Current Events > Has your old friends changed politically?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Have you had old friends who were changed politically over the years? This is a serious discussion.

I had a friend who went from relatively normal until after 2016 where they began hating white people, laughs at what happened in 9-11, and thinks the only way America and Europe can be "saved" is a mass execution of all politicians and a rebellion. And yes, they assume most Americans are inherently into Trump too.

Hopefully your friends haven't went like that but I am curious what some of you have to say.

All my friends are left leaning to some degree or other. I dont think I could be friends with somebody who wasnt.

As far as old friends that I no longer speak to, I have no idea on account of no longer speaking to them.

I think some of my old high school friends may be Trumpers now, but I don't ever see them. Although having grown up at a rich private school, maybe I am the one who changed. I think I was occasionally bigoted back then.

All my friends today are liberal.

i don't keep up with my old friends.

The one friend i really ever talked politics with, was deep into the Infowars universe so I doubt he found his way out of it.

One is pretty much the same as me. The other, my best friend, was and is mostly non-political. Sometimes he would repeat what he heard from others, which is mostly typical conservative talk, but I would explain why those things were a bunch of BS. Nowadays, for someone not into politics, he's relatively left leaning. I'm thankful my closest friends aren't a couple of dummies.

I met up with someone who I was good friends with during school who I hadnt seen for some years last week. He seems to have gone very stereotypically Twitter right wing. It doesnt bother me too much but I just find it funny how he didnt even have one deviation from that way of stereotypical thinking. It was all very predictable. You know what he will say on something immediately

thankfully, no.

i hate that politics has become a talk you have to have with people. to make sure that your time away from them hasn't allowed them to drift into a grift.

Also reminds me that another friend from school was very close to becoming a Conservative MP here in the UK. Found that surprising as we never really talked politics back then and I heard his life hadnt turned out too good after leaving school. So I respect it in some way that he turned it around to nearly becoming an elected politician

Yeah one of my former friends used to be smart and into science, more liberal, etc.

Then of course 2016 happened and he decided to become more religious and conservative. We had remained pretty good friends up until a couple months ago when he just.. randomly stopped talking to me. But its honestly probably for the best. If he reaches out with some half assed apology I might not accept

I don't have any friends that became unhinged due to politics.

I do have one buddy that likes Trump. But he's kind of an idiot. However, politics doesn't affect our friend group.

Sonixs posted...

I do have one buddy that likes Trump. But he's kind of an idiot. However, politics doesn't affect our friend group.

Good to see. Feel like Americans are so weirdly tribal about this shit. Unless theres genuine hate or danger from them, I dont get pushing aside friendships over politics. Its childish

winstonthewhite posted...

Good to see. Feel like Americans are so weirdly tribal about this shit. Unless theres genuine hate or danger from them, I dont get pushing aside friendships over politics. Its childish

Oooo people here are gonna get maaadddd over this lol

Feel like Americans are so weirdly tribal about this shit.

if you're complacent with your friends being bigots that says more about you than it does about me.

Fluttershy posted...

Feel like Americans are so weirdly tribal about this shit.

if you're complacent with your friends being bigots that says more about you than it does about me.

Exactly. Thinking it is "childish" is exceedingly naive and therefore that is childish.

winstonthewhite posted...

Good to see. Feel like Americans are so weirdly tribal about this shit. Unless theres genuine hate or danger from them, I dont get pushing aside friendships over politics. Its childish

I feel like a fundamental disagreement over what is right and fair is a pretty good reason to not be friends with somebody.

winstonthewhite posted...

Good to see. Feel like Americans are so weirdly tribal about this shit. Unless theres genuine hate or danger from them, I dont get pushing aside friendships over politics. Its childish

If my friend endorses a candidate that will see the end of civil rights for my LGBT friends and family, they are not my friend.

We can disagree about TV shows, not fundamental human rights.

I had a friend who started a business off his familys money and at some point began worshipping Elon Musk. He drove nearly all of his other friends away.

Not really, I just see them for what they are now.

I just avoid political discussion with friends because I'm the flavor of the left that basically nobody likes or agrees with anymore, and seems like these days the shared reality is non-existent and concepts of truth and objectivity are completely dead thanks to the internet and propaganda.

I hardly ever talk to my old friends these days, we've drifted apart over the years. I vaguely remember most of them being conservative, which didn't bother me at the time because I also used to be a hardcore conservative.

That makes me the friend who changed politically, unless any of them also shifted significantly.

No clue. I don't talk politics.

Fluttershy posted...

Feel like Americans are so weirdly tribal about this shit.

if you're complacent with your friends being bigots that says more about you than it does about me.

However, if you abandon or are (openly) hostile towards them for their view, all it does is drive them further into the arms of other bigots.

It is one thing if they are (openly) hostile or are accusing you of horrific things like being a pedophile. However if you can see that they've consumed some bullshit, you need to tactfully address their concerns. Because that's often where a lot of people get started down the path to being a bigot.

How do you think Abortion became such a controversial issue? Introduce the topic as 'killing babies', include some full grown babies (instead of the reality of what is typically being aborted). You then associate abortion supporters as baby killers, which makes politically uninformed but otherwise well meaning people go "I don't want to be associated with baby killers". Now that you have them properly concerned or legitimately upset about 'people killing babies', you (easily) pressure them to stand up against those people. You get them to support legislation that takes the freedom of choice away from half the population. Since you've 'ingratiated' yourself as a 'champion of good moral values', they begin to trust that you have their (moral) interests in mind and thus trust whatever misinformation you give them.

Yes, you can cut someone off for 'being a bigot' but people generally don't just wake up and decide they want to be hateful or a bigot. Someone in their life made them concerned or upset, even if those concerns are based on misinformation, outright lies or are ultimately going to cost them more rights and freedoms. Alternatively, life was cruel to them and they decide to lash out at those who they perceived as delivering injustice to them. Example, one of my friends doesn't like Obama because the ACA mandated healthcare and he couldn't find healthcare plans for cheap (through the website). So he took a decidedly negative view on Democrats as a whole.

However, if you abandon or are (openly) hostile towards them for their view, all it does is drive them further into the arms of other bigots.

right. you need to do the hard thing and actually engage and discuss with them.

people get lost to these ideologies because people abandon them. it's part of the process that they absorb all sorts of horrible shit to repeat so they get abandoned.

they need the feedback that they're fucking wrong.

my life and friendships have very little to do with politics, if at all

Predictable responses, but nothing about your friend trying to murder you though by their differing politics so thats progress for this board I think

GuerrillaSoldier posted...

my life and friendships have very little to do with politics, if at all

Same. Some of my friends vote the same way as me, some don't. We rarely go into deep discussions about politics anyway, and when the subject is brought up I don't really care. This board has always felt like a place that draws in regulars who think a certain way though, to put it politely. So mindsets might be different and friendships non-existent. Its not a place I like to frequent too often

i haven't communicated with any of my old friends in almost a decade now

that said afaik the only one that may be radically different today are my ex gf's brother and wife (was friends with both of them; more so the former.) last time i spoke w/ my ex-gf she was complaining about how racist her sister-in-law and her family were. I hope my ex gf's brother isn't on the same boat nowdays.

Most of my friends have been relatively left and stable, but the few who I'd known to be "centrist" have migrated to the right.

Define "change". I imagine many of my friends from high school who had moderately conservative beliefs are now full-blown Trumpers.

Goldenguy posted...

Most of my friends have been relatively left and stable, but the few who I'd known to be "centrist" have migrated to the right.

My favorite is the whole "I'm not right-wing, I'm actually a libertarian" bullshit, completely not understanding what libertarianism actually is and voting for the far-right anyways.

There is very little difference between a true leftist and a true libertarian.

Libertarianism is basically fucking dead now though, it's just a shield for cowards.

Some of the people I knew about from school who were conservative, who I never believed them to have intelligently arrived at the idea, definitely became Trumpers as well as vaccine skeptics and COVID skeptics.

My HS friends all supported Obama.

Those same people are now an even split between Trump supporters and apolitical.

All of my friends have grown increasingly left as life has gone on. Even the stubbornly Libertarian ones.

Like I don't think a single friend I willing associate with voted for Trump in 2020 or will vote for in 2024.

idk, doubt it. They were big Obama fans. Not sure how they could go from that to whatever it is the Republican party is now.

I don't think they changed politically I think I'm just now noticing that they're fucking idiots

All my old friends have left leaning values for the most part but have fallen to conservative propaganda about culture war bullshit. It's fucked up, but generally how most people operate in the area I live.

winstonthewhite posted...

Predictable responses, but nothing about your friend trying to murder you though by their differing politics so thats progress for this board I think

That kinda is what's happening, that's the problem. A vote for the GOP at this point requires supporting the stripping of rights from women, non Christians and several racial minorities, not to mention the explicit persecution of the LGBT community.

None that I know of. Sort of. One was a "just against large government Libertarian" who has gone full Libertarian in all of the stereotypical ways, though it's possible he has dropped the Libertarian bit in favor of just being a Republican.

For everyone else while they have gotten more nuanced, it's not like they've actually changed anything else other than having a better understanding of the world.

My friend too is a Hasan Piker fan.

Covid was a mistake

too many bros did nothing but watch online streams

Yes, since we didn't talk about politics in college. I just unfriend the Trumpers on FB now, since that's my only connection to most friends.

winstonthewhite posted...

Predictable responses, but nothing about your friend trying to murder you though by their differing politics so thats progress for this board I think

It's hilarious that you think you are better than us when the truth is you are just clueless

Predictable responses

sure thing. i think you thought people would actually agree with you though. sad trombone.

Fluttershy posted...

i think you thought people would actually agree with you though

Not at all. The exact opposite even

winstonthewhite posted...

This board has always felt like a place that draws in regulars who think a certain way though, to put it politely

bsp77 posted...

It's hilarious that you think you are better than us when the truth is you are just clueless

"You are clueless for not pushing aside friends and family who vote differently to you. I am the sane one here"

statements you make after your failed attempt don't really have any bearing on your mindset during. i noticed you didn't include the sad trombone so let me get a video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQeezCdF4mk

also about your response to bsp if you have to put it in quotes you're probably constructing a stupid ass strawman just saying L M F A O

i merely ask that you not insist on insulting the intelligence of everyone who has to read your posts going forward

Fluttershy posted...

statements you make after your failed attempt don't really have any bearing on your mindset during. i noticed you didn't include the sad trombone so let me get a video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQeezCdF4mk

also about your response to bsp if you have to put it in quotes you're probably constructing a stupid ass strawman just saying L M F A O

You are definitely the type of person who I was referring to. The My Little Pony avatar backs that up so I'll leave you alone

winstonthewhite posted...

"You are clueless for not pushing aside friends and family who vote differently to you. I am the sane one here"

Who are you quoting? Lol

Also, you assumed I didn't have discussions with them first trying to get at the root of it only to learn that there is nothing but bigotry and fear at the core.

I have many friends who would be persecuted under a Trump / Republicans congress regime.

you had better put a fucking sock in it if i see you. good.

that ain't to you bsp. how're you.

Fluttershy posted...

you had better put a fucking sock in it if i see you. good.

that ain't to you bsp. how're you.

Lol, I know. I'm good. Leaving to head out on the lake on a friend's boat for the afternoon.

i hope bees are kinder to you than they are to me then. same for mosquitos.

tick season seems to have gone sorta ham this year but you didn't hear that from me. take care out there

Fluttershy posted...

i hope bees are kinder to you than they are to me then. same for mosquitos.

tick season seems to have gone sorta ham this year but you didn't hear that from me. take care out there

Usually out in the middle of a good size lake is clear. And thanks!