How do you deal with awkward Facebook politics?

[EuroStyleSocialist]

A Facebook "friend" (knew in grammar school, haven't seen in decades) "liked" a friend's (of his) pro-confederate flag share about some town in Florida that voted to "reinstate" a confederate flag. So, gross on so many levels. Turns out that this town may have also violated their public meetings law to hold this vote. I've blocked myself from seeing his posts. I feel weird about "unfriending" people, especially since a cousin once called me on it ("I can't see your posts anymore!&quot . But I also hate to call him out on FB. Also, I can't actually comment on the post he liked (because it was his friend's). What does everyone else do?

[cherokeeprogressive]

1. I don't do politics on Facebook. Neither do my "Friends".

[cwydro]

39. I don't either.

I have two friends who I know are probably tea partiers, but I value their friendship and ignore any posts I don't like.

I don't put my politics on my page except for occasional moments like the recent gay marriage decision. I assume they ignore any of my posts they don't like also!

Works for me!

[Peacetrain]

2. Hide the threads that they post that are offensive..

Got the same problem and got some good advice from MM on that one.. works like a charm..

[TexasProgresive]

3. This is probably not helpful

I don't do (anti)social media. It just doesn't seem to be worth the trouble. I know a lot of people can't get enough of FB etal but I get enough right here at DU.

[EuroStyleSocialist]

12. I avoided it for a long time

Got involved when my sister and brother started posting stuff about my nieces and nephews. I won't defend social media (because it's indefensible), but I'm kind of hooked.

[TexasProgresive]

16. It drives our children and grandchildren nuts

that we don't Facebook. We got them trained to email us pics and every now and then they actual send something through the U.S. Mail, would ya believe it?

[Dr Hobbitstein]

4. I'm a bit of an asshole.

I call shit out when I see it. I've lost some friends over this, but no one important.

[Ed Suspicious]

15. I do that as well.

[BigDemVoter]

24. I'm with you on this!

I either call it out, or I press the "unfriend" button. I don't want to have anything to do with those kinds of assholes. I DO have some "casual" friends from work who are conservative, and I don't typically say anything. . . But when they get gross with their idiocy--i.e. Confederate flags & other like minded horse shit, I am done.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

31. As a known local musician in my area...

I don't hit the unfriend button... But I do hit unfollow. Those asshats are butts in seats when it comes to local gigs (and that's money in MY pocket). I keep 'em around for that purpose only. I will say, I'm amazed with the fact that about half of the local cats that make ALL their money from performing music support the GOP. We can't unionize in the area, and we can't really ask a decent wage unless we're HUGE (which only gets applied to cover bands playing Mustang Sally around here). I make around $100/night, and I play MAYBE 2 nights a month as an original band.

[bklyncowgirl]

36. I argue with them--eventually they give up and move on and so do I.

I'm always interested in learning why people think the way they do, maybe it's the writer in me. Many of them are in their own little bubble and aren't used to having anyone disagree with them. I usually don't post political stuff myself--unless it's an article I've found particularly interesting.

[thesquanderer]

5. I think you can "unfollow"

which means you won't see their posts anymore, but they are not "unfriended" and will still see the same posts of yours that they would normally see.

[EuroStyleSocialist]

7. That's what I wound up doing

Thanks.

[gratuitous]

27. Yeah, my Facebook life improved greatly when I figured that out

Take the person off all your feeds, and presto! No more nonsense. I see something the person I unfollowed posts if another friend likes her post, but otherwise, blessed silence.

[tularetom]

6. Facebook is for seeing pictures of my kids, grandkids and great grandkids on vacation

Riding horses, catching fish, with dogs and cats, blah blah blah.

It's not for politics.

[cherokeeprogressive]

20. ^THIS^

[seveneyes]

8. Karmageddon is the only answer ...

[yeoman6987]

9. I am not kidding when I say this but

Some people "like" everything no matter what and don't even read the posts especially if it is friend. I am not saying this is the case but it does happen. Thankfully they have an unfollow feature that allows you to unfollow someone without dropping them. That way you won't see posts but still could send a hello when you want too. I unfriended someone who put so much right wing stuff that it was way too much and much of it confederate junk and he is from Pennsylvania who I have known since 4-years old. In a few months, I might go back to follow and see how he is. It was so ridiculous what he posted.

[EuroStyleSocialist]

14. Yeah, my confederate-liking friend was a northerner, too (from New York!)

I think you're right that some people like things without really thinking. Some of the people whose posts or likes bother me also *like* my posts about Wall Street corruption or universal health care. Lots of people don't have a coherent political philosophy.

[hatrack]

10. By avoiding Facebook - simple, elegant, painless

[elfin]

11. I "hide" the particular post

And if it was exactly from a winger site, I "hide" all from that site from the drop down menu.

I never respond in kind if I still wish to see good and fun things about my acquaintance and our friends in common. Instead, I "like" whenever possible on cute kid pics etc.

I do not "unfriend" if we have an otherwise happier past between us.

I save my political cartoons, articles to share the " old-fashioned" way -- Email - to those I really know are like-minded. I do not wish to inadvertently invite a contentious exchange amongst previously categorized "friends" on FB. It is a neverending back and forth resulting in no changed minds, but broken relationships.

[tazkcmo]

13. Don't do Facebook. n/t

[backscatter712]

17. I'm fairly selective about who I choose to friend on Facebook.

That keeps my newsfeed from being spammed excessively by teabaggers,

I do have a few right-wing Facebook friends (or is it frienemies?) Not very many, but it helps me keep tabs on what the crazies are doing.

[PowerToThePeople]

18. I hide those posts.

If I think the person is halfway reasonable and not a right wing nutcase (some old "friends" and relatives fall into the nutcase area) I will respond with a counter-point.

[el_bryanto]

19. I quit facebook for this reason

Its a mugs game trying to debate on that forum. And for every nice post I saw I'd see like three or four that pissed me off.

Bryant

[Blue_In_AK]

21. I only "friend" people

whom I like or with whom I have mutual progressive friends ... And family, some of whom are very conservative, but I cut them slack because you can't choose your family.

[udbcrzy2]

22. Unfollow them

If you 'unfollow' them, you won't see their stuff in your news feed and they will not see yours either.

[Throd]

23. I avoid and ignore politics on Facebook. Not what I go there for.

[X_Digger]

25. Fuck it, unfriend them.

There's a reason you fell out of touch with a grammar school friend-- they don't matter to your life anymore.

[Heddi]

26. Why does it bother you to unfriend him?

I'm not going to get on the 'Oh, well just delete facebook" bandwagon, because I have a FB account and have happily unfollowed then finally unfriended people whose views on a variety of things (parenting, religion, politics, food preparation, etc) I find to be not just contrary to mine, but repugnant and inexcusable.

I have unfriended real-life friends, people that I haven't seen in years, family members, acquaintances from long-ago online forums and gaming groups, etc.

This is a person that you knew in grammar school and haven't seen in decades -- your words. What's the repercussions if you unfriend them? Will they hunt you down and slash your tires? Who gives a shit if you unfollow them? You are under no obligation to accept anyone's friend request, and that acceptance does not indebt you to a lifetime of reading some illiterate teabagger Sarah Palin wet dream.

What do I do? I ignore it. If I find it so awful that I can't just ignore it, or if it's one in a long line of awful things but they have other redeeming qualities, then I unfollow. If their presence is of no consequence to my life (friend from grammar school I haven't seen in decades, friend of a friend that became my friend but I've never met, coworker that I really don't give a shit about, etct) then I just unfriend them.

Again, you're under no contractual obligation to stay fb friends with someone until the end of your natural life.

[NorthCarolinaL]

28. Define your limits

I decided that I was not going to get into Facebook debates, no matter the issue. Debate people in certain areas and leave it at that.

[HFRN]

29. facebook undermines necessary social boundaries

the most important question is, why are you placing yourself in a position where you have to care about this person's views in the first place?

[Starry Messenger]

30. I put all jerks regardless of political bent on a restricted list.

They will only see kitten pictures. Anyone who thinks my FB wall is a free speech zone where they can abuse nice people get put on it. Left or right, doesn't matter.

[Mister Ed]

32. My brother has a good policy.

He's a thoughtful, passionate progressive who would be at home here on DU. Stories such as the one in the OP infuriate him, but he refuses to address them on Facebook, or to post his own political views there.

Why? It's simple, he says: "This is social media. And there's nothing social about the political crap-slinging that some people do on Facebook." He prefers to fight those battles elsewhere.

[Spider Jerusalem]

33. By not being on Facebook (n/t)

[CrawlingChaos]

34. Facebook is frustrating for me

I decided it wasn't worth the stress of getting into political arguments with people I actually know in real life so I dropped most of my political content. My rule now is I won't engage someone on their page, but if they bring their shit to MY page, I will get out the knives and eviscerate them. That happened recently and while I think it was fairly entertaining for my like-minded FB friends, I'd still rather avoid it if possible. Mostly I keep it light and silly where FB is concerned.

I seem to know a lot of people who disapprove mightily of Facebook and social media in general, and to an extent, I understand their issues. FB can be a bit like a high school reunion in that you know some of the most interesting people probably won't show up. But in defense of it, I have to say there are a lot of positives. Having recently moved to a strange city where I knew no one and feeling very cut off, it was really nice to be able to feel somewhat connected to my distant friends. To see their pictures and read about their daily goings-on made it easier for me. So even though some people close to me do NOT approve, it has been more positive than negative.

It's much better if you use the "close friends" option and your newsfeed will prioritize postings from those in your close friends circle. I enjoy FB much more since I set that up.

[CBGLuthier]

35. poorly. More than a few of my relatives unfriended me in the days following the marriage ruling

I took offense to a religious sentiment one expressed along the lines of they have read the end of the bible and they win in the end by saying that suggesting everyone who is not christian and everyone who is gay should burn in hell forever and it makes them happy makes them, to me a bunch of sick fucks.

Pissed my aunt of something terrible for that one but I do not care.

[onyourleft]

37. By avoiding...

...Facebook. My children and other family members use Facebook, but I don't and won't.

[closeupready]

38. I'm bumping because I want to relate something later.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

40. I use a FB "list"

and only share articles with those friends whom politics are the same as mine

[bigwillq]

41. Usually just scroll on by.

It's their page--they can post what they want.
And on my page, I can post what I want.

I would never unfriend anyone just because their politics disagree with mine.

[calikid]

42. I don't do Facebook, I'm more of face to face kinda guy.