AIBU for thinking hating people for their political leanings is perfectly normal?

[VelvetChairGirl]

I have been reading a brexit thread on here and lots of brexit voters in it seem horrified that they are hated and families have stopped talking to each other, and cut each other off over it.

but its politics nothing affects us more then politics, we have people who cut off others for believing in conspiracy theories and things. Brexit is the biggest shake up in this country in my life time, its taken away our freedom of movement for work and education, needlessly introduced a tonne of red tape, made our rights and standards extremely vulnerable to being destroyed (tories dont like food standards and workers rights this is well documented and they are in charge right now), reduced our standing in the world and will very likely lead us to being the poor man of Europe again, not to mention the fact its cut off vital EU funding to science research, regeneration and education projects up and down the county.

it affects everyone, of course people are perfectly entitled to hate those who voted to hurt them financially, prospects wise etc as much as they would hate someone who physically stole from them, theres very little difference is there?

Well I don’t know. If you felt that the Tories were plunging your family into poverty then I can completely understand why you might hate Tory voters. That’s just common sense. It would require you to have an extremely strong opinion on a subject in the first place though.

I think it's very one dimensional to not only judge, but actively hate someone for their political inclinations as, whilst an important aspect, it is just one of very many sides to a person. I'll be honest, I do tend to vote conservative as I am very slightly right leaning on some issues but some may be surprised to know I am not a vile, mean spirited, selfish person, quite the opposite in fact. This is often how people like to depict those with certain political allegiances but it is simply absurd and reveals a very narrow minded, judgemental and self righteous attitude.

Everyone has unique personal circumstances and life experiences and the majority will vote according to those and what they perceive will benefit their own situation primarily and the country as a whole secondarily.

Disagreement and debate is healthy, although trying to understand the viewpoints of others and why they voted as they did is a more grown up and constructive way to behave.

Hate and cancel culture etc does nothing to promote greater understanding and cohesion.

Hating is very strong. Most brexiteers I know I never really considered very intelligent or well informed to start with. I'm sure that cross section does exist, but I did not experience it. My mum voted for brexit but I hated her anyway and she has other very questionable beliefs.

YABU to hate someone for exercising their right to vote. This is a democracy. If you don't agree with something you can politely argue your case and try to convince others to see your point of view.

It's neither productive, healthy nor useful. It's producing a society of bellowing fools who seem to only be comfortable when surrounded by people who think exactly the same way

Yes to all of this. Actual political discourse has been replaced almost entirely by emotional outrage, and we are all the poorer for it.

I don't think hatred is the way forward, and I do think someone's opinion about just one thing should not lead to you "cancelling" them from your life (with some exceptions obviously).I have friends and relatives who voted for Brexit and while I completely disagree with them I recognise that they are still thoughtful, loving, generous people and still my friends.

I do understand that if someone has made a political decision that has caused you to suffer (eg voted Brexit) you might dislike them . But looking at it the other way around, if a party suddenly decided to oh I don't know, abolish private schools, and I voted for them, and they got in, and my friends with children at private schools decided their children's lives had been ruined and it was my fault and they now hated me, I think I would find that bizarre.

No it shouldn't be seen as normal.

It's understandable in extreme circumstances - racism, antivaxxing, conspiracies - things that actually put people in danger.

I don't think it's acceptable to hate someone merely for voting Tory or for Brexit and nothing else, much as I am furious about what the Tories and Brexit have done to this country.

I maybe have a different view from many on this as I am a leftie with Tory parents who I love and respect, but I have a lot of friends who are outright 'Tories are all evil, bigoted scum who should die' pretty much and I'm sure there are some people who would say that if I was a 'true' leftie I should disown my parents and never speak to them again.

No, it's ridiculous. If someone is constantly going on about politics then to be honest I'd try not to be around them as its boring and also, more than likely, they're narrow minded and can't comprehend why people might vote differently to them; clue, its complex a lot of the time. Also I think there's more to people than their politics.

Being disappointed and accepting other people have different priorities and life histories that bring them to their views has been how I've adapted out of the hate your enemies approach of my teens.

YABU. You should never "hate" someone for having a different opinion to you. That's extreme and abnormal.

I don't have a clue who my family and friends vote for in a general election. Why would you even ask someone, and I certainly wouldn't fall out with someone unless they had really extreme views and constantly went on about that it.

I also don't think Mumsnet is representative of the general population.

No, not unless you're 14.

I disagree with pp that you can’t have friends who vote differently

And to pp no I don’t think you should hate on that basis

@BIoodyStupidJohnson

YABU. Hating people for their political views isn't normal, it's extreme and the sign of an immature mind.

There used to be this idea of 'light, not heat'. That's why Nick Griffin was asked onto Question Time in 2009. Rather than attacking the position, expose it to rigorous interrogation and the whole thing falls apart. His standing never recovered and the BNP's vote share dwindled.

Now what seems to happen is that people are corralled into their little 'they-all-think-exactly-like-me' castles by Facebook or Twitter algorithms and end up just vomiting thoughtless, soundbite-laden loathing at each other over the parapets.

It's neither productive, healthy nor useful. It's producing a society of bellowing fools who seem to only be comfortable when surrounded by people who think exactly the same way.

I agree with this. However I don’t see enough challenge of flimsy political views and it’s incredibly frustrating. And that’s where it falls down. An example is Laura Kussenburg who seems to be far far too sympathetic to Boris Johnson. I can see how it happens though.

I think hate is a strong word. I dislike the choices other people make and feel resentful at times that their choices are having some a profound impact on my life and the country.

But I do not hate the individual people specifically for this. I have family members who voted to leave the EU and I still care for them. I think they will regret their choice when they start to be impacted themselves - the supermarket shelves will be the biggest impact most obvious on them I feel.

I don’t hate people for their political beliefs unless they’re particularly odious, but I don’t see anything wrong with not wanting to associate with people who vote for stuff that you find harmful or wrong.

It’s a very privileged position to think “Oh it’s just political” - some people are VERY affected by the decisions people in power make.

Unless it's extreme YABU. People have all sorts of different opinions and I'm sure they didn't vote to purposely hurt other people. What a bizarre thing to suggest.

I don’t HATE brexit voters, I just grumble about how they’ve buggered up my life plans!

To be fair I don’t hate anybody because of political leanings…..I do roll my eyes a lot at them though

People are perfectly entitled to “hate” others for their political persuasions but I definitely think it’s abnormal to do so.
If we all thought the same things and same ways life would be shit and dull. People’s life experiences mould how they think.

YABU. It’s not normal to hate other people.

I hate Nichola Sturgeon and the SNP and don't want independence but many friends do. I can accept that whilst watching the country turn into a third world mess

I think it is wierd to think you can't dislike people because of the values they hold.

If someone is racist, sexism or homophobic I will probably dislike them.

Similarly if someone prioritises their personal wealth over the pain of others they are probably a bad person and I am going to dislike them, even if they seem pleasant on the face of things.

The idea that you should be able to harm others by your actions (including voting) and people aren't allowed to think less of you for it is bizarre.

Its incredibly arrogant to assume your political view is the right one, and to hate someone for having a different opinion, makes you the unreasonable person.