With folks who hold opinions different than yours?
I don’t.
I am extremely comfortable with my preferences, and I consider it extremely unlikely that someone I am speaking with will have access to information that will change my mind. Similarly, I consider it extremely unlikely that I would be able to change their mind if I were to try. Having considered and rejected the other side’s arguments, I find it angers me to have someone tell them to me.
I’m not saying anyone shouldn’t feel free to hold whatever political views they wish - but personally, I’m just not interested in hearing them - or expressing my own.
Do you bring up politics in social situations where you are unaware of the other people’s beliefs, or where you know their beliefs differ from yours? Why or why not?
No. I always wait until someone else brings it up, even then I walk a fine line of expressing my opinions and staying neutral. I find Politics brings out the very best in people I have friends who I respect highly and consider them lifelong friends who have different political beliefs than I do. We avoid the topic because we value our friendship.
No, I absolutely do not enjoy debating politics, either IRL or via message board. Not enough hours in the day for that kind of stress.
Like you, I found it to be one of the most fruitless endeavors I have ever engaged in. The only thing it seems to accomplish is to polarize the party, gathering or whatever into conflicting camps.
Nowadays when someone starts in on their attempt to enlighten me, or even discuss current politics, I fall back on misdirection and change the subject.
I have a beloved uncle who brings up politics at every opportunity and uses aggressive tactics that would make those in Great Debates proud. If I didn’t agree with 98% of his political opinions, I think I would hate him.
My general rule of thumb, absent egregious statements of ignorance and brutality, is ‘‘let it be.’’
Depends how different the opinions are, and how open the other person is to actual exchange of ideas. (And how inherently offensive they are - I’d have a hard time enjoying, for example, a discussion with someone who thinks a woman’s place is in the home.) But in general, yes.
(Only in social situations. I’d never do it in a professional setting.)
Yep. I love it. I’ll debate virtually anything, though I don’t make it a habit to start a debate. But if one presents itself, I don’t shy away from it.
Another Hell no here. IRL, my gf and I get along incredibly well. Until someone brings up politics. I am very libertarian, she is very liberal. We pretty much never talk politics.
I don’t enjoy discussing politics in real life except with those with whom I know I have some substantial common ground – then it’s not so stressful and doesn’t threaten the friendship or whatever. I never bring up politics in a mixed/unknown or hostile-to-my-views crowd. I have several friends on the “other side” and we don’t talk about it.
This was interesting/curious to me:
Wouldn’t your husband have some clue, though? I mean, does he know how you feel about, say, abortion rights? Death penalty? Defense spending? Taxes? Do you never discuss those issues with him? If not, is it that you suspect or know that you and he disagree?
It’s not that I mind debating (it was my favorite activity in high school and now I’m a high school debate coach myself), but I mind debating with people who don’t understand the rules of . . . well, logical debate.
Every so often, I’ll come across someone who understands the rules (unspoken and otherwise) of debating with someone- being respectful, bringing in evidence, etc- and those debates are fun. In general, though? Absolutely not, I avoid it like the plague.
Also, I study Political Science and I am often more than a little horrified by the misconceptions average folks tend to have about politics. It seems that most people get all of their political information from chain emails- even the smart people! And when it comes to politics, people usually have their fingers in their ears, which means that no amount of pointing to actual academic studies that go against what they are saying will make a difference. Oh, well!
I usually don’t care to discuss politics, unless someone mentions Cuba, communism, or anything related, in which case you might as well take a gun and shot me, because that’s what it will take to shut me up.
I find people on any side of the political divide to be obnoxious and overly sure of themselves. I hate when people bring up political topics and I try to change the subject as soon as possible.
It depends entirely on the company. If I am with people who understand that not everyone in the world agrees with them on everything and respect a worthy opponent, I bloody well LOVE a political discussion.
On the other hand, if I am with someone who thinks that people have no right to hold contrary opinions - or at least to express those opinions, then screw it. My sister, unfortunately, is one of the latter, and we agree never to talk about anything that even approaches politics. Whenever we start edging toward muddy water, one or the other of us will say, “OK, let’s not go there.”
I hate it. I have had very interesting political discussions, and I would welcome them, but I don’t welcome the reality of most political “debate” - people shouting their ingrained talking points at each other.
If people could actually have a reasoned discussion, I would be very interested in hearing their opinions. But that never happens, so I avoid political debates like the plague. I hate Thanksgiving for this reason.
I really enjoy listening to informed people talk politics. Notice I say listen, I don’t consider myself well-read to really get involved in debate. OTOH, I’d consider it the nadir of intellectual pusillanimity to not at least present a rude outline of where I stand, if someone was interested in talking politics.
I think it’s difficult to really hold an original, researched position in politics. So much of what passes for debate, say here, is just 2nd and 3rd hand opinion exchange. Like I can read the Guardian for a week, and maybe you could read the Telegraph for a week, and we can then go and debate politics. Being articulate men, it will sound pretty good and make sense, but there’s no depth to it, no substance. To really debate and take an informed stand, you have to get closer to the data / philosophies somehow.
I’m unimpressed with the OP’s position of not wanting to hear the other side’s arguments. Sure, no one wants to listen to blowhards and poseurs witter on about politics, certainly not in a social setting where all one wants is a quiet pint, but it’s just not credible to think that (s)he has irrevocably ‘considered and rejected the other side’s arguments’ in complex politcal areas such as education, energy, poverty etc. It’s simplistic to even talk about a single intrangient position in the first place on these issues. A fluid and enquiring mind is absolutely essential to build up a position here, a position that will need consistent review if you’re serious about politics.
Who would want to debate politics with someone who crassly declares that they’ve made up their mind on something as nebulous as environmental policy? I mean it doesn’t even make sense.
As far as we have gotten in discussions about politics, we’ve realized that he and I are poles apart on some issues. Other things we aree on. We used to discuss some things but as we realized how differently we felt about them, we agreed to disagree, so we don’t talk about those anymore. We’ve plenty of other things to talk about.
He probably does have a pretty good clue about how I feel. I still don’t talk about who I’m voting for, though.
Oh, my gosh, no I do not. I hate it. We were at dinner the other night, at the home of some very good friends who have VERY different political views from us. My husband got into it (good-naturedly) with some folks who were there, and I was desperately trying to change the subject. He just laughed me off, but I was VERY uncomfortable. I don’t like conflict, I guess!
My idea of a good debate is one in which the two sides come to an agreement. I always hold out hope of that happening, but I’ve come to realize that it’s very, very unlikely in politics, so I generally don’t bring up the subject. And there are some people with whom, if the subject does come up, I’ll actively try to change the subject.
There just never seems to be any way for it to turn out well. I’m not a big political person to begin with, so I’d rather just keep my thoughts to myself, especially when I know we aren’t going to change each other’s minds no matter how loud we scream or how much we jump up and down ;x
I have friends who I respect highly and consider them lifelong friends who have different political beliefs than I do. We avoid the topic because we value our friendship.