To consider ending a friendship over differing political beliefs?

[HelloBridesmaidLiketheBeard]

If a friend suddenly voiced political beliefs that you strongly disagree with, do you think the friendship can survive?

I have friends with varying beliefs, some like mine, some not, but if someone has a HUGELY different opinion and is vehement in it, do you think it's possible to maintain that friendship?

I'm feeling very conflicted after a rather eye-opening conversation the other day with a friend, and I can't get her words out of my mind.

I feel so passionately about my hatred for the Tories, that if I were to to find out any of my friends were voting for them, a party that seem to be going out of their way to make my life miserable, I'd end the friendship.

They can't care that much about me if they vote for a party that is trying to destroy the lives of most ordinary people, including myself.

I wouldn't even hesitate.

I would have respected leave voters more if their reasons for voting weren’t steeped in xenophobia, and that’s my experience of every single leave voter I’ve come across to date.

It’s not the way someone votes per se, it’s their reasons for doing so that leaves me questioning their moral compass. I don’t tend to judge people on the basis that they aren’t white British.

If they had sensible reasoning then yeah, fine, but I’ve yet to hear any!

I know this discussion isn’t about Brexit but it’s an example of the point.

I think it depends if the issues you disagree about are things that you find inherently offensive, or the way they put their beliefs across/treat other people because of their beliefs is offensive. For example, I am an atheist but have friends of various religions. We all respect each other and can have some interesting discussions about the similarities and differences of what we believe. I know someone who is very vocal about her belief that anyone who does not share her own specific religion is going to hell and any parents who do not bring their children to believe as she does is basically abusing them and ensuring that they too go to hell. She has been know to say this in front of young children. I could not be friends with her.

Depends.
I had a friend from an old work place i started going with and she started showing me a homophobic attitude referring to gay men as F
I ended up distancing myself. I just don't want to hear that negativity tbh

Christ what's left to talk about? The weather?

Discussion about philosophy, politics, moral dilemmas, current affairs etc is life blood to me.

Our children have grown up arguing the rights and wrongs of everything over the dinner table.

I consider it part of their education.

How can you think k if you can't speak?

Challenging other people's views and getting your own opinions examined in return is part of intellectual rigour isn't it? It teaches analysis and critical thinking skills as well as how to speak persuasively.

Learning how to argue and disagree without falling out is part of children's emotional education in my opinion.

Perhaps our political discourse wouldn't be about divisiveness, three word slogans and calling people names like "Remoaner" if more people had grown up debating at home?

I have a Russian friend who supports the war in Ukraine, which is about as polar opposite a view as a friend has ever held from my own. He genuinely seems to see it as necessary to 'free' Ukraine from evil Western influences (we live in a neutral country that's neither ex-Soviet nor Western). I completely disagree, obviously, but I also believe he's fundamentally a nice person - if he was celebrating war crimes or something then of course we wouldn't be friends, but it's not like that.

We sometimes touch on the topic lightly but talk more about things like art, culture, philosophy where we have more common ground. I'm one of the only people he knows from a NATO country and I actually think it's really important to maintain friendships across divides like that, to remind each other that ultimately the people on both sides of a conflict are still human.

On the other hand, I've faded out a couple of acquaintances with people who are on 'my' side where I felt like they were more concerned about point scoring on Twitter than the human cost of the war, and I found it all a bit sick even if their specific views weren't objectionable. I guess it comes down to people's personality ultimately.

YABU.

A friend can be fiercely loyal, funny, kind, entertaining, endlessly supportive, uplifting, charismatic, thoughtful, all those things in one: but you think maybe you need to not be friends because they voted leave, or they vote Tory, or they think Israel has the right to defend itself or whatever?

It's such a fragile and frankly pathetic attitude

@Nannyfannybanny

Goodness why? These are the fundamentals of life and conversation

I agree with @Finlesswonder. There's probably more that unites you than divides you.

There are lots of good Ted talks on this subject, here's one for starters

🇯🇴

It depends. Happy to,and do, have friends who have well thought out and rational opinions that are radically different to mine.

I couldn't have a life partner whose values didn't align with mine-and that means, to me, sharing political beliefs.

"I was brought up never discuss politics, religion,sex or money"

So was I-in social situations with acquaintances. Didn't apply to friends and family.

Why bump a year old thread to post an emoji?