Posted on 11/30/2025 10:29:29 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Recently, during a social gathering, someone who reads my column regularly asked me if I had lost any friends because of my politically conservative leanings. Rather than respond with the usual sanitized comment about the unlikely chance of losing “true” friends simply because of my opinions, I told him that my friends and I never talk politics or religion.
In fact, my friends and I have an understanding about controversial subjects. If we’re at a dinner or another social function and someone expresses a political opinion that one of us disagrees with, we might briefly attempt to refute what was said. However, if the conversation goes beyond a few opposing responses, one of us will simply raise a glass of wine and say, “Here’s to good friends.” That is the watchword that means we should move on.
Not surprisingly, I try to surround myself with the type of people who are not of radical persuasion. That doesn’t mean I hang out only with people who agree with me. On the contrary, I welcome different opinions, as long as they’re not so extreme as to challenge common sense. For example, if someone were to insist that males and females are physically equal, and men therefore have a right to compete in female sports contests, or that a man can give birth to a child, I’d start looking for an exit.
Trying to reason with that person would be like trying to convince a member of the Flat Earth Society that the world is round. I enjoy friendly debates as well as the next guy, but who wants to hang out with people who have become convinced by their own ignorance?
Social circles have always been part of the human experience.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Been married to dem wife 65 years. We don’t discuss politics.
If we cannot “discuss” politics with friends/family...we have lost. Are there times it is inappropriate? Yes, holidays, funerals, etc..but generally it seems it would be blocking free speech.
You must be a saint.
I think not discussing politics is a way for Dems to continue their terrible policies. Their ideas / policy simply do not stand up to rational examination and discussion.
So it’s “NO DISCUSSING POLITICS! THAT WOULDN’T BE NICE!”
Yes. My best friend of 60 years - he and I served together in Vietnam - has cut off all contact with me because I am a Trump backer.
No, all my friends are conservative.
Oh, and my wife’s uncle disowned the extended family (pretty much all Republicans, and including his only living sibling) c. early 2017 after Trump45 came to be. His loss, he needed us more than we needed him. We’d take him back if he ever could get over his #TDS, which he has a severe case of.
All my friends are conservatives. Some distant family are liberals and I do not associate with them.
I wonder a couple of things about this:
1. How many conservatives have cut liberal people out of their lives because of politics?
2. How many liberals have cut conservative leaning people out of their lives?
What is the ratio of liberals who cut conservatives out of their lives? Versus the other way around?
Lost? No. Jettisoned, yes. Tossed ‘em right over the side and blocked off all further contact, because I refuse to be friends with people whose grasp on rationality is so tenuous that the merest mention of the names “Trump,” “Vance,” “Hegseth,” or “Charlie Kirk” reduces them to being hate-filled $#!+-flinging howler monkeys.
No
Being a New Yorker puts many friends and family in the leftist camp. Looking back, I always thought differently than most of them. I don’t discuss politics I haven’t my lost them no. They know I’m conservative. They don’t care. I don’t care that they’re leftist. What am I going to change their minds? They know other conservatives. They know to just let it go
They’d like to discuss current events and politics they keep it to their leftist friends/cousins/ siblings
We have a lot to talk about. Food (ever talk to a New Torker about food? It’s a different realm), travel, memories, family stories, career, kids
What do they care if I like Trump. I don’t bring it up
But if they do I go right to “they will see” mode. And if they never do, doesn’t matter. Trump is right.
No
Being a New Yorker puts many friends and family in the leftist camp. Looking back, I always thought differently than most of them. I don’t discuss politics I haven’t my lost them no. They know I’m conservative. They don’t care. I don’t care that they’re leftist. What am I going to change their minds? They know other conservatives. They know to just let it go
They’d like to discuss current events and politics they keep it to their leftist friends/cousins/ siblings
We have a lot to talk about. Food (ever talk to a New Torker about food? It’s a different realm), travel, memories, family stories, career, kids
What do they care if I like Trump. I don’t bring it up
But if they do I go right to “they will see” mode. And if they never do, doesn’t matter. Trump is right.
It is difficult to find any area government has not intruded into. Include religion into the mix of no discussion allowed, what do you have left? Weather. Any change is due to global warming. Cars, many cars such as small pickups have been regulated out of existence. You can talk about what cars are available I guess. Sports? Who cares?
Kindred souls sometimes connect with each other and have different politics.
Some of the guys here have known the situation of having a stand-off with another guy and just before the fight starts he throws an insult at you that is so good, or his frothing at the mouth is so intense and overwrought that you burst out laughing, and after a few seconds he also bursts out laughing at the scene, that is often the start of a good friendship, and political discussions should be like that unless the person you are passionately arguing with is a low quality, simple minded person who lacks the depth and complexity for a true friendship.
Quality people want to discuss the things they are passionate about and kindred souls sometimes have different politics from each other.
Who hasn’t?
I have not lost friends but I have lost acquaintances
I only have 6 friends And so far none of them have lost their minds
The “friend” we lost is her own worst enemy.
I have family living 600 miles from me.
During Pres Trumps 1st run a brother ( on of 6)of mine rang me up and adked my opinion about yet to be Pres Trump. I told him he was a good choice because he isnt part of the political machine yet vety influential on his own & that I liked his ideas.
Lo and behold i get a phone call from said brother and he complained & said he was disgusted by Pres Trump. Pres Trump wrnt to a weathet ravaged site and was there to pay a visit and to see how supplies like water, diapers , etc...were being distributed; it was a photocalk, basically.
WELL, Pres Trump was standing behind a table of supplies and the room was crowded and he threw
a large pack of 2 double rolls of Brawney and tossed it, threw it across the room to a lady eho caught it.
I never heard the end of that story because the brother said it was “undignified”!
Bear with me on this,.... Pres Trump is re- elected and I gently approached the brother and casually askes him what his thoughts were on this....
No sooner did I get the name Trump out and I could hear him explode , in a odd explosive rage through all 600 miles, believe me , at that moment the lines caught fire and totally burned down.
He didnt exactly say anything but there was this huge noise of absolute rage ...like a real mouth explosion , im tellin’ ya’- it was a sound to behold.
I quietly changed the subject.Needless to say, he said he had to hang up, which he did.
Since then, our phone calls have greatly diminished as he always touched base with me,
and it really hurts.
I never pushed nor have in the past my personal opinion( s) upon him.
I was raised throughout the JFK Democrat era snd parents the same. Heck I even voted for Carter back in the day but after his admin stepped to the sidelines on politics. I dont know what type of politics this younger sib ssubscribes to and he has never explained his ideas or thoughts to me .
Given what Ive told you here, its my strong belief he is one of the very first cases of
“ORIGINAL TDS”
on a scale of 1-10, id say hes a solid 10
What baflfes me is his irrationaliry and his
diminished relationship with me.
...but ya’ know...? the irish , as we are , are known to go off like that ...what can I say?🤓
😥 i miss him
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