With the elections looming we tend to be more argumentative than usual. We are constantly being barraged from every news source, emails are going back and forth…everywhere we go someone is talking politics! When friends disagree about issues, political parties or candidates, it can lead to hurt feelings and bruised relationships. So how do we keep our friends, and our right to vote? Some thoughts:
……………………………………..
1) Don’t be a bully. Express yourself but avoid trying to prove a point with someone who disagrees.
2) Acknowledge your friends point….it doesn’t imply you agree with their point.
3) Discuss other things besides politics.
4) Be a good winner, if your candidate wins avoid gloating.
My rant is done and remember…
Friendships will be around long after the elections. It is worth keeping your friendships strong!
64 users commented in " Politics shouldn’t ruin friendships "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI love it Mark! Personally I just don’t really discuss politics at all–or if I do it is brief. Seems the safest bet to me!
——————-
@KD, Safest indeed!
Good reminder Mark-friendship is much more important than politics!
——————–
@Tipper, absolutely!
Mark – I linked this post on my blog today.
Thanks!
IzzyBeth
———————–
@IzzBeth, I Saw that…thanks!
Excellent points! I’m surrounded at work by people of the opposite party, and I’ve found it’s better to just avoid discussing political issues with them. 🙂
——————
@Cammy, Politics can heat things up, sometimes best to avoid the discussion ..yup.
This is a a great point but I’m not sure I want to do it. I try not to make friends with the other side. It’s one of my first questions.
hahaha
—————–
@POD, 🙂
I refuse to let politics get in the way of my friendships. Its not worth it. I use the AGREE to DISAGREE technique!
———————-
@meleah rebeccah, Agree to disagree! Absolutely!
I’m ready for it to be over. And I agree, we should all agree that it’s ok to disagree. Unforunately…that’s not always the case.
————————–
@Lance, I am ready for it to be over as well!
I remember at election time (Australia) last year this sort of thing came up. I made sure I finnished every conversation with a line like “I guess we’re about to find out”. A year on I think I can safetly say that I was right. Not that I ever do.
Down here the US election is a common topic and a safe one. Most people treat it like a soap opera.
———————–
@Gabrielle, it is like a soap opera!
I am going to be honest here. I tell everyone that their political choice does not bother me but when I feel like the person they like is an idiot I have a bit of a hard time with it but always keep it to myself. Why do politics sometimes bring out the worst in us?
@Heidi, honesty can be good! 🙂
Hi!
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I’ve got to spend some time lurking around yours as I’ve already read over some fantastic reads as well!
Have a great week end!
I try not to talk about politics if I know that my friends are not on the same side. That way everyone is happy hanging out with each other.
I agree. I was in a relationship with a guy (for 10 months!) and we had different political views. It was never a problem for me. I respected his views, and he teased me about mine. It worked out fine. 🙂
Meaning of Statistics: The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures.
The genius of a good leader is to avoid a situation which is common sense, with no grace of genius, can take care of successfully.