Have you ever pissed off a friend or family....

[bac511]

due to your political ramblings?

I had my first "please no more political emails" sent to me from a cousin today...and it sort of made me mad. I guess I too have family that chooses NOT to be educated.

Either that, or she's a closet REPUG!

[Bluzmann57]

1. Or maybe she just wants to be left alone

There is such a thing as overkill. Whether you do that or not, I have no way of knowing, but maybe you should email your cousin about music, or sports, or whatever she's into.
Welcome to DU. Hope you like it here.

[arcane1]

2. used to get a lot of forwarded repube spam from my dad

but I started replying with refutations, using the 'reply to all' feature, especially since all his army buddies were in copy

I haven't received anything like that from him in 2 years :D

[Dr.Phool]

3. My sister hasn't talked to me since September

After the first presidential debate. I called her and we talked for a while, and I asked if she watched the debate. She said "Yeah, I thought it was kind of a draw". I said Bush got his ass handed to him in a basket.

She hung up, and I haven't heard from her since.

[shanti]

4. oh yes!

i haven't spoken to my father for at least 2 years. he's a dem too, but also retired military. he seems to think that his retirement check will be jeopardized if he speaks out against *, whether by phone or by email. :crazy:

[madinmaryland]

6. That may not be so crazy!

After all, didn't they say you are either with us or not! What does that mean?

Also, they said that you better watch what you say. So who knows.

:tinfoilhat:

[ThumperDumper]

5. Screw em!

They're family. They'll forgive you.

[unhappycamper]

7. Yes. As your sense of outrage grows, you'll tolerate the kool-aid

drinkers less.

Welcome to DU. :hi:

[Tux]

8. Yes

I strained family relations by the following:
1. Being a UU Deist instead of Baptist.
2. Being liberal.
3. Wanting to attend UU divinity grad school.
4. Want a decent paying job so I can use my psych degre for once (reaserch not clinical).
5. Continued my education to gain computer skills.
6. Date a pagan girl.
7. Have friends that are atheists and Zen Buddhists.
8. Attend a non-Christian church.
9. Prefer hybrid over regular engines.
10. Want to drive in SCCA for a hobby.
11. I can read.
12. I read.

[cynatnite]

9. I try not to say anything too often

It's just better that way. My sister is conserv, but she has very little interest in politics. About half my family is like that so it's not often politics get brought up.

[noamnety]

10. You shouldn't be mad

Or prematurely judgmental.

I've asked to be taken off someone's political mailing list, even though I agreed with everything they were sending me - because I'm already fairly well informed, and it was mainly a repeat of stuff I've read online. I realized after a few weeks of deleting her long messages unread, that it just wasn't worth getting them. There were times leading up to the election that I was getting dozens of political emails a day, and many of them were duplicates.

It's important to remember, also, that some people are on dialup, and it takes a while to download messages.

It's a pro-choice issue. She choses to use her time and her email on other things. That's not something you should get insulted about. I'd just send a short "oops, sorry, I'll stop sending them" sort of note and move on.

[Psephos]

11. Some things are more important than politics.

I don't put my politics ahead of my friends and family, and urge others to consider whether, on the last day of your life, you will miss your politics or your loved ones more.

I had a relative who became a born-again Christian, and used to pepper me with religious ramblings. Political true-believers and religious true-believers both have a nearly irresistible urge to enlighten the ignorant. I respectfully disagree with this urge. We each can and should think for ourselves. There is no greater enslavement than to surrender our own thinking to another person's truth.

Peace.


Say not, 'I have found the truth,' but rather, 'I have found a truth.'
-Kahlil Gibran

EDIT: typo fix

[insane_cratic_gal]

12. Would making them watch MM F9/11

count?

I made my Dad watch it over thanksgiving (Voted for Bush, after it was over He got up and paced around the house.. "asshole, what an asshole."

But even given his opinion on Bush and the regrets he has over voting for him. I can't seem to break through the NRA propaganda. He doesn't agree with everything the NRA says or supports but I think he feels he couldn't support a Dem should they get a bad rating from the NRA.

How do I calmly make him see reason on this issue?

[mastein]

21. Slow steady pressure makes the diamond

I would stay away from the gun issue and "campaign" to your dad on other issues. Help him to look at the whole picture, and to see that supporting the Dems are in his best interests on all levels. From there, once he gets comfortable thinking again, you can approach the gun issue from the "how does letting uzis on the streets make us safer?", or "do hunters really use AK-47s?" line.

Since this is family, and your dad in particular, the big key is to keep the debate civil and respectful. While politics is a bloodsport in the outside world, behind closed doors of your home, diplomacy, thought and respect will usually carry the day in the end.

[insane_cratic_gal]

23. I agree

Our conversations are respectful. I've said to him, "why do you vote against everything that is in your best interest?" He never really can come up with an answer.

We discussed the Ak-47 he agrees with me the ban never should of expired on that. He is a hunter though, we agree to disagree on that issue.

I agree with you, I think they only way to make progress on the republican brainwashing factor is slow steady progress. To get him to watch F 9/11 was me being reasonable. "Would you please do me this one favor, and watch this film, it's important that you understand what the truth looks like from my side."

[GeekMonkey]

13. My family are christians, and as such, are not open to new ideas

Everything they need to know is spelled out in their convoluted, contrary, christian code.

Science means nothing to those that think it's all already been explained.

[VOX]

14. No anger, but I've gotten that "thousand-yard stare" when ranting...

about PNAC, LIHOP, war profiteering, etc.

It is true that this is powerful stuff and is utterly mind-blowing to the uninitiated.

I tend to tread just a little more cautiously now, sharing the information in smaller doses, and taking victory by degrees.

[Blue Belle]

15. Usually I'm the one sending the "Please no Political Emails"...

to my family. My aunts and cousins are always sending me the Pro Bush/ Anti Democrat propaganda. I finally just started responding to their bullshit and started debunking the lies and truth distortions (my personal favorite being the one about Hillary jilting the gold star mothers, and John Edwards being blamed for the escalating Health Care costs) with emails stating the actual facts and pointing out where their cherished leader is a spiraling failure. They finally stopped sending that crap to me.

[dogday]

16. Yes, I have

oh yes, man yes, God yes, yes........

[armadafalls]

17. Oh yes I have

This is my biggest problem when I go camping with my family. We end up drinking wine around the campfire and I start in about all of the corruption and abuses caused by the Republicans one party rule of our government. Eventually most people just want to talk about sports or music or anything else that is not so depressing.

[newyawker99]

31. Hi armadafalls!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[poverlay]

18. It's horrible

how many people who I love and trust, don't want to hear about it. They make superficial and emotional judgments. Yet when faced with the facts and logical lines of reason, they suddenly don't want to talk about it anymore.

While they piss me off and make me sick in some instances, I continue to talk to them so that they are the ones who must bear the guilt. If I kept quiet, I would be the guilty party.

It would be more enjoyable to "just get along", but I couldn't live with myself...

[LissaM]

19. Nope!

I'm lucky enough to have a liberal family.. With the exception of my dad who is pretty moderate.

[merh]

20. Yes, it can be tough.

:cry:
See what happened Saturday
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=3522295

I have a problem being silent. :argh:

I have one sister that stopped emailing me just before the election.

[Double T]

22. 24 Hours/Day; 7 Days/Week; 365 Days/Year and we will keep on.....

fighting and pissing each other off till the day we all die.

[davsand]

24. That isn't new to the picture.

It sure isn't peculiar to the last five years. I remember pissing off my Dad and my Mom during the Viet Nam war more than once--and it ended when I was not old enough to drive--let alone vote!

My Republican Dad sat in Florida immediately after the selection and he told me I was "blinded by my hatred" for the asswipe in the WH. I told him then that I sincerely hoped that what I was expecting from this regime turned out to be wrong.

I wasn't wrong, and my Dad told me a couple of weeks ago that he's terribly worried about a return of the draft. Dad also commented that * is the WORST President he's ever seen. I refrained from pointing our that I'd been right all the way thru.

Dad's brother is another big GOPer, and I've pissed him off a few times with inconvenient facts, too. I worry less about pissing him off because I find him to be an asshole incapable of rational thought anyhow...

:evilgrin:

I think it is a fact of life (especially right now) that you will have a certain number of people that are pissed off at you if you speak out about politics. I don't let it get to me.


Laura

[Greybnk48]

25. Almost every day...and I don't care n/t

[Cleita]

26. Mine tell me to shut up on politics all the time and they are

Democrats. Fortunately they don't vote because they believe their votes don't count and that government is rigged. If they did vote, they would vote for the man not the party. Maybe I should count my blessings. They still think Arnold is a liberal Republican.

:banghead:

Edited for clarity.

[ismnotwasm]

27. Yup

Me and my Dad get into some good ones. The fun part is that he kind of enjoyed it, right up to the time that it only too obvious that I had been right all along. Now he hardly ever brings up politics. Hmm I wonder why. And then, my only republican friend, who is really a social liberal and a fiscal conservative, but votes like an ignorant ass, him, I still fight with. His wife, who is my best friend, fights with him worse though. Sometimes we gang up on him, and no I don't feel bad about that one bit. I actually told anybody to NEVER send me any pro bush emails. One one them told my husband " your wife must be a real LIBERAL. I told him to tell her thank you very much

[Solly Mack]

28. It's sort of my hobby actually

[eissa]

29. Constantly

Politics are taboo with my family -- they're too simple-minded and the repukes' message is simple enough for them to wrap their little minds around; Faux News takes care of the rest. I can't seem to pentrate with things like logic and facts.

A friendship with a friend of over 20 years is hanging on by a thread due to her militaristic support of the rw. I don't care if she's a repuke -- I do care when she sends me her crap. I responded with my own rant and she nearly bit my head off!

[trof]

30. all the time n/t