binary solo said:
| robzo100 said:
Those two sources are two of many showing how many other people are following suit. So...how reasonable is this? Is it moral? Is it practical?
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It is reasonable, in the current political climate. Friendships do literally end based on diametrically opposed political views, and the level of hatred and vitriol this time around is probably as bad as it has ever been. So strongly partisan people will consider it reasonable and appropriate to cut ties with people who support a candidate they see as fundamentally a horrible person. Indeed one must ask why you would remain an online friend with someone who thinks a truly awful individual is all good and is a fantastic presidential prospect. Cuts both ways of course, because a lot of Trump supporters think Hillary is a rape apologist, if not outright accessory to rape, as well as being corrupt and should be in prison. If you actually think that about Hillary, why would you be friends with someone who thinks Hillary is a fine upstanding person worthy of being president?
This is not a moral question.
It certainly seems practical, since if he has basically declared very strong support for Hillary (I assume), then a lot of Trump supporters would probably unfriend him anyway, and being asked to unfriend him would probably convince any other Trump supporters to unfriend him.
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I want to know the end-game of people who want to cut ties over differences. Because it might not be in support of their end-game to cut ties. Yeah, they don't like the beliefs, but by unfriending them they polarize the relationship and thus increas the level of polarization within the country. It enables others who were on the fence about unfriending, regardless of what side they're on.
Think of this as the second-part of the main question. So maybe you feel personally comfortable living a life without others in your circle/echo chamber. But what will that do to society as whole? Additionally, what will that do to yourself as person? Friending like-minded people yields a less diverse social circle by virtue of itself alone, and also by virtue of the fact that political affiliations can also correlate with differenct backgrounds, socio-economically, religiously, culturally, career-wise, you name it.
I see the moral implications of polarization as bigger than the practical implications. Implications that I think, for most people, would not be congruent with their beliefs and/or poltical goals.