Facebook and Elections

On Facebook there are political diatribes happening daily.

In my friend list there is someone I know who says he is an independent. This is a lie. He is one of the most staunchly right wing people you would ever meet. He just calls himself an independent. I guess it would sound better than right wing tea party nut job. These views are why I would never engage him on the topic of politics. But right now it's the Presidential election season and with 9 days left before we find out who wins, there are more and more posts about politics.

This one person is having a feud with someone he has known for years and they were incredibly great friends, but the politics they have are destroying or maybe have destroyed their friendship forever. The one is a right winger, and the other is a liberal. So there will be a post by one of the parties and then the other one will post refuting that post, which leads to another rebuttal and refutation and name calling. The liberal is more civil than the right winger. The right winger also has links to right wing sources that hold up his world view. Of course, you only read the things that you agree with and strengthen your view points.

The right winger says he likes to debate people. It's not really a debate if you steam roll someone with 5 postings to their one. But then the conservative wing has always steamrolled it's opponents. (OMG, there's my political views showing. But, fuck it, it's my blog.)

The liberal is weary of this interchange of crap and tells the right winger that he wishes him well in all his future endeavors. The thing about that phrase... it's a "fuck you" and then you never talk to them again. So the wise thing at this point would be to UNFRIEND them. They are never going to salvage the freindship. It's over. The animosity and vitriol cannot be taken back. So unfriend them and never talk to them again. Pretty fucking simple.

It's also an example of the larger problem with politics. You used to be able to be on opposing sides without hating your opponent. You could disagree with everything they stood for, but if something was good for the country they would work together. There is no cooperation anymore. Only hardline obstinance.

So please, J. & J. unfriend each other and be done with it.