I’m sure there are a lot of people who have close friends who hold wildly different political opinions from there own.
Personally, I’m friends with a guy whose VERY right wing, sometimes even extremist (eg. He pretty much supports Pope Benedict XVI on pretty much everything) and I sometimes cringe whenever he goes on one of his rantings. Heck, some of his comments, especially his comments on homosexuals I found to be particularly offensive.
But amazingly, I’m still friends with this guy, and I’ve been so since the eight grade. He’s one of the friendliest guys I know, and we always love to hang out and watch movies together.
I guess in friendships like these politics isn’t the deciding factor. To me, the key is to avoid politics and religion altogether and to avoid “provoking” him in making one of his extreme rantings.
Heck, I'm friends with loads of people who have different views from my own. It probably shows that its the person that counts, not who they vote for.
So does anybody else have friends with really different political/religious views, but yet your friendship still remains strong? Do you avoid politics altogether (like what I do) or do you engage in healthy (or heated) political discussions, just to debate and have your views "challenged" by someone on the other side of the political fence? Do you find that it strengthens your friendship, or does it create fights and friction between the two of you?
Personally, I’m friends with a guy whose VERY right wing, sometimes even extremist (eg. He pretty much supports Pope Benedict XVI on pretty much everything) and I sometimes cringe whenever he goes on one of his rantings. Heck, some of his comments, especially his comments on homosexuals I found to be particularly offensive.
But amazingly, I’m still friends with this guy, and I’ve been so since the eight grade. He’s one of the friendliest guys I know, and we always love to hang out and watch movies together.
I guess in friendships like these politics isn’t the deciding factor. To me, the key is to avoid politics and religion altogether and to avoid “provoking” him in making one of his extreme rantings.
Heck, I'm friends with loads of people who have different views from my own. It probably shows that its the person that counts, not who they vote for.
So does anybody else have friends with really different political/religious views, but yet your friendship still remains strong? Do you avoid politics altogether (like what I do) or do you engage in healthy (or heated) political discussions, just to debate and have your views "challenged" by someone on the other side of the political fence? Do you find that it strengthens your friendship, or does it create fights and friction between the two of you?