I'm a non traditional student (meaning older student) at a major liberal university. So it's kind of hard to make friends as it is. In most cases depending on someone's age, it would be kind of weird anyways. I tend to keep to myself since I'm not in the habit of befriending 19 year olds.
So, if I meet anyone older than 21, with a little life experience, and who is a cool person, it's quite refreshing to chat.
Today I met someone who seems like a genuinely cool person. Although their politics were immediately made known to me as so many are eager to do today for some reason (by a few of their comments, how they identify, etc.) and it doesn't bother me.
I spoke with someone who I know I absolutely disagree with politically in every sense, and I genuinely had a great time talking with them and learning about them. I don't care if they think they are someone/thing else, or if they hate President Trump. I disagree with them, but I'm capable of viewing them as a person beyond their politics.
But as great as a time we had chatting, a sad thought entered my brain and tainted the positive feeling. If sensitive topics come up for me to disclose my positioning, there is a good chance they will decide to cease interacting with me.
So there is this tainted feeling for all human and community interactions for people like us. We can either avoid certain subjects to keep some beliefs hidden to keep the peace, or we can be ourselves without limitation enabling the other party to react childishly and "run away" from basic decency.
Of course I could be wrong about this person. I hope that I'm wrong about thinking this as a possibility. I'd like to continue to know this person. But it's not an unfounded concern we have today.
It's happened to me and others like me countless times since 2016. Even with friends I had for years prior to the election. I had one friend disassociate with me just for defending PewDiePie against the New York Times!
That's how insane some in our society have become! It gets me thinking of how our entire society has changed. Some politics today are capable of brainwashing certain people to have a "Join us or die" mentality.
In the end, I'm not entirely sure what this post was about, other than to lament about the sad state of affairs our country is in socially, and how on edge it makes everyone on both sides of the political spectrum.
I'll continue to chat with this person and I won't intentionally rock the boat, but I'm not going to lie if they ask me a direct question. Although I'll hope they will be capable of looking past whatever politics of mine they disagree with like I can with theirs.
Hopefully in the future this concern or thought will be less common in our communities.
I'm a non traditional student (meaning older student) at a major liberal university. So it's kind of hard to make friends as it is. In most cases depending on someone's age, it would be kind of weird anyways. I tend to keep to myself since I'm not in the habit of befriending 19 year olds.
So, if I meet anyone older than 21, with a little life experience, and who is a cool person, it's quite refreshing to chat.
Today I met someone who seems like a genuinely cool person. Although their politics were immediately made known to me as so many are eager to do today for some reason (by a few of their comments, how they identify, etc.) and it doesn't bother me.
I spoke with someone who I know I absolutely disagree with politically in every sense, and I genuinely had a great time talking with them and learning about them. I don't care if they think they are someone/thing else, or if they hate President Trump. I disagree with them, but I'm capable of viewing them as a person beyond their politics.
But as great as a time we had chatting, a sad thought entered my brain and tainted the positive feeling. If sensitive topics come up for me to disclose my positioning, there is a good chance they will decide to cease interacting with me.
So there is this tainted feeling for all human and community interactions for people like us. We can either avoid certain subjects to keep some beliefs hidden to keep the peace, or we can be ourselves without limitation enabling the other party to react childishly and "run away" from basic decency.
Of course I could be wrong about this person. I hope that I'm wrong about thinking this as a possibility. I'd like to continue to know this person. But it's not an unfounded concern we have today.
It's happened to me and others like me countless times since 2016. Even with friends I had for years prior to the election. I had one friend disassociate with me just for defending PewDiePie against the New York Times!
That's how insane some in our society have become! It gets me thinking of how our entire society has changed. Some politics today are capable of brainwashing certain people to have a "Join us or die" mentality.
In the end, I'm not entirely sure what this post was about, other than to lament about the sad state of affairs our country is in socially, and how on edge it makes everyone on both sides of the political spectrum.
I'll continue to chat with this person and I won't intentionally rock the boat, but I'm not going to lie if they ask me a direct question. Although I'll hope they will be capable of looking past whatever politics of mine they disagree with like I can with theirs.
Hopefully in the future this concern or thought will be less common in our communities.
That's a really great and concise way to express the problems with communism.
Also your point about the illegal alien who didn't have enough money to apply for citizenship is very clever. Although I'd argue we both know most have enough and they simply don't because it's more advantageous to remain illegal, but I'll admit that's a great way to appeal to a liberal who believes illegal aliens are stupid and helpless and have big puppy dog eyes.
Thanks. I've been honing my skills online for a while and what I started looking for is how to make the argument one that puts the spotlight on the person or idea the 'liberal' thinks they are champion and showing how that person is being taken advantage of or that idea is being subverted.
I try to start my side of the conversation by being on their side of the fence. For instance, we know the media hates Trump, but that's not a place I can start with talking to liberals. I instead said, "The media knows that Trump hates them." This simple phrase is one he agree with. Then when I said, "That's why they'll never give him a break and will always paint him in the worst light possible." By simply starting from that point of agreement then I've given them a starting point that makes the media's response seem reasonable, even though we know that isn't their real motive. I've given them a plausible motive and one the guy listening to me could agree with.
But even with all my practice, and I've practiced a lot, I'm still not confident enough to be the one to broach a subject with someone under the media's spell. It's not easy but so far I've had entirely positive real-life responses. Even at the party where I knew 3 of the people were immigrants and 4 suffering TDS, it turned out better than I imagined. 2 of them later reached out to me, one on Facebook and the other by email and were friendly. The third I didn't have any reason to connect with, nor her with me, but she at least left the party smiling and being friendly. The host of the party is also an immigrant but all of them were legal so it was easier.
Another key thing is not to make the 'helpless' people the bad guys. Instead point out why business leaders want cheap labor and to avoid teaching their skills to someone with American ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit if they can instead have caste-system compliant labor. By pointing out the motives of the business leaders in preferring illegals (easier to control, pay less under the table and not cover their employer taxes) I've changed the villain to one liberals can accept as a villain.
And in dealing with race reparations I point out how the issue isn't at the graduate school level but the elementary school level where predominantly African American schools are suffering from the bigotry of low expectations and how Dr. Ben Carson's real activities that put him on the national political map, the activities the media chose not to emphasize is how he was bringing those community schools up to standards, improving their libraries, reading skills and knowledge of American civics, of business and science ideas. And how his HUD position was to spread out the housing so that, among other things, disadvantaged youths would be in good school districts rather than being huddled together.
People can be reached if they think you at least have similar emotions to them and care about similar people that they care about.
We have to play the long game, but it is definitely worth winning one person at a time.