Do you let Politics get involved in everything you do?

[oneshooter]

Does in determine what you do? Who your friends are? How you treat others?

[Skip Intro]

1. to an ever diminishing extent...nt

[Brickbat]

2. It depends on what you call politics.

I buy union every time I can. If not union, then made in USA. And a general hierarchy from there.

[abq e streeter]

3. Regrettably , it's getting closer to that all the time now.

I wish it weren't that way, but the perilous situation we face due to the ever increasing fascist tendencies of the repubs make it necessary in my eyes, to have the political ramifications of what I do and who I associate with, at least in the back of my mind more and more often.

[oneshooter]

4. So you allow politics, your politics, to deturmine who you befriend,

what you buy, and where you live?

[abq e streeter]

10. Not completely...but moving in that direction. I'm not happy about it; just find it entering into

my decision making, especially as far as friendships, more than I ever dreamed it ever would, or intended it to. As far as what I buy? Absolutely, although there is only so much one can do to support progressive businesses etc. (I chose Credo for my cell phone provider for that reason, for example).And yes, I'd rather live where I'm not surrounded by right wingers to the extent I can . And I make no apologies for any of this including having as few right wing friends as possible. If this was Germany in the 30's ,Id avoid Nazi Party members as friends. If this was Mississippi in the 60's , I'd avoid klan members as friends...etc...

[oneshooter]

12. Your first question to a stranger is"Are you a Democrat ?" Or do you

automaticly assume that everybody out there is a Republican? I am neither so I guess I should not talk to you?

[abq e streeter]

15. When the hell did I imply that's my 'first question" ? Or that I "automatically assume..."

Pretty presumptuous for someone who knows absolutely nothing about me. But since you seem rather obsessed with my life and how I choose friends etc, yes, better to not talk to me...

[graywarrior]

5. I did, til the recent panic attack I had that put me in the hospital

Now I consider myself just a voter. I can't watch TV or read too much DU anymore because it makes my head explode. I could handle it in the 60's when we marched against everything we disagreed with, but no more.

[Duer 157099]

6. Is that like asking: "do you let ethics get involved in everything you do?"

I don't know why people use the term "politics" as though it is some thing that can be separated out from one's life.

"Oh, it's just politics, I don't let it affect my life."

Makes no sense to me.

[amyrose2712]

9. +10000

[abq e streeter]

11. Exactly--I'm on an internet dating site and have "NO REPUBLICANS" in my profile in caps.

and go on to explain that this is because "My politics and my most deeply held values are one and the same".

[oneshooter]

13. So how do you determine the ethics of someone you meet for the first time?

[Duer 157099]

16. It depends on the situation, naturally

Usually you cannot.

However, if they are wearing a Sarah Palin button... it becomes pretty easy, imho.

[Arugula Latte]

21. Are you five years old? Do you go up to a stranger and say: "HI! Wanna be my friend?!"

No. You kind of feel out the situation over time and see what develops, or at least most people do.

[Arugula Latte]

7. I don't connect with people whose values I loathe, so what is the point of trying to befriend them?

I have a lot of people around me who are great, fun, smart, and whose values I respect and share. Everyone else, I'm civil to, but I don't feel the need to go out of my way to be buddies.

[oneshooter]

14. How do you determine their values, without knowing them. n/t

[La Lioness Priyanka]

18. republicans are against a lot of things that are very inherently my values

like equal rights for lgbt people etc. thats how.

[Arugula Latte]

20. If I know enough about them to know they're Republican, then I know I loathe their values. nt

[RebelOne]

8. No, politics do not interfere in my life.

It only does when I vote. I will not vote for a Republican. But I have a lot of Republican friends and relatives.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

17. yes.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

19. .

[tblue]

22. Totally.

Not saying I'm proud of it. But it is what it is.

[Odin2005]

23. Absolutely not. I have friends of all political stripes.

And I follow the golden rule, I treat others the way I would want to be treated.

[struggle4progress]

24. Absolutely not. I had been meaning to call and see how you were doing. What's your

schedule like tomorrow? Can you help us do some tabling downtown? It's for this petition. Have you signed it yet? Maybe you can pass it around at work?

And how's your Mom? When does she get the cast taken off? If she's still hobbling around the house, would she like to do some more phone calls for us? I can get you a list to take to her. I hope she's better soon

Hey! I saw your sister's show at the gallery! She's a really good artist! Do you think you could get her to call the team to help put together some posters for us? There's no money for it, but it's a really good cause!

Let's do lunch sometime and catch up! Maybe next Friday? We're putting together a fundraiser, so it'll be something of a working lunch, but it's always great to see you!

[oneshooter]

26. Well by all means call me. My telephone # is BR549, thats BR549. n/t

[bigwillq]

25. No (nt)

[Curmudgeoness]

27. For the most part, yes. But there are times,

like at work, where I have to forget about politics. I have to get along with all my coworkers, no matter what I personally think of them. But I do not go out with them after work.

My politics does determine what I do, since the reason I am a liberal is because I care. I do have friends who are not political, but could not have rabid RW friends---you have to feel like you can trust a friend and talk to them. But I do get along with RWers, as long as politics does not come up, and they do know it.

Personally, I think I take it too seriously, but I just can't help it.

[Kat45]

28. When I find out old friends/acquaintances are Republicans/conservatives,

I lose some respect for them. That's because I think of that political persuasion as being "I've got mine. Fuck you" and then I think that it is fairly likely to be their attitude as well. And on dating sites, I avoid men who list themselves as conservative politically. Once a guy who expressed interest in me was listed as 'very conservative' (or 'ultra conservative, I forget which). I never followed up on that one and wondered why the heck he'd have interest in me when I'm listed as 'liberal.'

[oneshooter]

30. So just because you "find out" that they don't follow your political leanings

you think less of them? What has changed other than that? Why does knowing that change them, and your friendship, to you.

[Kat45]

36. When they are against programs that help people, and

only concerned about their taxes being low, it bothers me. It's hard to think of someone as a good person if he or she doesn't want to help others. I will say that the people I'm talking about are more acquaintances than friends, so it doesn't really affect things that much. And the ones who are friends, are friends from when I was much younger, which means I don't really see them these days either. It's never been a situation where it's been a really good friend. Althoug my best friend is a gun nut and that hasn't affected our friendship. (I just tease him about gun issues.)

[cherokeeprogressive]

29. Not even close.

I am generally known amongst my friends and acquaintances as "the happy guy". A huge reason for that is because I live in the moment, and treat everyone equally until they no longer deserve to be treated that way.

I never initiate discussions about politics or religion, and when conversations like that start, I'd be the last to try to force my views or beliefs on someone else.

I try to understand the issues before I vote. I contribute when I think it's necessary. I post here. That's about the extent of my political life.

I'll wake up tomorrow with the same smile I woke up with today.

[Oxy Contin]

31. I've nearly bit my tongue in half working for Republicans

Then I put a peace sign on my car and all hell broke loose. I got keyed the first day. this was about 5 years ago.

[stuntcat]

32. yes.

yep, no question.

[muffin1]

33. To a rather large extent, yes.

[OriginalGeek]

34. I am a liberal Atheist democrat

and those closest to me know that. It doesn't mean I don't love my christian conservative brothers. It doesn't mean I am not good friends with my co-worker and office-mate who is also an Atheist AND a Tea-Party Republican (We have a lot of good clean fun debates. It doesn't nasty because we truly like each other - he has been to my house to help me dig up my septic tank, I have been to his to help him clean up after hurricane damage. Our families go out to events together and we just generally have a good time AND we even throw politics into it.

Politics doesn't much affect where I eat although I suppose if a restaurant was doing something that interested me in a fundraising sort of way I would probably visit it just for that reason.

Politcs does affect my TV watching. I love the Daily show and the Colbert Report. I watch the Big Bang Theory because it makes me laugh more than because I believe that's how the universe started.

Politics doesn't affect my clothes buying much - I wear Dockers and polos (and other business casual) to work and jeans and heavy metal band t-shirts when I'm not at work.

Politics DOES affect my music listening to an extent. I refuse to listen to bands I know are racist and if I find out someone I previously liked is racist I get rid of whatever stuff by them I have. (I LOVE LOVE LOVE extreme metal so I have to be vigilant in that regard as there are quite a few openly racist bands and sub-genres). I don't listen to "Christian" bands at all although I don't mind music by people who happen to be christians.

Politics absolutely affects how I treat others. MY politics affects it because, like someone said upstream, I treat everyone equally unless and until they give me a reason not to. Just finding out someone is a ultra-conservative doesn't automatically mean I shun them though. Their political leanings don't affect me unless they make them affect me negatively.

I graduated 30 years ago from a conservative christian high school run by independent, fundamentalist Baptists so I still have some conservative christian friends from there but they seem to accept me to my face even if they sneak and pray for my soul when I'm not looking. I don't mind it but I have to vote as far left as I can most of the time to try and counter whatever batshit insane crazy person they are voting for lol. I won;t tolerate the ones who are still racist or bigoted against the LBGT people I know and love though.

My wife of 25 years is a Southern Baptist but she is also a registered Democrat and tells me she votes that way (lol - I wouldn't care how she voted though - it's her vote and she gets to spend it how she wants. I believe she votes liberally though as our interests do coincide more often than they do not.)

So, to answer the actual questions in the OP: No, Sometimes, sometimes, yes.

[guitar man]

35. No

Living in Oklahoma and being a local entertainer, it would be extremely detrimental to me and the guys in the band as well to alienate people based on who they vote for...we'd be tossing out 70% of our audience :o

[pitohui]

37. politics determines who you are and what you are allowed to do

the fact that i was born female of a certain class and of a certain health category (shitty) means that a lot of my life was pre-determined at birth, because of the reality of american politics

to say i "let" politics get involved in everything i do would be arrogant

the political reality of life was here before i was born, if you are a woman, your life is different, if you are a certain skin color, your life is different, if you have such and such money in the family, your life is different -- this is bedrock of who you are and what kind of life you can have-- it speaks to where you are starting from

so politics is everything whether i pretend it is or not

to be born unhealthy and to face the discrimination that comes from that, and the way it has changed my entire life, that is political whether some butthead thinks if i had a better life i would bill gates now or not

i wouldn't be bill gates now and neither would he if he wasn't born privileged to begin with

[LeftyMom]

38. I would suggest another angle: The same views that shape our personal lives shape our politics. nt

[riderinthestorm]

39. I believe you are wrongly conflating "values" with "politics"

My values mean that I have little tolerance for bigots (Republicans who aren't for same sex marriage).

My values mean that I am a strong supporter of social services for the poor, displaced, disrupted and mentally ill (Republicans are working hard at chipping away at those programs demonstrating their grotesque lack of compassion).

My values mean that I believe government is FOR all the people, not just the richest amongst us (well, that used to be exclusively a Republican position but that's muddied now).

My values mean that I am strongly in favor of a woman's right to make decisions for her own body.

My values mean that I cannot condone torture. Ever.

I could go on and on but you get my drift right? My VALUES drive who I am friends with, what I do, and how I treat others. Yes, you could interpret it as politics and sometimes my conversations really ARE about politics but mostly I prefer to spend my time and energy with like minded folks instead of beating my brains, heart, energy and time against the brick wall of heartless conservatism.

So bottom line, "yes" for me but not because it's my politics but rather because it's my values

[A HERETIC I AM]

40. Kicked, so the "Dupe Dupe Dupe Dupe of Earl" thingy looks right...

At least for a few seconds, anyway

[Shagbark Hickory]

41. No. I am not political at all.

:rofl:

[oneshooter]

42. I wish to take this time to thank each of you for your replies. n/t