Lately, there’s been a lot of discussion on the topic of ditching friends because of their political standpoints. A lot of people have been saying that political views directly reflect a person’s personal values while others don’t really care about that stuff. Curious, I asked my friends, family, colleagues, and the WIM Squad community on Facebook what their stand on this is.
Here are their answers:
10. “I have only one rule when it comes to get-togethers with friends (or new acquaintances): don’t talk about religion, politics, or sports! Nakakasira ng friendship ? Lalo na pag may alak nako.”-Nicole
9. “If that friend voted for someone who you think will put everyone’s safety, lives and liberties in jeopardy (like how it is now) then he/she has put you in trouble. No one wants that.” -Niz
8. “You have to draw the line between political and moral differences. Acceptable political difference = “a college degree is needed/not needed to run for office”. Unacceptable moral difference = “innocent victims of the drug war are collateral damage”. Ending friendships over political differences, no. Because of moral differences, YES.”-Chai
7. ” Yes. I don’t need friends who have little regard for the rights and lives of people outside of their bubble.” -Kelly
6. “Yes. Kung di niya irespeto yung differences niyo and nagiging toxic na siya.” -Sheryll
5. “No. Our political views differ because of these politicians’ lies. Not worth ending relationships over. If it ends nevertheless, maybe it’s not that strong a friendship after all.” -Romeo
4. “Yeah, I have, even with family members.
If they support racist, bigoted views then I want nothing to do with them. People should be trying to lift each other up, not trying to tear each other down.” -Mark
3. “No. We all have different opinions and we should learn to respect what others think even if you think they are wrong. It’s easier to be kind than be that person who is always judgmental. Eventually, you’ll run out of people to be friends with. No one wants to be with someone who will just judge them.” -Lem
2. “Depends on the extent of political differences and if they’re open to discussions or not.” -Gerald
1. “If that person has no regard for the rights of every individual (women, children, LGBT, the poor, other marginalized sectors), glorifies corrupt politicians, makes jokes out of unfortunate situations (rape, abuse, etc.), shames people for the wrong reasons (body, sexual activity, being smart), and refuses to hear out educated opinions and enrich his/her own knowledge on issues that matter to people he/she deliberately or indirectly contributes to the oppression of, then yes.” -Christiana
Long story short: it really depends. What are the differences? Can they be discussed openly without judgment? Can they be resolved? Does the political stand your friend has negatively impact a disadvantaged group of people? Is either one of you open to compromise? At the end of the day, speaking our minds about something like politics with our friends should be commonplace and we should be comfortable discussing it with people we trust.
[ALSO READ: We Asked Pinoys “Should Abortion be Legal in the Philippines?” and the Answers Might Surprise You]
What do you think? Would you end a friendship over political differences?
