do the rest of you tend to run into people with wildly different political views in RL?

All the time. I live in Lawrence, KS. The ONLY blue county of Kansas (Douglas). My boss is in Franklin County. He lives in a very small town and there is at least one family that I know has a second use for their pillow cases. I also travel a lot for work and talk to all sorts of people.

quote:

Do you talk politics?

At time I sure do.

quote:

Do those discussions degenerate into name calling slug-fests?

No, I cannot say that they do. It seems to me that some people are more confrontational on the Internet. They want information spoon fed to them instead of listening / reading and then looking it up for themselves. There seems to be a bit of a sensationalistic streak for people.

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RE: Take a deep breath - 3/17/2012 7:15:18 PM

tj444

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For me, it depends on the situation.. if i am talking to someone (in person or from the web) that is a potential romantic entanglement.. then his politics do matter a lot.. A few years ago one guy i met for dinner and a movie scared me in that he was a very law-and-order type.. being Canadian, I am not used to people that are so by-the-book that humanity & circumstance doesnt enter into it.. People like that are so fanatical that they scare the poop outta me.. I want nothing to do with that type of person.. It doesnt disintegrate into anything tho, I do the reasonable thing and bite my tongue and I just cross the dude off my mental possible list.. If i were to do business with someone, like business partners on something (hasnt happened so far), then it would matter also.. and same result..

Other than that, it doesnt come up.. Since I have moved a lot lately, I am not in a position to make friends and when i am in SoCal.. its pretty hard to anyway..

< Message edited by tj444 -- 3/17/2012 7:17:15 PM >

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RE: Take a deep breath - 3/17/2012 7:15:31 PM

erieangel

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Most of the people I know, I know through my employment. I work in community mental health and almost everybody is liberal (kind of comes with the territory). There are a few fiscal conservatives, but I don't know many right wingers. Those I do know, I tend to avoid having political discussions with.

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RE: Take a deep breath - 3/17/2012 8:24:03 PM

Winterapple

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Joined: 8/19/2011
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FR
I'm to the left of everyone I know and
in most cases everyone that I come into
contact with offline.
I'm the closest some people I know will ever
come to meeting Rosa Luxemburg

This comes just from being a big d Democrat.
My stepfather is a republican and we have
back and forths and sometimes we raise
our voices but it isn't antagonistic and we
we respect one another.
I have a friend/neighbor who is fairly
liberal but not very political.
I have other friends that I would classify
as moderate democrats.
I know quite a few libertarians. I've don't
talk politics with them very much because
the ones I know seem to spend a good deal
of their time on the outer rings of Saturn.
All of them conspiracy theorists of one
stripe or another. And because I'm in favor
of single payer health insurance they think
I'm as big a pinko as convervatives do.
I know people I would call fiscally conservative
and socially moderate. We can talk about
issues with shouting or mud wrestling.
I know social conservatives who are not
fiscal conservatives though a lot of them
consider themselves such. But their positive
beliefs concerning not to mention their
reliance on Social Security and Medicaid
says otherwise.
There are people who say things like if
it wasn't for abortion they would vote
for a democrat.
I don't talk politics with birthers or
other wingnuts. There's no point.
They need more than conversation they
need full-scale tutoring.
I don't think I'm really much more
arguemenative online than off.
things I say online are things I would
or have said in person.
There are social and work settings
where and people with whom it's agreed
we won't talk about politics.
I try not to let anyone bait me but if
someone says something ridiculously
untrue I'll usually speak up.
But where and who in most cases
determines whether I go to the mat
with someone or not.
If it's a setting where other people
will be disturbed I can white
knuckle it. If it's a person just looking
for a fight I try to ignore it.

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RE: Take a deep breath - 3/17/2012 9:03:19 PM

Zonie63

Posts: 2826
Joined: 4/25/2011
From: The Old Pueblo
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Iamsemisweet

So, CM is about the only place I talk politics with conservatives. Do the rest of you tend to run into people with wildly different political views in RL? Do you talk politics? Do those discussions degenerate into name calling slugfests?

I hardly discuss politics in RL anymore. Even on the internet, I'm not as prone to discussing politics as I used to be, unless it's a specific issue I'm interested in. On those occasions when I do discuss politics with someone, it's usually with someone I know to be reasonable enough to have a disagreement without it degenerating into name calling. I think it depends more on the person I'm having the discussion with, not the disagreement.

Some people are just argumentative. I've been able to have a reasonable, courteous discussion with someone I'm diametrically opposed to, while there have been times when I mostly agree with someone, yet still have a nasty argument over some minor point.

That's another sticky point about political discussions, since the arguments aren't always liberal vs. conservative, but sometimes liberal vs. liberal or conservative vs. conservative, arguing over who is a "true believer" and who isn't. Those can get pretty nasty, too. I don't think either side is immune to it, since it seems more a personality type which exists up and down the spectrum.

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RE: Take a deep breath - 3/17/2012 9:07:58 PM

thishereboi

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Joined: 6/19/2008
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quote:

Do the rest of you tend to run into people with wildly different political views in RL?
yes

Do you talk politics?
sometimes
Do those discussions degenerate into name calling slugfests?
nope

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RE: Take a deep breath - 3/17/2012 9:27:53 PM

OttersSwim

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Joined: 9/1/2008
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I am a transgendered, polyamorous, pagan, submissive, liberal democrat...I often quip that to be any more marginalized in society I would have to join Al Qaeda!

Thus, I tend to surround myself with people who see me, and accept me.

But I do have friends from long ago who I still see at least once a year. They are all very conservative Republicans and salt of the earth, amazing friends to the last of them. I am the token liberal in the group and take a good bit of shit over it.

We argue over who will come first - the U.N. for all our guns, or the Republicans to round up people like me into camps...everyone has their own fears I suppose.

It has gotten heated in the past...but we manage to remain friends in spite of our political differences.

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RE: Take a deep breath - 3/18/2012 12:50:43 AM

DesideriScuri

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Joined: 1/18/2012
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I will sometimes argue...er...talk politics online with friends. Some of the people I have debated have devolved into name calling. I admit that I have devolved into calling people names. I generally argue with people I either know (mostly fellow grads of my HS), or we share a mutual friend.

As I don't argue too much with conservatives (some Republicans I will get into debates with over certain issues, but not many), the vast majority of name-callers (100% actually) are liberals.

Outside of lifestyle, I think I have been called names by 2 or 3 people, so, it's not like I run into huge numbers of people devolving.

I have also noticed that on lifestyle sites, the majority are liberal. I should say, the majority that post into messageboards and groups, tend to be liberal. This site is the worst site for name-calling and belittling that I've been on.

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