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| Facebook, Politics and Friends |
Let me start off by saying that I strongly believe it is
possible to disagree with my friends on politics, religion, and values yet still
be friends. True friends are people you
can have a civil discussion with and agree to disagree without damaging your
friendship. But not everyone is a true
friend and not everyone can agree to disagree on things we are passionate
about.
It is my belief that we can and should talk about politics
on Facebook, Twitter, in person or anywhere else we might discuss things
important to us. Many of us profess and
discuss our faith on Facebook, so why not politics? The important thing to remember is to treat
others with respect when discussing anything sensitive or with passion. I have some friends on Facebook with whom I
couldn’t disagree more on religion or politics, but I sincerely appreciate
seeing and reading their point of view.
However, when you see a political rant with name-calling or an
ugly tone from a “friend” that is directed at someone who thinks like you, it
can really sting. The worst exchanges devolve
into something hateful and personal from someone you really like. The question becomes, do you let their
comments on Facebook affect how you think or interact with them? Do you defriend them online? And sometimes, do you go so far as to
defriend them in person?
For me, seeing some of that true ugliness directed towards
me or to people who think like me does color my perspective of the person.
Seeing someone post nasty stereotypes and attacking comments does make me think
differently of my friend. And when it is
grossly inflammatory and repetitive, I will defriend them.
Sifting through your news feed this morning on Facebook, do
you find yourself thinking differently about a person whose political rant
attacked or assaulted you in some way? Did
the political season cause you to defriend someone on Facebook or in real life?
