When I'm out and about over the weekends, rarely do I discuss politics. This is mainly due to two reasons: 1) It's what I read and write about for the majority of my workweek and 2) I've learned that it's typically not a good idea to mix alcohol and political discussions.
Like with most other people, when I'm away from the workplace, the last thing I want to do is think about or discuss my work. Reading and writing about current events, especially in the world of politics, for most of the workweek, the last thing I want to do when I'm out is talk about what I've read and written about for hours at a time leading up to that moment. Also, politics is a very touchy and divisive subject. There's an old rule which says states that one shouldn't talk about the four following subjects with another person (a stranger or person one doesn't know very well): 1) Money, 2) Sex, 3) Politics, and 4) Religion. On Saturday night, however, I did wind up discussing politics with a friend of mine, and have to say, it was an interesting, yet slightly perplexing experience.
My friend admitted to not being very political, not voting, but called herself a Republican. I know her husband. He's a die-hard Republican, so chances are, due to his presence and influence (perhaps the mere-exposure effect), his wife believes she's also a Republican. However, when she and I began discussing some issues, she admitted the following: 1) She's supportive of the LGBT community, 2) She believe in women's rights, 3) She supports additional gun control legislation, 4) She's a believer in climate change/global warming, and 5) She's not very religious (doesn't believe laws should be based off the Bible/biblical teachings or interpretations).
I've run into such cases before. I'll be talking to a person who claims to be affiliated with one party, yet when discussing specific issues, they sound like a RINO/DINO (Republican in name only/Democrat in name only), and it leaves me wondering why this is. I was half-tempted to tell my friend, "You know, the majority of the Republican Party disagrees with you on all five subjects we've discussed tonight. You may not be a Democrat, but you definitely don't sound like a modern-day Republican. At the very least, you sound like an Independent." I didn't do that, though. I simply asked questions, attempted to make her think, and provided her differing perspectives in order to do that.
My mother was the same way at one point. Except for a recent protest against the party with her vote against Gerald Ford (Richard Nixon), she largely voted Republican until 2004. However, in knowing full well she was a RINO, I simply asked her some questions, provided her articles to give her different perspectives on issues and party affiliations, and attempt to make her think more thoroughly about matters. When all was said and done, she said, "Wow... It's like I had an epiphany. I didn't leave the Republican Party; the Republican Party left me." Oddly enough, she's now even more progressive than I am and I sometimes find myself playing devil's advocate in order to provide her the conservative or moderate viewpoint on an issue. No, I never thought I'd have to do that prior to 2004. Perhaps one day my friend will experience something similar. But given her indifference to politics, I'd say the chances of that occurring are less likely than with my mother.
Political and religious beliefs fascinate me. It's easy to go along with whichever perspective we constantly hear for years at a time inside our own households. It can be an eye-opening experience to hear a different viewpoint, and then take a step back, taking all perspectives into account, and pondering where we actually stand on matters. While there are times we may wind up believing what it was we thought initially, there are other times when we wind up on the polar opposite end of the spectrum.
Like with most other people, when I'm away from the workplace, the last thing I want to do is think about or discuss my work. Reading and writing about current events, especially in the world of politics, for most of the workweek, the last thing I want to do when I'm out is talk about what I've read and written about for hours at a time leading up to that moment. Also, politics is a very touchy and divisive subject. There's an old rule which says states that one shouldn't talk about the four following subjects with another person (a stranger or person one doesn't know very well): 1) Money, 2) Sex, 3) Politics, and 4) Religion. On Saturday night, however, I did wind up discussing politics with a friend of mine, and have to say, it was an interesting, yet slightly perplexing experience.
My friend admitted to not being very political, not voting, but called herself a Republican. I know her husband. He's a die-hard Republican, so chances are, due to his presence and influence (perhaps the mere-exposure effect), his wife believes she's also a Republican. However, when she and I began discussing some issues, she admitted the following: 1) She's supportive of the LGBT community, 2) She believe in women's rights, 3) She supports additional gun control legislation, 4) She's a believer in climate change/global warming, and 5) She's not very religious (doesn't believe laws should be based off the Bible/biblical teachings or interpretations).
I've run into such cases before. I'll be talking to a person who claims to be affiliated with one party, yet when discussing specific issues, they sound like a RINO/DINO (Republican in name only/Democrat in name only), and it leaves me wondering why this is. I was half-tempted to tell my friend, "You know, the majority of the Republican Party disagrees with you on all five subjects we've discussed tonight. You may not be a Democrat, but you definitely don't sound like a modern-day Republican. At the very least, you sound like an Independent." I didn't do that, though. I simply asked questions, attempted to make her think, and provided her differing perspectives in order to do that.
My mother was the same way at one point. Except for a recent protest against the party with her vote against Gerald Ford (Richard Nixon), she largely voted Republican until 2004. However, in knowing full well she was a RINO, I simply asked her some questions, provided her articles to give her different perspectives on issues and party affiliations, and attempt to make her think more thoroughly about matters. When all was said and done, she said, "Wow... It's like I had an epiphany. I didn't leave the Republican Party; the Republican Party left me." Oddly enough, she's now even more progressive than I am and I sometimes find myself playing devil's advocate in order to provide her the conservative or moderate viewpoint on an issue. No, I never thought I'd have to do that prior to 2004. Perhaps one day my friend will experience something similar. But given her indifference to politics, I'd say the chances of that occurring are less likely than with my mother.
Political and religious beliefs fascinate me. It's easy to go along with whichever perspective we constantly hear for years at a time inside our own households. It can be an eye-opening experience to hear a different viewpoint, and then take a step back, taking all perspectives into account, and pondering where we actually stand on matters. While there are times we may wind up believing what it was we thought initially, there are other times when we wind up on the polar opposite end of the spectrum.
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