Bumped into a high school friend for the first time in 30 years.

[davsand]

115. I finally came to think of it as an expression of values.

In my mind it all comes down to personal values. Yeah, you can ID them by their espoused politics, but it's more than that. These are frequently people that will tell you how much they love the orange pendejo and how much they hate BLM/Gay people/foreigners/anyone else not like them. It's not just a difference in opinion about the role government should play in our lives--which used to be the foundation of political discussion--it's all about the hate they feel empowered to express.

Had they said all this stuff way back in the old days my guess is that you'd have stayed away from them and written them off as miserable assholes that needed to stay a million miles away from you. They are feeling free to let their freak flag fly and it's beyond horrifying. My personal values do not align with that, and I won't apologize for it. I completely cut ties with two of my oldest friends because of this exact issue. One of them was somebody I hadn't seen in years, and after reflection I realized she'd been in my review mirror for a reason--that her personal ethics are completely lacking.

It's sad--just like being at a party and realizing your buddy pissed himself, is too drunk to notice, and refuses to leave.


YMMV.


Laura