# Co workers who discuss politics on the job **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 25, 2016, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124 "2016-03-25T13:13:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/1 "2016-03-25T13:13:47Z")
You know, the ones who every time they see you in the break room say, too bad our candidate didn’t win by the way look how crooked the other side is. Look, even if we are on the same side that doesn’t mean I want to risk saying so in earshot of other people I work with in a daily basis. It’s better to not know so I don’t subconsciously categorize half the office as “batshit crazy”. But noooo, this certain co worker has to bring it up every time. Grr! And another thing. It’s all well and fine to object to the apparent mishandling of the Arizona primary. But to say “I’d expect that behavior from the other side but not from us” is not only poor form but naïve; there’s some corruption in both sides, taking a side is supposed to be about the ideology. Anyone else have this sort of thing happen a lot? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/2 "2016-03-25T13:24:27Z")
No, I’m definitely the one talking politics the most in the office. I’m got graphs of the delegate counts for each side on my cube wall. Luckily the entire office is pretty liberal with one exception and he mostly telecommutes. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/3 "2016-03-25T13:34:25Z")
I debate a lot with Facebook friends whom are also coworkers. However we enjoy the back and forth, and anyone who is offended by it is free to “unfollow” us. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/4 "2016-03-25T13:38:52Z")
I hate people who discuss politics or religion in the workplace. It is not the appropriate place, and **Inner Stickler** , much as I like you on the boards, that shit would drive me crazy, and I’m pretty liberal. But I have no problem saying, calmly, with a smile, “I don’t discuss politics at work.” I don’t care to debate with anyone. I don’t want to change anyone’s mind. I’m here to work, not argue. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/5 "2016-03-25T14:38:41Z")
Federal government office. Talking politics can cost us our jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/6 "2016-03-25T14:50:49Z")
There are three things you don’t discuss in polite company: Politics, religion, and choice of operating system. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/7 "2016-03-25T15:07:16Z")
I find it very informative. I may never have realized on my own, for example, that Barack Obama hates soldiers and has devoted the entirety of his illegitimate term as President actively trying to foment the literal destruction of America. Nor that President Trump is our greatest (and coincidentally, only) hope for salvation, or that Hillary Clinton will soon be convicted and sentenced to a long prison term. In my ignorance, I might also have assumed that there were at least a _few_ societal ills that could not be blamed directly on liberals. Most galling, I might still think that three hundred dollars is far too much to pay for a set of noise-cancelling earbuds. ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/8 "2016-03-25T15:08:45Z")
Choice 1: Try to get work done while listening to people spout the most ignorant opinions you’ve ever heard in your entire life, while they’re not doing work. Choice 2: Stop working and argue with idiots. Both choices are really fun. Shut up about politics at work. I don’t care if you’re on my side, if you’re talking politics, I’m busy doing your job for you. Shutty uppy. ---
**Author:** ![Barrett\_Bonden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@Barrett\_Bonden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrett_Bonden)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/9 "2016-03-25T15:27:17Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > There are three things you don’t discuss in polite company: Politics, religion, and choice of operating system. Can I interest you in discussing the Great Pumpkin? Folks at my office didn’t discuss politics much in the past. Then this election season started. After March Madness ends we may have to start a primary/election pool. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/10 "2016-03-25T16:22:23Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I find it very informative. I may never have realized on my own, for example, that Barack Obama hates soldiers and has devoted the entirety of his illegitimate term as President actively trying to foment the literal destruction of America. Nor that President Trump is our greatest (and coincidentally, only) hope for salvation, or that Hillary Clinton will soon be convicted and sentenced to a long prison term. In my ignorance, I might also have assumed that there were at least a _few_ societal ills that could not be blamed directly on liberals. > > Most galling, I might still think that three hundred dollars is far too much to pay for a set of noise-cancelling earbuds. Yikes, your workplace sounds awful! You have my sympathies. ☹ $300 is far too much but hopefully they bring sanity. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/11 "2016-03-25T18:09:50Z")
If they work it’d be well worth the money though! Egads, it sounds horrible! If, mid conversation, I switch to smiles and one word responses like, really, wow or golly, you said something so stupid I don’t want to engage with you any more, and am just awaiting an opportunity to exit the conversation! ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/12 "2016-03-25T18:44:51Z")
I talk politics at work, but only with coworkers who are also into politics. And we almost always talk in our respective offices, not in the breakroom (unless we’re the only ones in the breakroom). ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/13 "2016-03-25T18:55:38Z")
I work with a lot of contractors most of them Republicans, and have a separate Facebook account and have to bite my tongue reading their idiotic anti-Obama posts. I find Republicans to be more open about their beliefs in public including the workplace, and more likely to shout you down or bully you if you dare disagree with them. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/14 "2016-03-25T19:01:38Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Federal government office. Talking politics can cost us our jobs. Also Federal government. I sincerely doubt that anyone would get fired for talking politics unless they ignored repeated warnings from higher-ups. But that said, I try to avoid political conversations at work, simply because it’s a good idea. What’s important is to be able to work well together, and especially in this polarized era, talking politics has a good chance of disrupting otherwise productive relationships. If I want to talk politics, I can get all I want on the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/15 "2016-03-25T19:07:15Z")
I work for a political party, so… (Hey, at least I know all my co-workers are on the same side. :D) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/16 "2016-03-25T21:04:45Z")
I don’t talk politics at work. I do not allow anyone else to talk politics with me at work. None of my business, none of their business. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/17 "2016-03-25T21:13:20Z")
At my previous job we got rid of one of our office liberals by helping him transfer to another position. Not because he was a liberal, but because he would NEVER shut the fuck up. The department that got him is pissed that we didn’t warn them, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/18 "2016-03-25T21:31:44Z")
I think that anyone who is both sane and intelligent will have views that fall on both sides of the political spectrum depending on the issue. The people who seem to talk politics the most at work tend to believe only one side or the other. I have a hard time dealing with those people. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/19 "2016-03-25T21:40:00Z")
Office political wonks are like “Hey, I just ripped the most awesome fart, take a whiff!” Like, dude, you shouldn’t assume everyone is a fan of the genre, and certainly not of your particular specimen. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124/20 "2016-03-25T21:50:08Z")
I am a financial member of a socialist party so my total disdain for all the establishment parties saves me from most discussions. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/co-workers-who-discuss-politics-on-the-job/750124.md?page=2)