Handling a family with different political views

United States
January 5, 2009 1:09pm CST
In my family there are always issues with politics. We are all different. We run the scale on both sides from libertarian to liberal with all point in between included. We are a highly politically active family so as you imagine when we all get together it can be interesting to say the lest. We have always debating things. It just who we are. If we are all together we are going to debate some world issue or political issue...but lately it has gotten alittle nasty.Thank goodness hubby is strictly non political (he says I am political enough for both of us). Is your family politically diverse and if so how do you handle it?
2 people like this
10 responses
@katsmeow1213 (28719)
• United States
5 Jan 09
My husband and I are both republican. His parents are democrats, and my family was democrat. When it came to my mom, I just couldn't talk to her. She would swear up and down that she was right, even though she wasn't. She had republican views, and the only reason she voted democrat was because she was pro choice. She didn't care about anything else, just that abortion stay legal. I'd try to point out all the other issues, like economy etc, and she just wouldn't hear it. With my FIL he is just misinformed. He has particular views of rebuplicans, and doesn't see the truth. Hubby explains it to him every time the subject comes up, and FIL quickly shuts his mouth because he's been proven wrong, but he still hasn't stopped voting democrat.
1 person likes this
• United States
5 Jan 09
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink
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@anniepa (27955)
• United States
6 Jan 09
You're so right, Lil, people have been trying to get me to drink the Republican kool-aid for years and I haven't swallowed a drop...lol! Annie
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
5 Jan 09
You changed your avatar. I had to take a double take to see who the poster is, lol. Anyhow, I can see that political diversity makes for some interesting discussions. Be happy that your hubby keeps out of it, lol. And yes, unfortunately people have become quite emotionally invested in their preferred candidates and political views to the point that they defend them like parents defend their little children, with all their heart. My own family had its share of differing political opinions but it never really escalated much. We often left it at 'okay, you have your opinion, I have mine, it won't be changed', lol. My husbands family is rather quiet on the subject. And my husband and I often agree politically. No arguments there;)
1 person likes this
• United States
5 Jan 09
I changed my avatar for BCMike. He got some flack from his political party about putting the Israel flag up as his avatar. So he took it down. I put it up as a statement that no political party has a right to dictate its members private lives. You know me....always gotta have a cause. Don't worry Tinkerbell (my personal heroe) will be back tomorrow. My hubby completely stays out of it. He just goes yes dear and of course dear while tuning me out the whole time when I am on one of my political rants. Poor dear. He is more a fishing, golfing kind of guy. You know sports that are nice and quiet. He so married into the wrong family for peace and quiet. But the family has declared him switerland (we offically did) so he is allowed to stay natural. I guess we are going to have to cool it for a little while. Because as you put it we all have our own ideas and we defend them like they are our children. I think it is because the we all really feel different things need to get done to fix this country.
1 person likes this
6 Jan 09
I myself am interested in politics both here in the UK and abroad. Both my gf and our families have various views, which we can quite happily debate without it spilling over into any kind of argument. In some cases we simply agree to disagree. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and i guess it'd be a pretty grey and dull (like John Major) world ;)
• United States
5 Jan 09
My immediate family are all Democrats, but my aunt and her children are mostly Republican. In fact my aunt and cousin moved to a predominantly Republican neighborhood and then became Republican to fit in which I think is a little ridiculous. The upshot is we try not to discuss politics avoiding the elephant in the room. lol
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• United States
5 Jan 09
Wow I do not know what we would talk about when we all got together if it was not politics or world events. It is a big part of all of our lives.
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• India
6 Jan 09
we are politically different but belong to same fraction. so our parliament is a fish market. but integrity is the main motto
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@ulalume (713)
• United States
6 Jan 09
Thats funny how your husband goes about handling the political realm within your family. I am very similar to him, actually. I am generally a libertarian, however the majority of my family (with exception of my sister, really) is very conservative. Since I am basically the odd man out and they use their Bible as the reason to believe things, I just ignore politics almost entirely with them because it is pointless (how does one debate with crazy, conservative Christians in a sensible way when everything out of their mouth is based on their Bible? To them, I am just a man of the world really. Meaning, I am inevitably false in all my views). I get to express my political views with friends and such however. It is kind of better that way, as I am not really trying to uproot my family/I am trying to ride living with my parents for free until I can actually land a job and move out. Its not that I dont like them (not at all, actually), but I'm not a fan of their views so I just avoid them in that area.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Jan 09
I am very liberal, to the far left is what some people call it, and I know how you feel. Many people in my family are very conservative, and when someone like me comes around to challenge all of that they go ballistic on me. My boyfriend is the same as I am when it comes to politics, and my family doesn't like it when we freely talk about abortion, homosexual marriages, and the war. Well, they cannot change me, and I will not change them, so we all just have to live with each other and our political views.
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• India
6 Jan 09
It is not always easy. There are chances that intermittent debates, and sometimes quarrels may take place between such a family's members. To handle such a situation, I would try and avoid all such topics that may lead to debates. Politics is very important, and one should be aware of such activities within the country and also world, but discussing it every now and then, specially when you have your near and dear ones with different political views and supports may create turmoils in a happy and calm family environment. so better avoid the discussion in the family and talk something that may get common views.
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@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
5 Jan 09
In my immediate family of 7 there are 4 republicans, 2 democrats, and 1 who is really not interested in politics at all. Of the two liberals, my younger brother and one of my sisters, my sister generally doesn't talk politics outside of education since she's a teacher. That deals largely with local government rather than national politics except where the federal government sticks it nose into local schools. My brother unfortunately brings up politics all the time and gets into arguments with my father that he can't win. It's not simply that he's wrong, although that's part of it. It's that he just doesn't know what he's talking about and repeats things he "heard" with no facts to back anything up. As an example last time my family was together he said something like "D!ck Cheney really screwed things up". My father dropped what he was doing and said "What did he do?" My brother then proceeded to stutter about D!ck Cheney doing things he shouldn't do. My father asked for an example, and my brother said he'd look online for an example. No matter how many times I tell him not to talk politics around my dad, he just won't listen and it always ends the same way. Aside from that my wife's a democrat, although she recently changed to independent. We really didn't talk politics much until this election. When we disagree on something we kind of drop it and move on. Politics aren't worth arguing about between us.
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@Latrivia (2878)
• United States
6 Jan 09
My family is very political, and at times they do debate politics. Unfortunately, the most political people inside my family (besides myself) are my parents, and I always try to avoid debating with them. See, in my family, the most politically outspoken people in my family are myself, and my parents. Unfortunately, my parents and I have vastly different political ideas and are very hard headed, so debates with them usually end up going in circles, and everyone walks away thinking the others don't know what they're talking about.
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