American politics is garbage

@BRUUH Politics has weight in reality. Cannot actually hold the belief that it doesn't matter when the laws they vote for end up preventing me from providing proper medical care to those in need, or from mentioning my own identity because it inconveniences them and justifies bigotry.

@Miram Absolutely. I've ended friendships over people who say they respect my bisexual lifestyle, but then they vote for anti-queer Republicans or AFD politicians who want to pass laws that would harm me. We can disagree over things like the tax rate, but some political views are unacceptable.

@BohoBabe I understand. I had to walk away from friendships with people who, though protective of me, had no regard for others similar to me. Couldn't handle that inconsistency+ I don't want to be the exception to their carelessness and therefore sort of a curtain to not face themselves. It really is beyond infuriating being the bùtt excuse in "I am not racist, I have x, w or z as a friend" ..etc

@Miram I don't even hold it against someone for having bigoted feelings. I get that we can't always control our feelings, we all have biases, and if someone is just uncomfortable around queer people or people of different races, then that's ok, it doesn't make them bad. The line is when they actually do things to harm other people based on those bigoted feelings. It's the line between choosing to not live around black people, and actually joining the KKK. If someone is voting on policy that will harm people, that's not just keeping the bias internally, that's acting on the bias.

@BohoBabe Agreed, we all do.

@Miram I'm not even gonna read BohemianBoo's comments because i'll be tempted to argue with him when I really just wanna speak from compassion, and not intellect. I love BohemianBoo tho.

I think people are not defined by the worst ideas they have. I think people's intentions are what makes them. If I meet a left wing person who supports riots, I don't hate then. If I meet a right wing person who supportd January 6. I don't hate them. WHY they support those things matter far more.

With me, the issue that fucks me up is Palestine. I cannot stomach what Israel is doing to the palestinians. I'm not even a "pro-palestinian" in the sense of taking sides on a state, occupation, and all that (I simply admit I don't know enough). But I am pro palestinian in that I can see that regardless of which peopele's government has the right goal in mind, there is no possible way Israel can justify using the methods they are to win. Israel could kill far less civillians and still get all their goals accomplished. And yet, I know that there are pro-israel people who genuinely are convinced that the death of palestinians is as justifiable as the bombings of dresden. As wrong as those people are, I don't think they are bad, or blood thirsty. I know people who literally give aid to middle eastern children who support Israel. At the end of the day, WHY they are okay with it matters. I do know israel supporters who are simply evil. I also know of pro-palestinian people who support palestine for the right reasons, and ones who support it for the wrong reasons. My point? I love people who believe things that even effect my life.

Another example is rape-culture. I am convinced it is real. But I know that not everyone who takes it seriously or who opposed efforts to combat it is bad, and I know this because I use to not think it was a real thing. Like, I knew rape was a real phenomenon that any sane person opposes, but didn't think cultural attitudes feed into the phenomenon as much as they do. I wasn't a bad person then. I'm also sure i'm wrong about other things I don't know i'm wrong about.

That's why I personally think that even tho laws and who we support has real world effects, judging a person by the politics they support is a trap that divides us. I respect you if you don't ageee tho, I really do.I'm worried that unless we can accept that people who share ideas that are abhorent aren't themselves abhorent, we are headed towards a dark place as a society.

@BRUUH we are more likely to hold different stances about this than you and him. He mostly agrees that ideas alone aren't enough to abandon a bond.

To me evil actions are still evil regardless of intentions or the nature of the person committing them. Doing good doesn't cancel them out.

I consider indifference an evil action too even though it is not an action. And I am sure you would consider it just a belief. I lost people I loved because of it in the war. I understand that we would see things differently. But I also think you would see them the same way if you experienced their direct consequences.


Voting for someone to enact beliefs is without a doubt an evil action..even going around justifying murder of either side and re-traumatizing victims is an evil action. You're taking actions.

And though we do in fact all commit evil actions, rather than just ideas, our ability to be selective about the lines we draw to decide our ability for tolerance is necessary for growth. If we are to grow as people, we must abandon our old selves just like we abandon others. It is not lack of empathy. It is an incentive and a social engine of change. Of course when done incorrectly it would be evil too.

Must remember that we are limited beings with limited patience. And normalization is always a risk we are taking in the process of attempting to be compassionate with the other side, generally unconditional empathy is a noble virtue as long as it is not done at the expense of someone's truth espacially victims, which isn't always the case. It all requires a great deal of discernment.