To think telling people to “unfriend” you on social media because of the way you’re voting is immature?

[Retpark101]

This is kind of another election one, but I don’t want to thread to be hijacked into discussing politics, in fact I actually just want people to respect that everyone has their own minds and opinions, they have a right to vote for whoever they want to.

There’s so many political posts on Facebook right now but I’ve seen a couple of people on my friends list post things like “if you’re voting Conservative/Labour/etc tomorrow, please unfriend me” or “delete my number and don’t speak to me again”
AIBU to think this is bloody childish and if you’re a mature adult you accept that people are all different and have the right to their own thoughts? I hate how this election is making people gate each other.

Unless somebody has extreme views then is it really worth breaking friendships for the sake of someone voting the opposite of you?

Seen it a few times today. They’re all Labour supporters. The ‘corbynistas’ (ew) seem to be becoming cult like. Also, the supposed nastiness they accuse other parties of comes mainly from them.
If you are so narrow minded that you think democracy should mean everyone siding with your narrow viewpoint, then more fool you. I don’t dump my muslim and hindu friends because of their beliefs. It’s idiotic. Then again, most of social media is delusional.

Well the OP's point has been proven by some of the responses!

If you are the kind of numpty who doesn't want to remain friends with someone because they vote differently from you - it's no loss to your ex-friend.

Agreeing with @Batqueen here. I've deleted a few people from my timeline for posting racist/Islamophobic/"you won get over it" stuff as I just can't be arsed with them.

Since the 2016 referendum, a few people I know have come out of the nastiness closet and I now give them a swerve most of the time.

To be honest, I need to know I share a few basic values with my friends, and things like rampant racism are a problem.

I read an interesting article the other day (and, naturally, can't find the fucking link). It was about all those other articles on couples who manage to date each other despite being on opposite sides politically. it pointed out that, mostly, you can only go on 'agreeing to disagree' on politics if you are both a) really fairly centrist and identify as a supporter of party X or party Y due to tribalism; b) comfortably off, well educated, physically able and, if black or brown, at least second generation residents and probably c) heterosexual or at least able to pass as heterosexual.
Because it gets harder to live with a partner whose views are very different from yours once that partner's views are sliding into, basically, the opinion that you (or your dearest friends, or members of your family) are not fully human or should have fewer rights.

There is also the absolutely indisputable truth that politics in both the UK and the US has become far more accepting of extremist bullshit and far more inclined to take hideous wingnuts seriously. So there comes a point where the old 'agree to disagree' stops working because one or both partners get radicalised to scary extent. The former progressive becomes a cult-follower for whom nothing apart from absolute self-abasement is good enough, the former old-school, trad values, small-business backing conservative starts going on about forriners and sexual deviants...

I've seen some really vicious posts and they have almost all been from Labour supporters.

Unless somebody has extreme views then is it really worth breaking friendships for the sake of someone voting the opposite of you?

For me - no.

But then I am friends within people who have opposing views one another, and some to myself.

I have never told anyone who I vote for and I rarely discuss politics with people.

I think politics usually brings out the worst in a lot of people, regardless of which way they vote. They only see their own way and become very blinkered. I also don't like how some use their 'voice' to make digs about other parties and politicians, rather than just focus on what their own party/people will/plan to do.

Re social media - for some prolific political SM posters I have, this month, unfollowed them for a while. I can't be doing with the constant barrage of it all, regardless of who they are banging on about. I will follow them on my timeline in a few weeks time again.

But because of my own nature I am very much able to put much of it aside, ignore and go on being friends with most people. I would struggle with very extreme versions however.

Yeah it's pathetic

Its absolutely unreal, I have been sent abusive msgs from my brother and sister who are Tory voters because of who I voted for. I never talk politics to them, because I know we have opposing views, but I wasn't expecting abuse
Supposed to be going to my brothers for Xmas dinner, don't want to go now

I'm so glad to be amongst you today, o vipers! Mumsnet has been the medium for me to meet people and experience different, sometimes very unexpected, viewpoints. I've been on MN for over a decade now, and am reading and thinking more and more widely all the time. Thank you.

Dislike your friends??!?🧐🧐

It's a little difficult to take anyone seriously if they keep insisting that it's only the side they oppose who are guilty of sending nasty messages or saying insulting things... One of the really blindingly obvious facts about the current political landscape is that there is arsehole behaviour from individuals on all sides.

I probably wouldn't unfriend anyone, just quietly judge. Maybe refuse to friend in the first place if I already know! Did this with someone I onky knew online who turned out to be a bnp supporter. Don't want that crap on my newsfeed.

I can't speak for everyone, but I have two or three friends on my FB who I've had to unfollow this week. The bile is just too much. Corbynistas. Now laying into Maureen lipman calling her a cunt and a twat. If i have tory friends they are very shy about it!

You’re right it’s the declaration that’s immature. I dislike this in the same way I dislike statuses such as ‘if you’re reading this congratulations you’ve survived my recent friends clear out’ totally unnecessary.

I like to debate and listen to other people's POV, regardless of who they vote for and what they believe in. That being said, I would struggle to befriend or remain friend with someone who would vote drastically differently to me as it would mean they probably disagree with lots of things that either represent me or agree with policies that would make my life more difficult.

As a queer woman of color and daughter of immigrants (who also live abroad a lot of the time), who I can vote for without having to give up on a part of me is already pretty limited so I would seriously struggle with someone who would consider themselves my friend yet would willingly would vote for someone like Trump or an extremist party. That's been the case in my family where some family members have voted the extremist party (they are all white, straight and very high-earners) and for me, considering yourself my friend or someone close to me while actively voting for someone who will knowingly make my life harder due to their opinion on certain races, sexual orientation, religious belief or economical bracket, makes you someone I very much don't want to have in my circle and yes, I will stop talking to people who have me has their friend but vote for people whose policies will make my life more difficult.

I live in the US right now and have no problem having a calm conversation with a trump supporters and hearing them out out of interest, but I could never be friend with one, regardless of their reasons for voting Trump because I believe that if you vote for someone who is racist, sexist, homophobic etc... even if you don't agree with it, you are making the decision to tolerate it which for me is a total dealbreaker.

@GCAcademic is right - those who 'unfriend' people who vote for the 'wrong' party are authoritarian and dangerously close to the politics of a one-party state. It's frightening.

Social media was supposed to have brought us all closer together and connected us. It's done the exact opposite. We are further apart, polarised, self-segregating, intolerant. Anyone who disagrees with the groupthink is frozen out or shouted down. It's all very ugly.

Yanbu

Totally agree, I felt the same after Brexit. I totally understand why some of our friends voted conservative, although oddly those of us who I know have voted Labour, Lib Dem, green and independent are the more affluent amongst us. My DH earns over £80k but he still voted lab as did I, because we believe in collective responsibility and the NHS.
Today we are fine, tomorrow anything could happen even though we have insurances for some disasters, we can't cover everything.
I despair sometimes at why people would vote to be worse off but then give my head a wobble because for different reasons so do I 🤷‍♀️
For full disclosure I voted Lab this time 2016 and 1997, all other times Lib Dem and green.
If I had lived in the UK when Cameron stood I think I would have voted for him, time would have made me feel a fool so glad I couldn't.

I can see both sides.

I have very strong political views, and it is likely that someone who votes for party X will not share my values and outlook on life and I would think less of them for it.

OTOH I saw long term friendships and family relationships ripped apart by the Scottish Independence referendum in 2014. My friends and family are split about equally on yes/no and the majority manage to be respectful.

I do have one friend on Facebook who holds very different views to me, we have some robust debates and it is good not to be in an echo chamber.

If it’s a moron reposting fake news constantly for months with zero interest wether it’s true or not? Yabu

Because it shows the person is not capable or interested in facts.

If it’s someone that face the fact that people vote who they want then yanbu.

I never say who I vote for on SM. I think people who do come across as patronising preachy twats who assume I am too dense to gather my own opinions from realise sources. That’s how my family come across on FB. Plus 85% turns out to be untrue.

I'm certainly not going to unfriend Conservative voters on FB. Instead, whenever they moan about the government over the next five years - and they will - I will remind them precisely whose fault it is.

I will remind them precisely whose fault it is

That will be Jeremy Corbyn and Momentum then.

Lily93 wrote So you're saying that voting Labour removes you from any individual responsibility in terms of your contribution to society and your moral obligation to personally help others? How convenient to simply bury your head in the sand and hide behind your choice of political party.

That's not what I'm saying at all. The original comment was something along the lines of the priveliged voting Labor but never help people like the homeless as an individual act.

Which is a ridiculous statement. Of course some people volunteer, Tories, Labour, Green, LibDem whatever. That has nothing to do with voting in a party that has more of a social democratic policy, than one which is more structured to individuals doing it for themselves.

Frankly i don't care what or who people vote for. If i notice through their words and actions that i think they're a twat, then they won't remain my friend for long.

I feel like this now. I think it is because of my situation and understanding that we are being held back from being productive members of society by the Tories. For people so motivated by money I dont understand why they wouldn't do more to make sure me and my son can work and earn as much as we can instead of keeping us in a rut.

I wrote this on my other thread about it

"Long story not so short we live on 100 pound a month ( including his DLA) after I've paid to not be evicted and to keep in contact with each other. That includes food, travel for me, clothes, treats, replacement furniture, everything. The only luxury we have according to budgeting sites is wifi but really my son would never pass his GCSEs if he didnt have good internet at home. Streaming off of a phone to laptop does not work well enough to access all the complex websites and programmes he has to use just to do compulsory homework. Good GSCEs means he will more likely earn money and pay taxes."

Here is the thread. Please read it all before you tell me to just get a job:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3767677-To-ask-Tory-voters-what-I-do-now?msgid=92295436#92295436

I've been fed up with this as well. DH and I voted differently from each other and have managed not to fall out! He voted differently from my parents and brothers too but everyone is still welcome in each others houses!