Do your friends share your same political beliefs?

[HeXen]

Dunno, I don't give a crap what my friends believe. I like Trump, if they don't then meh, I think nothing else of them but if they were to think less of me then they really are not a friend were they?

 

[theeedude]

No, but none of them are voting for Trump, even the Republican ones.
I don't associate with idiots, I guess.

 

[flexy]

Super liberal progressive proud European here (who lived in the US), US American relatives and friends (from the UK) including my US wife and own family are also liberal and progressive, the types who couldn't even wrap their heads around that Americans elected Bush.
My UK coworkers were also shocked about the Brexit vote.
The only people who are super-conservative and support Trump are my in-laws, your typical "quite well off" middle class Americans from the Southern US...and some people in their circle of friends/kids etc..since I see their shitty memes on my facebook all-the-time

The interesting thing here is that my in-laws, although way "weird", eg. religious baptists, gun owner etc. are definitely not "stupid" or ignorant and also not the "hick" types, just normal, conservative middle-class people.

 

[Bitek]

I have family and friends from every end of the spectrum, and I do have respectful and interesting conversations with all of them.

I have family from different races, countries, religions and education levels.

I do think it's important to have conversations and interactions with people of diverse views. It's important for self reflection and personal growth, let alone sense of community and perspective.

Nobody has it 100% right, but if you listen to enough points of view, you do get closer.

 

[bozack]

Who is going to help you move, or watch your pets, water your plants, give you a ride, pickup the kids, etc.. etc.. as needed / during an emergency? Having people who care, IRL, is a basic survival mechanism. It can be quite important in life.

You're seriously not trolling us? The sentiment is wildly... foreign to me. Though I may be the definition of a hermit, I'm under no delusion that it's for the best. Life is better "together".

So basically you admit that the primary function of "friends" is to take advantage of them when necessary to your gain.... in jest or not I do believe for many the concept of "community" and "friends" is vastly different then what it presumably used to be.

as for the premise of this thread I find it rather interesting that seemingly those on the left appear to be far less likely to befriend anyone with differing beliefs and opinions.

Speaking for myself I don't discriminate based off of political affiliation and or belief structure and know people who are uber conservative to those who are ultra liberal.

 

[skull]

Dunno, I don't give a crap what my friends believe. I like Trump, if they don't then meh, I think nothing else of them but if they were to think less of me then they really are not a friend were they?

I can't help but think less of my friends for being trump supporters. They're the annoying ones that just start yelling trump when they can't win an argument. My favorite is when I say trumps just as crooked as hillary. It goes into the whole suing people with a team of expensive lawyers constantly so the little guy can't win even if hes right, not paying people, etc. They always end up saying well he had to be crooked to get that high up in business, its not possible to be a billionaire without screwing people. I say yeah thats the goddamn problem I can't support someone that screws people over for money and sure the hell don't want someone like that to be president. I've gotten 2 out of 3 open mouthed and speechless. No good come back for that one. When they gather there composure after a moment they always say well hes still better than hillary. Nope sorry bud they're both equally horrible people.

Anyway I'm a libertarian, I don't get along with yuppies so all my friends lean right.

 

[Perknose]

Who is going to help you move, or watch your pets, water your plants, give you a ride, pickup the kids, etc.. etc.. as needed / during an emergency? Having people who care, IRL, is a basic survival mechanism. It can be quite important in life.
[...]

Life is better "together".

So basically you admit that the primary function of "friends" is to take advantage of them when necessary to your gain.... in jest or not I do believe for many the concept of "community" and "friends" is vastly different then what it presumably used to be.

That's not what Jaskalas is saying at all. bozack, you simply don't seem to understand the concept of true friendship or of community. There are any number of folks I could call on for help if I really needed it. In turn, I have been there for many of them when they needed some assistance.

For instance, before I was married and it was just me and I was moving from one apartment to another, along with other folks, eight of my buddies with pick-up trucks showed up. Eight! It was impressive even to me seeing them lined up down the long lane to my place. To have a friend you simply need to be a friend.

I happen to like people.

Also, I have always "gotten involved" and come to the assistance of anyone I've come across looking like they could use a helping hand. The way I'm wired, I simply couldn't not.

In fact, it's funny but now, in this age of cell phones, I've finally learned that I needn't get out of my car when I see someone broken down on the side of the road because they've already called for assistance. I roll down my window and ask anyway. Why the fusk not? I don't even begin to understand all those who don't.

 

[TeeJay1952]

Kitchen table yesterday,
Called him a racist, scaredy cat who is panicked over nothing. He refuses to put Trump sign in yard because of all the nonexistent vandals who will attack him. He wants to increase military. Pointing out that we spend more than top 20 next countries combined. His reply is "They don't respect us anymore." So I asked who does he want to kill kill to make other katow to US. He told me my worldview on immigration makes me a traitor to US.
Then we went to lunch and had a fine time.

 

[thraashman]

I end friendships with anyone who is racist, this has largely eliminated rightwing individuals from my group of friends. Not entirely, just like 85% of them.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Some of my friends are even going to vote for Trump, and I will mock them for it.

 

[Herr Kutz]

I'm a Liberal Democrat. I generally find it's hard to befriend someone who is on the opposite of the spectrum. We may generally talk but the relationship dosen't go beyond to meeting on a regular basis etc... I tend to believe people are where they are on the spectrum based on how they are raised, their beliefs etc...

Also, no I'm not a hippie or dress as a hipster.

How very tolerant of you.

 

[FerrelGeek]

My friends cover the much of the spectrum: fairly progressive, libertarian, conservative, gay, bi, straight, atheist, pagan/wiccan, conservative Christian. I certainly don't agree with them in all areas, but I accept them for who they are and they reciprocate.

 

[HeXen]

I can't help but think less of my friends for being trump supporters. They're the annoying ones that just start yelling trump when they can't win an argument. My favorite is when I say trumps just as crooked as hillary. It goes into the whole suing people with a team of expensive lawyers constantly so the little guy can't win even if hes right, not paying people, etc. They always end up saying well he had to be crooked to get that high up in business, its not possible to be a billionaire without screwing people. I say yeah thats the goddamn problem I can't support someone that screws people over for money and sure the hell don't want someone like that to be president. I've gotten 2 out of 3 open mouthed and speechless. No good come back for that one. When they gather there composure after a moment they always say well hes still better than hillary. Nope sorry bud they're both equally horrible people.

Anyway I'm a libertarian, I don't get along with yuppies so all my friends lean right.

Then you are not their friend. Friends don't look down on each other like your some kind of high and mighty superior. Don't be a coward, tell them you are superior to them because their beliefs are wrong.

 

[werepossum]

My friends run the gamut from old hippie burners who are far left libertarian in principle, to a couple who are doctrinaire far left but get extremely agitated if asked to defend or even explain a choice or position, to some on the extreme religious right who look at me as a foamy raving lefty. Some are completely locked in to the right wing email chains and espouse things that are debunked with five minutes' research. Honestly, most are fairly apolitical and have zero idea what is happening politically except for a couple months before major elections. My closest friends are mostly the old hippie burners.

 

[werepossum]

Then you are not their friend. Friends don't look down on each other like your some kind of high and mighty superior. Don't be a coward, tell them you are superior to them because their beliefs are wrong.

C'mon, you don't have any friends who are stupid on certain subjects? We all have our blind spots and sacred cows, and pretending our friends don't have any such issues (or insisting that they pretend the same about us) should not be a condition of friendship. In any case, while I have no problem with anyone deciding Trump is a better choice, I have no problem telling a friend that he's an idiot for believing Trump is a better and more moral person than Clinton. They are both despicable people, but other than official corruption on the public dime, everything Hillary does, Trump does double. And generally speaking, I don't accord a lot of credit for not doing something one has had no opportunity to do.

 

[nageov3t]

the friends that I actually see and interact with on a regular basis are all pretty liberal, but this is also in an extremely blue state.

my Facebook wall is pretty evenly divided.

and while my own family are all liberal (I come from a big union family), my boyfriend's family is pretty much Trump's core demographic (not necessarily Republican, but whites without college degrees who don't value education and think that immigration is the reason why they're working menial jobs, not the fact that my boyfriend is the only one among them to ever get more than a high school diploma)

 

[DrunkenSano]

Yep. My friends and I agree that this country will be in a better place if both Clinton and Trump disappeared for about a year or so.

 

[Thebobo]

About 50-50 for me but I don't talk politics with my Trump friends. And I dont have a lot of friends to begin with (quality > quantity) so that helps,

 

[soundforbjt]

I'd say the ratio is about 60-40 with the higher number being conservatives! I discuss politics with some of them,but the really far right ones are just too far gone to bother even trying.

 

[dainthomas]

My friends are mostly liberal, as is my family. But my ex wife's family is way super conservative. To the point that some of them have moved to places like Alaska, Utah, and West Virginia (!) from Oregon.

It's been amusing this election as they keep me up to date on the latest Clinton conspiracy theories. I'm giddily looking forward to next Wednesday as I'm sure a few of them will break the caps lock button on their keyboard.

 

[HeXen]

C'mon, you don't have any friends who are stupid on certain subjects? We all have our blind spots and sacred cows, and pretending our friends don't have any such issues (or insisting that they pretend the same about us) should not be a condition of friendship. In any case, while I have no problem with anyone deciding Trump is a better choice, I have no problem telling a friend that he's an idiot for believing Trump is a better and more moral person than Clinton. They are both despicable people, but other than official corruption on the public dime, everything Hillary does, Trump does double. And generally speaking, I don't accord a lot of credit for not doing something one has had no opportunity to do.

Are you trying to fool me or yourself? You just said previously that you think less of your friends because they are Trump supporters (therefore any other judgmental reason as well) " can't help but think less of my friends for being trump supporters. They're the annoying ones that just start yelling trump when they can't win an argument"
So be honest with yourself and your friends by telling them that they are annoying when they can't win an argument instead of talking behind their backs.

Do I have stupid friends? Why make this about me when you're the shitty friend? But in answer to your question, not sure, I never gave them an IQ test nor do I think my opinion is better than their opinion and I must think something highly enough of them to consider as a friend. If I thought less of them I wouldn't want to be their friend nor pretend to be. but I'm not the one going around thinking others are stupid for their own personal opinions though am I?

 

[SP33Demon]

I have close relationships with ardent supporters from both camps, including my wife who's for hillary. Yet for some reason, she will ALWAYS watch Trump's rallies on cspan even when I'm not home. There may be hope for her yet.

 

[skyking]

I end friendships with anyone who is racist, this has largely eliminated rightwing individuals from my group of friends. Not entirely, just like 85% of them.

I have one neighbor who will say racist shit, and I have taken to giving him a real ribbing for it. It is all good natured but he has gotten the point and no longer does that crap around me. My skin has gotten a little thicker than it used to be, I used to get so outwardly pissed off. Took me too many years to get that I was being baited.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Since I despise proselytizing more than I like being agreed with, I don't have friends who are belligerent about politics.

Which leaves people who are moderates or apolitical. But I'm actually kind of a pinko commie libtard, so... no. Even if they share some of my beliefs, it's rarely to the same degree.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

To be honest I don't get along with anyone.

Conservatives I meet are christian nutbags that put their religion into politics. This doesn't fall in line with anything I believe as far as effective political spending - They are still under this stupid notion of bombing people with their freedom bombs.
Liberals I meet are retards that trust the government to make wise decisions and manage finances correctly. That's worked well a total of never.

As many have said here - the equilibrium is somewhere right in the middle.