Would you be friends with someone with backward views?

[Blanquist]

If someone was pretty racist or made a comment like "they should just nuke the middle east"

Do you look past it and keep politics out of friendship or could you not be friends with someone like that?

[Dennis the 'Bloody Peasant']

I have been mates, tho never really good friends, with people who hold very backward views. We have other things in common and can get on without agreeing on everything, tho out and out homophobes / nazis / tories I would not be able to be friends with.
Shit, my fiancee is decidedly apolitical ('So what?' 'Who cares?' 'Doesn't matter what we do, it'll sort itself out')

[Jimmie Higgins]

I've had many friends I didn't agree with and who held positions I strongly opposed. But there's definitely a line and it's one thing for a friend to gently mock my views for being out of the mainstream (this is the most common result of radical friendships with non-radicals), it's another for someone who claims to be a friend to make racist/sexist/genocidal comments even while knowing where I stand.

[bad ideas actualised by alcohol]

Not really, I used to have some friends who support(ed) Wilders. But then when a political discussion came up it either turned out in a fight or I could convince them. Mostly after a fight I don't really talk with them anymore. I do have one cappie friend with whom I debate almost daily, which is pretty fun.

[Landsharks eat metal]

If someone was pretty racist or made a comment like "they should just nuke the middle east"

Do you look past it and keep politics out of friendship or could you not be friends with someone like that?

I don't think I'd be able to spend a lot of time with people who say shit like that without punching them, so no.

(Like someone I didn't even know, my English professor mentioned a student in another class who had said that the American soldier who killed civilians in Afghanistan shouldn't even be in the news since "they're just Afghans"... so I said I wanted to find that student and crush him. Maybe not a smart thing to say in class, but nothing happened.)

Or maybe not. I have a tendency to talk tougher than I am because I feel like I'm horribly feminine, and I'm insecure about that.

[hatzel]

I'm not an obsessive tool, no. I assume that answers the question.

[pluckedflowers]

With the exception of family members and the occasional old friend who gets grandfather claused in, I set pretty high ideological standards for my friends. If someone can't understand my passion about fighting oppression, they can't understand me, and I see no reason to keep them around.

[Bronco]

I'd pretty much have no friends if my politics were to determine them

[TheRedAnarchist23]

My friend is an anarchist (I taught him anarchism) and yet he one day said that sex outside marriage was immoral, I quickly corrected him by saying that marriage is a ritual in which the woman is pronuonced as property of the husband.
One of my friends is religious.

[Blanquist]

I brought this question up because I was reading a Socialist site, and they were talking about what a piece of shit Christopher Hitchens was for supporting the Iraq war among other things, and then they were saying all of his Hollywood friends are also bastards because they didn't disown him.

“Why should disagreements about matters involving the deaths and oppression of tens of thousands, or more, come between pals?”

[Nox]

I have a friend that I'm 99% sure is a closet fascist.
Don't really care tbh. I don't mix friendships/relationships with politics.

[The Jay]

I know plenty of cappies that I consider friends, not close though. I understand why they say the things that they do so it doesn't bother me as much as it could if I let it. That said, I'm not very public about my specific politics. I mainly criticize imperialism and oppressive actions, which aren't usually objected to.

[roy]

yeah i'd take issue if a friend of mine recommended nuking the middle east, but i generally don't talk politics.

[honest john's firing squad]

some of my friends have some pretty downright reactionary views. if they say some dumb or racist shit, i generally tell them "hey, that shit was dumb", but i'm unlikely to really take it further given that they don't have access to nuclear weapons. also, politics isn't a topic of conversation of mine with them, probably because i have a life.

[Blanquist]

some of my friends have some pretty downright reactionary views. if they say some dumb or racist shit, i generally tell them "hey, that shit was dumb", but i'm unlikely to really take it further given that they don't have access to nuclear weapons. also, politics isn't a topic of conversation of mine with them, probably because i have a life.

Because if you didn't have life you would talk politics?

[TheRedAnarchist23]

If you don't talk about politics how is there going to be a revolution, the main way of spreading revolutionary ideals is through discussion, if you don't tell people about your philosophy how is it to triumph over other philosophies like capitalism (which is talked about every day).

[Blanquist]

I think it's sad that some think that only people with 'no life' talk about politics.

God forbid someone have a serious thought in their head.

[Left Leanings]

I think it's sad that some think that only people with 'no life' talk about politics.

God forbid someone have a serious thought in their head.

Here's something we agree on :)

[Zav]

It would depend on the backward views in question. In general I would not be able to stand such a person, nevermind be their friend. Perhaps I could be friends with a Stalinist (trollface.png), Capitalist, or someone from the Pro-Nuke camp (as in electricity. Anyone who suggests nuclear bombing in my vicinity loses teeth).

[smellincoffee]

Depends on how often and in what way they voiced their views. I'm friends with a guy who listens to Rush Limbaugh, but because he never engages me in political discussions we've never gotten into a row over it. I'm a leftist living in Alabama: I take it for granted that outside of university towns, I'm not going to bump into people who share many, if any of my views. I am fairly insistent on civility and decency, though, and the one time my friend brought up Limbaugh I made it plain that I disapproved of Limbaugh's "approach" to entertainment.

[El Oso Rojo]

I think it's sad that some think that only people with 'no life' talk about politics.

God forbid someone have a serious thought in their head.

Its a figure of speech and talking too much politics almost cause to have no friends.

[TheRedAnarchist23]

Its a figure of speech and talking too much politics almost cause to have no friends.


Strange, to me it makes me have more friends, maybe because the politics I talk about is anarchism, just hearing the name makes people become interested in it.

[honest john's firing squad]

If you don't talk about politics how is there going to be a revolution, the main way of spreading revolutionary ideals is through discussion, if you don't tell people about your philosophy how is it to triumph over other philosophies like capitalism (which is talked about every day).
Capitalism isn't a philosophy. Are you thick? I guess it's much easier to be an idealist when you consider capitalism to be a mere idea, divorced from the material reality of the world.

[OHumanista]

Most of my friends have a couple backward views, and political discussions between us quickly degenerate, but otherwise I have few problems with them.
I do draw a line somewhere though, I would never, ever become a friend with a nazi, or any kind of extreme-right types.

[Pretty Flaco]

if i met a nazi id probably think theyre weird and tell them theyre weird. i dont think i ever talk politics much with my close friends.

[Vyacheslav Brolotov]

All of my friends are either political (i.e. I have a social-democratic friend who pisses me off so fucking much because every chance he gets he mocks communism like a 5 year old) or just plain stupid. I sorta hate them all in my own special way and only love them on rare occasions :) I do have one political friend who is half political, half stupid and he's a Fox News watching, Santorum supporting, Obama hating, communist fearing conservative. He's actually a hella a lot better friend than that social democratic piece of butt cheese I choose to be friends with 3 years ago. It's not as much about the politics as it is about the person.

[WanderingCactus]

I'm sure I have plenty of friends with stupid opinions, but I don't talk politics with them much. I don't stay quiet if one of them expresses racism, homophobia, etc though.

[Ostrinski]

I've got a friend who is super conservative and pro war and just joined the army. Haven't talked to him for a while though.

[Aloysius]

The only friend of mine that is even close to being a radical leftist won't say he is because I can't explain or solve the problem of incentive in a Communist society.

All my other friends are ass-backwards conservatives that either fight me on my beliefs or don't give a shit.

[Luc]

I do not have friends.

[Vyacheslav Brolotov]

I do not have friends.

I was waiting for someone to say that. LOL

[Luc]

I was waiting for someone to say that. LOL

yeah I was surprised no one did it :laugh:

but serious too. :sleep:

[Vyacheslav Brolotov]

yeah I was surprised no one did it :laugh:

but serious too. :sleep:

http://static.fjcdn.com/gifs/Forever_ccb20d_2356768.gif

[ВАЛТЕР]

Depends on how "backwards".

I have some friends that are pretty nationalist, but when pressured they really can't defend those views and concede that nationalism is a problem and not solution.

In the US one of my best friends was a right-wing bourgeoisie, whose father was a millionaire and owned two pawn shops, a roofing company, and had some stake in a big ass church. He was a great guy, although we never discussed politics since it would end up in a fight to the death.

I could never be friends with some ultra right-wing neo-nazi or something similar. It would end in a gunfight.

[Agent Ducky]

I have friends with ranging political views One is a Randroid. He's fun to argue with, but we see eye-to-eye on asexuality-related stuff and he's generally a pretty cool guy.
I dunno. If someone expresses a reactionary view (a few days ago one of usually-okay friends out of fucking nowhere said something like "transgender people are stupid") I have to address the issue and just tell them "No part of what you just said is okay." A lot of times they'll see my side of it because the views themselves are based off of ignorance.

[Mindtoaster]

I set pretty high ideological standards for my friends.

:laugh:

omg, some of you people. I don't know how half of revleft functions in society

[Quail]

I have friends that I met through politics, but I also have other friends who are mostly apolitical. It's cool talking about politics sometimes because people do quite often agree with my views on specific issues. If people express discriminatory viewpoints or use offensive language (e.g. "paki" or "retarded") I call them out and explain why I think what they've said is unacceptable. There are a lot of people who can be fun to be around but might occasionally come out with bullshit viewpoints. If someone constantly came out with bullshit though, I would most likely get angry and I wouldn't want to be around them.

[Ele'ill]

No, I don't have friends who are reactionaries. With the world as cold as it is I'd like my friends to be people who I can turn to and trust.

[Deicide]

I've got a friend who is super conservative and pro war and just joined the army. Haven't talked to him for a while though.

HEY BUDDY u better pat ur friend on the back next time u see him, he's fighting for your freedom.

[Ele'ill]

HEY BUDDY u better pat ur friend on the back next time u see him, he's fighting for your freedom.

I'm really unsure if this is sarcasm

[Luc]

:laugh:

omg, some of you people. I don't know how half of revleft functions in society

You think RevLefters function in society?

http://0.tqn.com/d/webtrends/1/0/G/A/-/-/lolguy.png

[NewLeft]

I have my moments where I say reactionary things too (and realize afterwards..), so how can I hold my friends up to such a standard..

[Deicide]

I'm really unsure if this is sarcasm

Don't worry, twas' satire.

[BE_]

My friends are mostly apolitical.

[Magón]

All my friends are staunch, no bullshit revolutionaries, who put the majority of their free time and some of their work time if/when they can, into enlightening the proletariate around them to help bring on the people's revolution.

[Manic Impressive]

I'm friends with a Stalinist

That's a lie I would never be friends with a reactionary :lol:

[Drosophila]

I wouldn't be friends with a Nazi, fascist, sexist, homophobe, or racist. I would find it hard to be friends with a Republican Party type or Libertarian, but I suppose it's possible.