💾 Archived View for jsreed5.org › log › 2021 › 202109 › 20210902-political-laconism.gmi captured on 2024-06-16 at 13:13:35. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2021-12-04)
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I'm often tempted to write about political or social topics on my capsule. On some days, that's almost all I can think about.
I used to be quite outspoken about my political beliefs, back when I used Facebook and Twitter daily. When I look at my archives from those sites today, I feel like I was rather obnoxious about it. No-one called me out, though, because all of my friends had the same opinions as I did.
One reason that's changed is that I simply don't engage in social media anymore. My biggest reason for doing so is privacy concerns, but toxicity from all sides and a quickness to crucify those who disagree became too much for me to deal with. Another reason is that since 2016, my views on a number of issues have changed significantly--I won't discuss which issues those are and how my views have changed.
I was also taught while growing up that politics are not a topic to be discussed in polite company, and certainly not with a stranger. That isn't to say that politics should never be discussed, but it has its own time and place. Politics have always been divisive, to the point of ruining friendships and even marriages. The value of not discussing politics in light conversation is that people have a chance to see how others are as people, before they can develop preconceived notions of one another based on ideological proclivity.
My parents sit on broadly opposing sides of the US political spectrum, though there are things they agree on. They've been happily married for 35 years. and part of the way they do it is by not discussing politics. My wife and I do the same, and I feel our marriage is better for it. We focus on what's in each other's hearts, not what's on each other's ballots. From there, we find lots to agree on, and lots to cherish each other for.
If anything I say on my capsule seems to espouse a particular political party or ideology, I don't intend it to be taken that way. I'm just here to ramble.
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[Last updated: 2021-10-28]