One of my friends is a great guy but some of his beliefs are somewhat....off. Not just political stuff. When we are with the guys and he says something goofy, sometimes it starts a debate but if really crazy we kind of look around at each other and change the subject.
Another friend is very negative. We consistently try to show him the bright side of things.
Charity means realizing that everyone is a little nuts. Sometimes they are nuts about politics but it can be about food or aliens or other stuff. Sometimes the crazy person is ourselves (really hard to tell, isn't it).

I've found it a lot easier to stay friendly with people who actually know something about politics, history and current events, regardless of their positions. They tend to be a lot less strident and annoying.

It's the ones who make politics part of their identity that are hard to deal with, as they tend to make everything personal.

Even by Quillette standards, that's an overly long, tedious thumbsucker with very little point other than the writer made some questionable chums in his time with his "Brooklyn literary friends."

Anyone who puts on the old gumboots, screws in the monocle, and slogs through to the end, though, is rewarded with this unintentional funny:

I also have parted ways with my long-time girlfriend, who got swept up in these same currents, and who once literally wept in my presence because I had made a flattering reference to Camille Paglia.

“(She thinks libertarianism is awful.) “

Can she rationally explain why? If not, there really isn’t any point discussing it anyway.

>> Even by Quillette standards, that's an overly long ...

yeah it's a bit long winded and seems largely an attempt to get back at his friend for turning on him. But I think the author is going to pains to show that he's a good Progressive, just not as drunk on the cool-aid as his friends were.

I recognize the situation he's describing. Trump has an almost magical ability to bring out the worst in people. And when it comes to Progressives, he's shown that many of them are just angry little bigots looking for a socially acceptable way to smear their shit on people.

I'm less concerned about politics than I am about a person's personal integrity.

One of the things that perplexes me about internet discussions is the apparent inability to grasp a person's clear meaning when the words are right in front of them. How do you misinterpret or misconstrue something when it's right in front of you on your screen. Conan is easily the most egregious offender I've ever known, which I why I will never discuss anything with him.

I can have a discussion with anyone, regardless of political persuasion. But if you're a liar, I have no use for you.

Author is dodging bullets and seems unaware. The people he is mourning are not worth trying to redeem with a friendship, as he describes them. If he were still friends with them, would we be reading a bitchy story of the other path not taken?

Author isn’t a good progressive, and he isn’t trying to be one. It’s unpardonable sin to critique Ta Nehisi Coates.

Artemis is easily the most egregious offender I've ever known, which I why I will never discuss anything with him.

Fixed it for you. Conan redeemed himself for any offenses, however imagined (I don't see that so much), with this gem:

"We demand perfection from those admired by others."

You do mean what you say, I'll grant you that.

"One of my dearest friends is very lefty while I'm libertarian."

There was a candidate for President who was not only the loudest about promoting governmental power, but was in possession of a political machine capable of attacking Bernie Sanders's people on the street as well as in polls.

How would a libertarian vote?

“Artemis is easily the most egregious offender I've ever known, which I why I will never discuss anything with him.”

Precisely. Don’t feed the troll.

Radwaste Says:

"Artemis is easily the most egregious offender I've ever known, which I why I will never discuss anything with him."

First of all Radwaste... you are perpetually engaging me in conversations... you most certainly aren't avoiding interaction.

Secondly... Patrick was accusing Conan of being dishonest... would you mind presenting some examples of where I have been dishonest?

The only thing I am perpetually guilty of on this forum is demanding evidence from those who make baseless assertions of "fact".

There are many here who do this on a perpetual basis and it doesn't lend itself toward positive progress in any conversation.

Discussions built around force of personality and bullying aren't particularly useful. That is why I site sources to support arguments I make that are challenged.

I will wait while you gather your evidence of me engaging in dishonest discourse... but like usual I will not expect you to have any.

Isab Says:

"Precisely. Don’t feed the troll."

Good grief... the irony in this statement is really thick.

Troll indeed.

Conan is easily the most egregious offender I've ever known, which I why I will never discuss anything with him. ~ Patrick at December 22, 2018 2:22 PM

YAAAAAWN.

Again, Patrick is making unprovoked snide comments about me. I suppose I should be flattered, but it's kind of sad and pathetic. I mean, I don't really care about him at all and he can't stop thinking about me. Oh well.

It's also kind of amusing that he thinks his shrieking attacks on anyone who disagrees with him constitute a discussion.

"First of all Radwaste... you are perpetually engaging me in conversations... you most certainly aren't avoiding interaction."

You ramble, taking twice the words to say what Patrick does.

Three times what Crid does, and when he's not tweeting - probably because his phone sex job only lets him get snippets of time nowadays - he makes me glad to read it half the time.

Andrew M Garland still wins the content/syllable contest, and you're dead last.

Tighten up!

Radwaste,

And here you are again engaging me in conversation despite the fact that you indicated that you "will never discuss anything with" me.

Let's face it Radwaste… I don't spend a single moment seeking you out... and yet here you are obsessing about me in a thread where I didn't even bother to say anything.

What is even more impressive is that you felt the need to "correct" Patrick when he was busy also making unprovoked snide comments about Conan.

Look... I don't often agree with Conan, but on this point I do agree that all of this is completely unnecessary.

I have no interest in holding any discussion with you whatsoever, so just do us both a favor and forget I exist... no one is forcing you to just bring me up at random on the internet.

Clearly you can't get me out of your head, which is kind of creepy... believe me, I won't lose one wink of sleep if you suddenly stopped desperately trying to interact with me.

The other sad part about all of this is that this thread was about Amy suggesting that it is possible for folks to reach across the aisle and have civil relationships with folks with differing political positions.

Clearly some folks didn't get the message and instead had to start picking fights for no reason whatsoever.

You could have just kept your mouth shut, but you cannot help yourself.