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"Politics shouldn& #39;t interfere with friendship. Just because we disagree, doesn& #39;t mean we can& #39;t be friends."
I& #39;ve heard this before. You& #39;ve heard it before. We& #39;ve all heard it before.
Here& #39;s a thread on my (as always, obviously correct) thoughts on this...
1/?
I& #39;ve heard this before. You& #39;ve heard it before. We& #39;ve all heard it before.
Here& #39;s a thread on my (as always, obviously correct) thoughts on this...
1/?
First of all....
I agree with the statement as stated.
But I do not agree with the statement as typically intended.
As intended, it is usually:
"You shouldn& #39;t get mad at me just because I voted for [X]. We can still be friends."
But.
No.
2/?
I agree with the statement as stated.
But I do not agree with the statement as typically intended.
As intended, it is usually:
"You shouldn& #39;t get mad at me just because I voted for [X]. We can still be friends."
But.
No.
2/?
The easiest way to explain why this is wrong is to use myself as an example.
SO-
I have to confess to some political opinions which are not popular among my social group. So, please.... if I say anything about what I think which you find objectionable... wait til the end.
3/?
SO-
I have to confess to some political opinions which are not popular among my social group. So, please.... if I say anything about what I think which you find objectionable... wait til the end.
3/?
I am, broadly speaking, a pro-market, anti-government, libertarian.
(I can address the particulars of that in a DIFFERENT THREAD).
There are some major points where I dissent from libertarian "orthodoxy", but it& #39;s my primary political orientation.
(The next twet is worse...)
4/
(I can address the particulars of that in a DIFFERENT THREAD).
There are some major points where I dissent from libertarian "orthodoxy", but it& #39;s my primary political orientation.
(The next twet is worse...)
4/
For the last several decades, certainly my entire voting life, the GOP and the Libertarian Party have - in their rhetoric - more closely matched my economic and political philosophy than the Democrats, the Greens, or anyone else.
BUT!
(Plz keep reading)
5/
BUT!
(Plz keep reading)
5/
I have not once voted for either a GOP or Libtrn for Pres or Congress.
WHY?
Because I believe that my economic and political opinions should not interfere with my friendships, or my relationships to other people.
6/
WHY?
Because I believe that my economic and political opinions should not interfere with my friendships, or my relationships to other people.
6/
Because:
While I believe it is POSSIBLE to enunciate a pro-market libertarianism that does NOT throw women, LGBTQ+ folx, people of color, people with disabilities, and basically everyone who isn& #39;t cishet white male under the bus... none of them ever have.
7/
While I believe it is POSSIBLE to enunciate a pro-market libertarianism that does NOT throw women, LGBTQ+ folx, people of color, people with disabilities, and basically everyone who isn& #39;t cishet white male under the bus... none of them ever have.
7/
(Now... i know some of you think that this is a reason to reject pro-market/libertarian political/economic philosophy wholesale. That is a REASONABLE conclusion to draw and I don& #39;t want to argue about it IN THIS THREAD. I& #39;m trying to make an entirely different point.)
7.5/
7.5/
Here is my point:
My political opinions are - at best - a *hypothesis* about how a small set of policies and ideals would positively impact society.
But the damage and danger posed by the GOP and most (party) Libertarians is real. It& #39;s not a hypothesis.
8/
My political opinions are - at best - a *hypothesis* about how a small set of policies and ideals would positively impact society.
But the damage and danger posed by the GOP and most (party) Libertarians is real. It& #39;s not a hypothesis.
8/
(I& #39;m also ignoring the fact that the GOP is a bunch of fucking liars and that anything pro-market or libertarian sounding coming out of their mouths is total bullshit. For now I& #39;m pretending they have meant all that seriously. And STILL I wouldn& #39;t vote for them.)
8.5/
8.5/
When people say "don& #39;t let politics interfere with friendship" they are saying "i do what i want and you shouldn& #39;t tell me to stop."
When I say it (i don& #39;t say it, but if I did) I mean:
I will not vote for my own *abstract opinions* over the lived experience of my friends.
9/
When I say it (i don& #39;t say it, but if I did) I mean:
I will not vote for my own *abstract opinions* over the lived experience of my friends.
9/
In an imagined, fairytale land where libertarians and communists could argue philosophy without the risk that one side was going to seize power and start wars, open concentration camps, and murder black people I might vote for the libertarians.
We don& #39;t live in that world
10/
We don& #39;t live in that world
10/
So even if it means that fiscal and economic policy are not always going to be what I want, or that the regulatory environment is stricter than I think it should be,
I will continue to vote based on who I think will minimize harm and maximize good for vulnerable people.
11/
I will continue to vote based on who I think will minimize harm and maximize good for vulnerable people.
11/
I will not let my own politics get in the way of friendship.
12/12
12/12
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