Okay. This is going to be a somewhat long rant, and I will try not to get too political, but I need to let this out.
I have many friends, both online and in real life, and I try to be tolerant of their differing opinions, whether they be about politics, entertainment, computers, and the whole gamut of opinions people can have.
However, I sometimes really struggle to tolerate political opinions. Personally, I am mostly freethinking in regards to my political views, and I try really hard to stay friends with a few on Facebook who have right-leaning political views. Hell, I even agree with a couple conservative POVs at times, but yet at other times, these same friends post pictures or articles that have been distorted and spun by right wing news sources, and which have been debunked by other media. My usual response is to ignore these posts, like any good friend should do, but sometimes I actually feel like debating these people on the feed and point out why that POV is wrong, short-sighted, hateful, you get the idea.
Here is where my struggles truly begin. I almost get ready to debate the person, but I become worried that doing so would either bring that friends other FB friends to personally attack me for my opinion. This is very common on Facebook, whether the topic be left or right. I also risk losing my friends as well if I start a debate and end up making myself look like a fool. This will just "prove" the other persons belief that liberals are intolerant of other peoples opinions besides their own. It's a stereotype that goes around political communities, both left and right, each one accusing the other of censoring opinions critical of them.
I could unfriend these people, sure, but not if you have known them since YouTube's heyday back in 2008 and 2009. The reason why I became friends in the first place was they share my passion for classic animation and several pre-school animated shows I also admire. Unfriending these people just because of politics would be stupid, and it would hurt that persons feelings deeply, as well as making me look stupid as well.
It also pains me that these friends follow certain Facebook pages and groups that spread hate-filled content such as anti-LGBT views, anti-Muslim views, and other nonsense. It saddens me deeply when I explore these pages, see the hateful things being spread, and people actually liking these things, including my friends.
Another thing is that today, I found one of my favorite childrens book illustrators on Facebook, and discovered that this particular illustrator follows said right-wing nonsense. I won't say who the illustrator is, but this is what drove me to rant about this. I'm currently going through a struggle yet again, as my appreciation for said artist, who creates beautiful whimsical artwork is starting to slip. I shouldn't let it slip because factoring an artists political beliefs into my perception of them is wrong, but it's so hard not to let it slip at the same time.
Simply put... politics can be really depressing for me. For all the wonderful things social media can do for the people, at the same time it can really bring out the ugliness and intolerance of American society. I even get to the point where I wish such intolerant and hateful opinions be censored, but that is a very touchy issue in itself in regards to first amendment rights.
Do any of you have any ideas on how I can better tolerate others politics that I have trouble dealing with at times? I really don't want to end up making myself look foolish if I end up going on some sort of political rant that costs me some friends I have known for years.
I love foxes, especially the one in my avatar.