this is a very naive and also true sentiment. but it only works in a certain boundary. no, i will not set “political differences” aside with fascists/racists. your viewpoint of the politics of existence IS an important part of your personality and says a lot about who you are as a person. So, getting the gist of your political views IS me “getting to know you as a person”. because EVERYTHING we do is political.
Basically this, OP. If I meet a new person at a social event, a group hike for instance, I’m not going to immediately start talking politics. We’re going to talk about the activity. And activities related to the activity. But I’ll tell you that people who have terrible politics tend to have terrible views and actions in other areas of their lives. I’m very rarely surprised to find out someone’s politics. To the point that I only have a few friends I fundamentally disagree with their politics and even then, those friendships are “specialized”. I.e., I only hang out with Bob on the trail and we only talk about trail stuff.
Politics is not some abstract thing that happens elsewhere. You might be lucky enough to feel like it is irrelevant to you. But for some people, it is life or death. And if you allow it to be life or death for them, one day it will be life or death for you too.
You don’t cosy up to fascists. You punch them.
If someone’s political orientation includes hating people based on nationality/race/religion/gender I don’t see any value in getting to know them personally. Their political opinions already tell me I don’t want to be associated with them.
But a person’s political ideology tells you a LOT about them as a person. It tells you their beliefs and values, or at least what they’re willing to accept in the world. If someone votes for the Low Tax and Kitten Strangling party, it shows that they either like strangling kittens, or are willing to accept kitten strangling in exchange for low taxes. That tells you a fuck ton more than you’d learn by just ignoring it.
So no, I’m not a fan of putting what I know about a person aside so I can get to know them. I know enough.
I wish society would go back to keeping their political beliefs their own business.
How would it be beneficial if people are racist and xenophobic secretly ?
they aren’t tho. politics is a social interaction. “private politics” doesn’t really exist. politics is a field of power dynamic. so people with more power will always be using this power to change to lives of the ones with less power. so how can politics be “their own business”, when it literally changes lifes. political decisions and stances affect the lifes of others around you. the other part of that is: why SHOULD it even be a private matter?! how will you ever learn, change, enhance, develop… if you don’t interact with others? and as we all know, every interaction in the social sphere is politics.
Huh yea
