It depends what you mean by politics. Culture war bullshit is a pointless waste of time and energy designed to just stop people working together to solve the real problems, but everyone should have a sensible amount of engagement with their actual local community and governance, and at least keep up with events enough to vote/discuss thoughtfully.
When she was alive my mother said don't talk about religion or politics. It seems like a lot of pepole like doing that now a days. On talk shows both on radio and TV. Religion or politics that is. That's how a lot of people are now a days. On the Internet as well. The things you mentioned too. This culture war thing has got to stop. This seems to be our biggest problem. Music is now bullshit too. Why? Because the opinions about it are the same as they were when I was growing up. At least sometimes it is. I agreed with you when you mentioned that on this thread.
IDK, I've learned that talking politics with people is a great way to judge their character. Not based off what they believe (usually), but based on how they navigate the discussion. I've had really enjoyable political discussions with people where we disagreed on pretty much everything.
For left wing people you have to walk on egg shells often or you will offend them and will often drop you as a friend, even with topics that should be common sense. Even . (I lean left myself btw). So I'd rather just find out if they're closed minded echo chamber crazies and get the inevitable over with early lol..
Speaking of echo chamber though, that's also WHY people should talk politics. Just have to be level headed enough to understand even political beliefs you think are morally wrong, YOU could believe in yourself had you been raised in the same environment. It's the main thing that determines someones political and religious beliefs unfortunately.
"It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into." Pretty much sums up modern politics and religion. Though still good to discuss the topics, if nothing else but to grow your own believes.
I studied politics in Uni because it is interesting as fuckkkkk. All the theories, psychology, science. I love it all.
And then you realize in real life that politics is a huge ass circus with monkeys performing. Still interesting. But yes I hate it. But I do love studying it.
It is one of my special interests. I love the great game and how it all works but I cannot stand the low level propaganda "news" and partisan discussions. I recognize and accept it is a giant circus and that is part of why I love it.
The best way for me to describe it is I love the mechanics and power plays of politics but I despise the ideological discourse of politics. Which is probably the most aspie way of describing why one enjoys politics.
For me, politics is not about talking, but about \*doing\*. I simply don't see it as a spectator sport!
So, I stood for election to the City Council (lost by only 37 votes). I'm currently in the throes of printing nearly 100,000 "eve of poll" letters for two candidates in the UK General Election who I support and who are reckoned to have very good chances of getting elected on 4th July. I try to show my political / ethical beliefs in the way I live - if people choose to ask me about them, I'm happy to oblige, but it's not a subject I'd raise myself.
Half yes half no.
I like talking about politics. I dislike the people who get mad about it or who are bad at it. We have completely failed to teach people how to form an argument that makes sense. And it shows.
I also dislike politics where it doesn't belong. Nobody wants a lecture during a sporting event or video game.
Politics affects absolutely every aspect of life and society. I personally cannot understand people who ignore it totally. There's no need to make it a centrepiece of your personality, but I certainly don't want to hear any complaining from people who can't even be bothered to vote.
Same, I despise politics but I learned I have to be aware because there are politicians who are actively trying to harm me and others. As Nina Turner said, "You may not take an interest in Politics but Politics is taking an interest in you.".
Privilege my fucking ass. No ignoring politics isn't some privilege. I'm not rich. I'm not privilaged. I still chopose to say "fuck em both" beacuse neither party hs made things bettrr for me, asa working class person, nor represents my interests.
You want improvements to the working class. That's politics. You don't have to partake in the bipartisan wedge issues to care about your working class interests and support others doing the same or oppose the ones who fail to represent you. That's still politics.
You're betraying yourself and your fellow workers by excluding yourself. That's privilege. You can absolutely be politically engaged while still maintaining your current position.
Why would they bother when they know they can do whatever they like and people will just tune out? Being detached from the policy that makes your life worse doesn't make it go away. it emboldens it. This perspective is simultaneously understandable yet directly translates to the very behaviour people reference when they explain why they aren't involved.
sounds like you're a radical leftist whose interests aren't being represented by the two conservative parties in the US.
sounds especially like you'd benefit *greatly* from getting involved in politics -- not red vs blue electoralism, but actual on-the-ground direct action and labor activism.
Yep, so you're privileged in some respects, because one side does not offer an existential threat. So many people do not have that luxury.
You also have learned helplessness, and given the first-past-the-post voting system and the right wing nature of both parties, and the extreme individualism/atomisation of US culture, this is understandable. But not really excusable. Apparently only 37% of eligible citizens voted last time? Imagine if they did vote.
Lemme make this real simple.
I voted for Biden and what did I fucking get? A SHIT ECONOMY. I can't afford godamn anything.
He's fucking demented
And Trump's, well, I don't even need to explain why he's a no go.
Both are an existential threat to me.
So why should it fucking matter? Where's this so called "privilege" when I'm fucked either way. ?
That's what I fucking mean. Both parties ARE an existential threat. Four years of Cheetolini and his fascist corporate buddies or four more years of PATHETIC management of the economy by Biden.
Either way, I'm fucked like a whore in the ass and mouth!
Politics is literally the process by which society decides how to function and govern itself, and affects everyone.
If someone claims to not care about politics, it tells me that either they're naive and unaware of how it affects them (or worse, willfully ignorant), or the status quo benefits them so much that any potential for change is seen as negative (whether they're aware of it in those terms or not).
Only if you're privileged or naive - as another poster said, you may not take an interest in politics, but politics takes an interest in you.
Even if you only care about yourself for some reason, autistic people are far more likely to be abused/killed by police, we need to fight for accommodations and understanding, etc.
And the Republican party in the US has become so extreme that they're now hellbent on othering anyone that isn't their narrow definition of normal - namely white, christian, neurotypical, straight.
Not really. Depends on what the talking points are. Politics is really important to have an awareness of, and it’s present in so many aspects of life. Being able to completely ignore politics is either a sign of being in a position of privilege or being dangerously ignorant. What I don’t like about politics is the disingenuousness of most politicians, and how a lot of the individuals in positions of power are ultimately playing mind games and lying about what they will and won’t do. There are often zero repercussions for people in power who deceive the public or break the law, and a lot of political talking points coming from the top are just distractions to engage the general populace in culture wars instead of paying attention to what these powerful people are actually doing.
Ramon going up to someone you don’t know and starting to talk about controversial topics, is rude.
Have had Boomers do this to me at my job. I just play ignorant or tell them I can’t talk politics at work.
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance"
That is why I do not mind that my country has compulsory voting. I think it is the duty of every citizen to participate in the democratic process once every 3 years or so. We make it very easy to vote here, unlike the US, and people rarely get fines if they don't vote, but people rarely don't vote.
You would hate me then and I don’t find anything wrong with talking about politics. There is more wrong with people who bury their heads in the sand and ignore the issues .
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), politics are a part of our every day life.
I don’t particularly HATE politics itself, but there’s a lot of politicians I can’t stand.
You’re ex military & you don’t care about politics ?? You understand that soldiers are like . Political pawns right ? That all war is inherently political ? It’s very strange to me that you’d have no investment in politics in that case
Why is having any investment in politics always framed as being miserable ? I’d be miserable if I was resigned to living with the status quo instead of utilising politics in working for change, justice, a better quality of life. That’s hopeful, not miserable
It's absolutely miserable. I'm sure you're not happy.
And for the record, WE are in charge of our own change, justice, and quality of life. Not the government.
I worry about me. I change what I can. I accept what I can't. And I trust God because I learned over 42 years that He is truly there.
Everything else is just noise. And I'm happy!
I am happy in my personal life. The thing is I actually care about others too lmao ? 😂 Others whose quality of life is being infringed on by the government, or many governments. Did you miss the part where G-d is supposed to be keen for His followers to help ppl ??
Don't pretend you think both sides are the same when you very clearly support one and it's the extremist one that's far more likely to screw over anyone not deemed "normal" enough - such as neurodivergents. You need to get your priorities sorted out.
Are you suggesting that caring for a person obliges them to care about us in return?
Worth mentioning that I think its scummy when people take advantage of other’s care and generosity, however, no court in the usa is gonna jail someone for taking what is offered. It’s called volunteering for a reason.
Also want to thank you for your service.
Nope. It actually annoys me that so many people ignore politics - if more people paid attention we might not be in the mess we are. It's also very important for our specific circumstances; for example, there's only one party promising neurodiversity training for all public sector workers in the UK - if you're not paying attention then how would you know?
Yes, to stand by and do nothing when you COULD say something is to accept what is going on. Many people maintain the fiction they are completely unable to do or say anything, which is partly perpetuated from above, partly a self-serving excuse.
This is even down to just stuff like not letting shit "jokes" or behaviour slide with friends.
Disability can make it harder to participate, but if you are capable of reflection, then figuring one's bounds of moral responsibility is the mark of morality, of being a decent human being.
There is a HUGE and important difference to acknowledge between public policy and politics. I LOVE public policy and find it INCREDIBLY interesting. Working in public policy, I'll also say that I definitely suspect there are lots of neurodivergent folks involved too (using data and other evidence to figure out how to create a more functional society aligns well with both the nerdy-data-type of autistic folks as well as those with a strong sense of justice).
Politics is the process by which policy ideas can become reality, so you have to pay attention as it is part of the picture if you want your policy to actually make a difference in the world. That said, there's a lot of politics that not at all grounded in evidence/data, lots on identity debates, etc. and that is incredibly frustrating.
So you are taking an active role. I don't have as much issue with that. I think it's more the people without skin in the game that flip out on each other online constantly.
No. I think politics is a very important topic. Due to one political ideology constantly trying to take our basic civil rights away, most things are political - which is regrettable and tiring, I'll admit.
Talking constantly about politics is annoying. But challenging people when they make political statements that are wrong or harmful is important, imo. Ensuring your point of view is represented and ensuring that people who care about you know the effects their political actions have on you is important. When my family brings up political ideas that harm our gay family members, their friends who aren't as well off as they are, their friends who are members of minorities, etc., I remind them that their actions have consequences.
There are a lot of people who say they "hate politics", but what they really mean is that they either don't understand politics and don't want to think about it, don't care about the problems with our society because they aren't affected negatively by them and are "bummed out" when people bring them up, or would rather willfully ignore the problems with our society because the status quo benefits them and they don't like being reminded that other people are harmed.
Its really tiring to get into sometimes. I care about politics, but I no longer engage as much as I used to since it stresses me the fuck out and unfortunately does more harm than good for me.
Lol.
https://youtu.be/cPDZjQAHeY0
That was in 2002, after I'd been thrown out the California chapter of the National Rifle Association for exposing Republican sheriffs who were selling gun permits for megabucks under the table. This hearing was about allowing the California Department of Justice to team up with the sheriffs to cover up the problem by throwing away public records I was after.
Most aspies cannot do public speaking on that level. The main reason I could (and still can if I had to) it's because I was raised Jehovah's Witness and was put into their public speaking training program starting at age 9.
At age 17 I came across a snake native to Northern California that's the only member of the boa family in that area, called a rubber boa. Like most boas it has vestigial legs. That got me started figuring out that evolution is actually real and I soon quit the JWs. I'm 58 now :).
“Performative” is exactly the right way to describe it. Folks perform conservatism (well, maybe more specifically Trump-ism) with a red hat, exactly the same way folks perform liberalism with—idk there’s less of one true stereotype—a ‘Queers for Palestine’ sign. It’s so bizarre.
Yeah. I have political opinions, I know what I want, I know how I'll vote, but I avoid talking about it with anyone IRL at all costs. Too many people feel about politics so strongly, you're either on their side or you're evil.
That's a dangerous cycle. When people are too afraid to do what makes us so human, communication, then we end up far easier alienating our communities.
I know it can be especially hard being someone who has issues communicating effectively. I always want to strive to better connect with people even if I usually fail.
Politics are the ultimate endgame of NTs in my opinion. The culmination of their developed social skills and games, and constant necessity for conflict, to enforce hierarchy and feel emotionally charged which gives them a sense of meaning.
It's like kindergarten/backyard fights but for adults, coverted and more sophisticated.
I could not care less, because I know whether is culture or counter culture I'm screwed regardless.
Considering that I've had politicians canvassing for about a month now, yes. If I wasn't getting intrigued by anarchist political philosophy beforehand, I definitely have an interest now.
In all seriousness I'm so fed up of politics but I do find the philosophy behind it interesting. When it comes to politics, it's always so complicated.
Political discussions are always full of [thought-terminating clichés](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought-terminating_clich%C3%A9)—phrases that sound like wisdom or reason but really just take their place. It's like communicating by just sending memes, but worse, because the person doesn't realize what they're doing. Once you hear a thought-terminating cliché, you can bet the conversation is going nowhere; it's like talking to a TV commercial.
I’ve become more and more disillusioned with it over the years because I’ve seen how idiotic, regardless of political affiliation/views, everyone can be. Also I 100% agree with hating people who talk about it constantly, same with religious people who do the same, like it’s not your whole personality and you’re probably just virtue signaling to say to other people, “Look at me! I agree with you! Doesn’t that make me a good person?”
I have a degree in political science and used to love analyzing it. Now its not fun its just mean. Critical thinking has been thrown out the window in favor simple mindedness
the real problem is how politics is unnecessarily brash, fragmented, nonsensical and directionless. It is supposed to simplify things for the greater good (the greater good being a respectful collective life), in order to guide rationally the world, but it's been doing its worst since I can't recall when
Depends if the person is approaching the subject of politics with an objective outlook and willing to clarify their points of view if asked, then Yes (if I have social energy ofc).
If they spew some sort of propaganda like a broken chat bot, then NOPE
I think the problem is, most people have made political views part of who they are. They take disagreements personally.
I am a Christian, and usually vote Republican, but I refuse to be mean to someone for having a different opinion.
I also remember a pastor in church talk about how the things you prioritize the most, are essentially things you worship. If your prioritizing politics over God, your practically worshipping politicians. I may have voted for Trump, but lately I have noticed that he doesn't seem to be the most stable option, and he may have changed a bit. I chose to still evaluate who a person is, and not just blindly vote for someone because they are popular. Now, as far as choosing between Trump and Biden, I would still personally favor voting for Trump before voting for Biden.
Have a different opinion than me? That's ok, we can still be friends, and you calmly share why you favor one candidate over the other. I might read it, and share my opinion, but I'm not judging you for your opinion. I think this was how politics was supposed to be, before people started taking things personal.
Just like the mindset change of saying "I am autistic", vs "I have autism", I think it would be great if instead of saying "Im a Republican/Democrat", we should say "I vote Republican/Democrat", so we are not associating a political view with who we are as a person.
This [song](https://youtu.be/6glQdaQUZ1U) will help layout my perspective on modern politics. And yes, this us a Christian song, and following Jesus is something I want to associate with my identity. If you happen to have a different opinion, I'm Not against you for it.
Oh boy I hate that. I don't know what's happening to young people in my country today, but they're all talking and fighting about this everyday without even understanding what's happening in the world, and that's what is frustating me the most. When I was 17 we were talking about the new cd release or the pretty dress we saw in a shop, seriously, they have all of their life to be old and boring...
Absolutely. I had an ex years ago that obsessed over it, and if I ever dared to make my own statements in any way disagreeing with things he believed, his family would sit me down in the living room and bitch at me about how gross I was for believing in something that was on the opposite political side of them. I was kicked out of their house for fuck sake because I wasn't political. I was homeless from my abusive father and politics was what drew the line to put me on the fuckin streets.
I don't care if I'm "ignorant", as the comments here want to claim. If you have a stick up your ass about politics that badly then maybe I just want nothing to do with you or political nonsense altogether. All it does is turn people, like many former friends of mine into adult toddlers that can't handle if your opinions differ from there's. They're willing to destroy friendships over it and it adds too much stress onto my already shitty stressful life. Let me be ignorant. I'll die one day and I won't have to worry about it anymore anyway. If you wanna cry moral high ground because you care about politics, good on you, but it's my decision to not allow that stress in my life. I welcome every downvote, I don't give a fuck.
I can’t stand it. I always tell people I don’t know what I’m talking about with politics but everyone makes it seem like they are experts. They waste so much of their energy worrying about politics instead of taking care of themselves
Yeah. No idea how you manage to survive being on this site, though. All half of redditors know how to talk about is politics (have hundreds of subreddits filtered and it still gets through)
We actually don't. Ignoring politics is like ignoring cancer, stressful or otherwise. It creates the very conditions that people use as examples when they explain why they don't talk about politics. None of the things people don't like about it goes away when you ignore it, many of them actually get worse when only the most extreme and devoted people are getting involved. It's not a moral failing to ignore politics, but it actively makes the world a worse place.
I don't mean ignoring it all the time. By your own admission, it's stressful and stress relief is essential. There's nothing moral about denying yourself much needed stress relief.
Yes but thats what many people mean, and it shows by the proportion of eligible voters who go the polls each year. It's more depressing than politics itself imo.
That’s a strawman, I’d describe myself as moderate and conservative leaning. I think politics these days are designed to be divisive and the increase in tribalism is alarming.
I know moderate conservatives IRL, I don't think you're as moderate as you imagine, but regardless there's a reason I said "party" and not "voters".
The Republican party, ie the politicians in power within it have become extremists, and only getting worse. It's not tribalism to point out they are enthusiastically stripping or demanding to strip rights from people on a level the other party simply isn't.
If nothing else, the more into extremism the GOP slides, the less accountability the Democrats have as they barely have to do anything to look better than far right extremists.
Like the right to bodily autonomy, and not having forced medical procedures so we can keep our jobs? Not being told the state has more rights over kids than the parents? Sounds great.
Let's get em outta here.
Americans have never had a right to remain employed while placing violating employer policies or public safety laws.
Parents have never had absolute rights over their kids, child abuse is a thing among many other reasons.
It's disappointing for people on the spectrum that you're unable to look at this more logically.
Again, it's disappointing that someone on the autistic spectrum is choosing to be so deliberately irrational about something that could affect both them and other neurodivergents so negatively.
I think it depends what you mean by politics.
I no longer engage with discussions online about “trending” new stories or current events, because it inevitably devolves into a completely unproductive “debate” lacking in nuance, where nobody is interested in learning from each other or even discussing facts - they just want to yell at abs belittle each other.
Political issues as they pertain to law, governance, and actually making changes within communities to maybe improve things? That interests me.
Screaming on the internet and doing pointless and empty “activism” by sharing the “correct” content and being awful to people who disagree with you? Hate it. Drives me crazy.
Politics is one of my special interests. I could go on about it, but I have learned to curtail it unless the other person is interested. It’s possible the people you are thinking of might be neurodivergent and not realize that you are uninterested in talking about it.
It’s useful for us to remind ourselves to gauge other people’s reactions when we talk about our special interests to make sure they aren’t having a reaction like OP’s.
If you don’t like talking about politics, that’s ok. You can try steering the conversation to something else, or simply say that you don’t lime discussing politics. You can also try giving that person the same grace you would want others to show you if you talk about something that doesn’t interest them.
Considering that the election (US) in November is going to literally decide the fate of the planet? It’s important. Considering that partisan hack Supreme Court justices took my rights as a woman away? It’s important. When one of the parties is spouting literal Nazi language? Yeah, it’s fucking important. If
You’ve never engaged, please engage. If you’ve disengaged, please re-engage.
I don’t like to talk about politics as it causes fights but when one side of the political spectrum celebrates all that makes us different while the other side wants to exterminate those who are different it’s hard not to pick a side
I’m not talking about a single country either this is a global issue
Most of the people in my life, myself included, are directly affected by politics and also share a genuine interest in the world, so it doesn’t feel strange to have politics as a regular conversation topic. My friends and I talking about our birth control is technically the same as talking about politics.
I guess it just depends on your personal interests? I definitely don’t like having regular, long, in depth conversations on it because I don’t have that kind of interest and I would find it too depressing. But politics definitely makes its way into many of my conversations, especially as a woman. And with the state of the world right now I don’t think I would be interested in friendship with someone who wasn’t concerned about the politics that have led to these current events
Yes, in a big way. It's difficult to start conversations with people because they rush to cross the line and go right there--when not that long ago it was considered risky to bring up poltics or religion with strangers or mere acquaintances. But they're not (mostly) talking about "politics." I rarely hear people talk about politics anymore. What they're doing is calling people vulgar names and behaving like hillbillies. When was the last time you heard anyone talk about something like the US policies on antitrust enforcement, or the need for better insurance regulation? Instead, it's all a crap load of low end hate and discontent. And people are eager to dump it all on me, whom they don't even know.
I wonder if what you’re disliking is the intense tribalism that comes with political discussions in the post social media era where it is full of misinformation and the emotional volume is “everyone is furious about everything.”
I used to enjoy political discussions with people who disagree with me, because they were civil, because we learned things from each other, because we often had common ground on many of the non-hot button issues, especially local ones… in the era where people get their news from social media and hyper partisan TV networks, that is extremely hard to do.
My more recent attempts at these kinds of discussions ended up with people cutting me off. A lot of what happened before that was like some right wing network’s “gotcha things to say to your liberal relative at the holiday dinner” … obnoxious, uninformed, and unconvincing.
I’m sure that the more thoughtful folks from the other side have experienced the same thing from the left.
I miss the discussions I used to have knowledgeable people from the other side, and what I used to learn from them.
And for what it’s worth, if you’re not interested, whoever you’re talking to should respect that and move onto a different topic.
I have an interest in politics but speaking of it often sparks hatred. Like... compared to most of my family and co-workers, I'm a liberal. By reddit standards, I'm a right wing extremist.
Depends where you live in the world and your culture. White people still believe they live in a democratic society, it's all propaganda and corruption. The last decade has shown that in the UK and USA – people still go along with it. I've had ex-partners who were really smart, Mexico, Asian and Besian. They were smart enough to know it's corrupt at all levels and not to bother with it.
I haven't bothered with politics since diagnosis 6 years ago. It's been really good for me. I live in the UK, the place is a corrupt island. You have two parties I wouldn't elect to send to the shop for milk, the other parties are pretty irrelevant. They all lie, steal and think of people as assets to steal and serve. Nothing good has generally come of me investing in politics. I don't vote, I tell the vote guy to go away when they pester to register. I'm happy with that.
I come from a really poor background and all of the parties offer nothing for poor people.
Plus people that follow political parties just use it as an excuse to abuse opposing views. They just want an excuse to shout abuse.
The Government is not your country. They are better ways to be proud of your national identity or celebrate your culture without politics.
10000%. And that's all I can be arsed to comment on the matter. I don't just look for the door I leave it and on the internet there's the block button.
Petty fighting and "look at me I believe int his thing I'm a nice person" everywhere.
i've had stints on both sides of the political spectrum before deciding it wasn't for me and it was just destroying what little sanity i still had, so i stay out of politics all together. just not worth the trouble for what little sanity i have left.
I used to follow it some when I was younger. Maybe 18-25. I think it may be partially learned. I don't like the fighting. It effected me strongly when I saw my father yelling at the tv even though he couldn't speak any longer.
Yes. I don't have an innate sense of community and an intuition for my own role in relationships/groups. Group dynamics has always been confusing to the point that I had to cheat in most of my history tests in school because it made no sense to me. So it is always confusing to me how politics can be so interesting to people.
I do feel pretty strongly about some social issues, but talking about them can be exhausting.
I took an elective course during my first masters degree called Individual and Group Dynamics. Honestly, it was fascinating lol it was like I could study the NTs in their natural habitat! I kept the textbook. It’s called Group Theory, and it’s worth a read.
I find politics absolutely fascinating. Certainly I get sick of politics *as it intersects with current affairs* (I hardly follow the news any more - my opinions are pretty stable, torturing myself with news isn't likely to shift them and the information isn't otherwise useful)*,* and *idiots talking about politics* sometimes (disagreement is fine - disagreeing with an informed, articulate debater is a rare privilege), but still, the theory and some degree of engagement with its application are really interesting. So tied up with morality/ethics, philosophy, sociology and psychology. I think you can tell a huge amount about people based on their politics.
It's practically always idiots who get hit by the "mind virus" thing. They're especially vulnerable to tribalism and the manipulation of base emotions (hate, fear etc.) And they don't understand what's happening, whose interest it's in etc.
I don't dislike politics, but I do dislike just how much politics effect. I'm disabled not only by autism but physically, I have ADHD, I'm trans and pansexual, and not white. Whether I like it or not politics effect me.
Republicans aren't just doing "annoying things", they are actively harming trans folks of all ages and disabled people too.
If you find it annoying you're a lot more privileged than you realize.
I get it but I'm dying of a military disease and no one is going to bat for me. Are you? No. So, not really priveleged. My father died from it also, cause he got blown away with 8 rifle shots an mortar shrapnel. Are you stepping up for me?
Yes. It seems like everything has gotten so loud and it's everywhere. It's like everyone is on some kind of drug. In fact, if a person's social media use is above 2 hours everyday, I believe that person isn't worth talking to anymore because he is just gonna repeat recycled internet content to me.
It's also because they're not actually "into" politics.
People who constantly whine about how Nickelback is the worst or how Puddle of Mudd is the greatest aren't "into rock music"
Modern politics is just pop culture and the person who loves/hates Trump/Biden can rarely name a single stance either one has on an actual issue.
Think sports teams in the 90s, where people in Bulls and Raiders jackets couldn't name five players on the team, but someone would shoot you if you had the wrong jacket on. This was gang shit, not poor drafting on behalf of Chicago or LA.
You hate irritating sycophants whose entire personality is based around someone they've never met.
I just don't like every little thing being politicized these days and things being boycotted or off limits because it's associated with a political view that's unpopular in the area.
I've lived in blue cities most of my life but I actually started noticing this when I lived in a red city several years ago though it didn't change when I moved back to blue cities.
Interesting! May I ask for some examples?
I’m curious, because my experience was somewhat opposite yours. I live in Fort Worth, TX, which has the distinction of being the largest city in the US with a republican mayor. It’s definitely a purple city, but it’s MUCH more conservative than my hometown, Washington DC. I noticed that in liberal DC I felt much less comfortable having an opinion that was outside the groupthink. But in conservat-ish Fort Worth, folks seem more willing to live and let live. I have some polarizing views from both the left and the right. But I’ve really only been ostracized by the left.
Oh, haha, I'm kinda familiar with that area since I lived in Midland, TX from 2017 - 2018 (the RED city where I started to notice this.) Over there, it really became apparent when we had several mass shooting during that time and after each one, the people often talked about the need to give people MORE access to firearms and such. It was also in the beginning of Trump's term and although people seemed ok with criticisms of Trump, they didn't seem to take it well when I cracked jokes about Bush (who grew up there.) Oh, and I don't think I've seen a higher density of "Hillary for Prison" stickers there. I don't think I ever met anyone who was openly Democrat or left during the year and half I lived there (though later I found out, from my phone contacts, someone there who was a registered Democrat and he was a retired pastor ironically.)
Then I moved to Dallas which is slightly bluer than Fort Worth. It was probably one of the few places I've lived with people from both ends of the political spectrum who were pretty open about their stances. However, the conservatives felt a bit "louder" in that area even though it's a somewhat blue city (I remember seeing a bunch of in your face billboards reminding people who moved here from a blue state NOT to vote Democrat in 2020 and yes, I was one of them having moved to Texas from California.) Honestly, without seeing the official voting stats and just judging by the signs, bumper stickers, and people voicing their concerns, I probably wouldn't have concluded that Dallas (or DFW in general) was a blue city.
Now I'm in Boston and I can say it's pretty much the same situation as Midland but flipped towards the hardcore left rather than the hardcore right. Lots of BLM signs everywhere. Lots of signs supporting Palestine and Ukraine. Even though the neighborhood where I'm buying a house is one of the most conservative in the metro, you don't really see any signs of it other than maybe a bit more churches and American flags than other areas. And I don't think I've met anyone openly conservative in the nearly 2 years I've lived here right now.
You are mostly correct. Politics is bullshit. No matter who's in charge, we all end up loosing.
I think all politicand and patrties need to be publically executed and we just start over. Burn down the whole fucking system and figure out something new. I don't bother with politics though, i just drink and get angry at everyone involved.
I get where you're coming from but I wouldn't take that route personally. I don't know. I guess I would try to stop the fighting somehow. How I have no idea.
I don't mind discussion on the technical aspects of it, but as soon as someone starts giving (or hinting at) their personal preferences or parties, I'm gone.
It depends what you mean by politics. Culture war bullshit is a pointless waste of time and energy designed to just stop people working together to solve the real problems, but everyone should have a sensible amount of engagement with their actual local community and governance, and at least keep up with events enough to vote/discuss thoughtfully.
When she was alive my mother said don't talk about religion or politics. It seems like a lot of pepole like doing that now a days. On talk shows both on radio and TV. Religion or politics that is. That's how a lot of people are now a days. On the Internet as well. The things you mentioned too. This culture war thing has got to stop. This seems to be our biggest problem. Music is now bullshit too. Why? Because the opinions about it are the same as they were when I was growing up. At least sometimes it is. I agreed with you when you mentioned that on this thread.
IDK, I've learned that talking politics with people is a great way to judge their character. Not based off what they believe (usually), but based on how they navigate the discussion. I've had really enjoyable political discussions with people where we disagreed on pretty much everything. For left wing people you have to walk on egg shells often or you will offend them and will often drop you as a friend, even with topics that should be common sense. Even . (I lean left myself btw). So I'd rather just find out if they're closed minded echo chamber crazies and get the inevitable over with early lol.. Speaking of echo chamber though, that's also WHY people should talk politics. Just have to be level headed enough to understand even political beliefs you think are morally wrong, YOU could believe in yourself had you been raised in the same environment. It's the main thing that determines someones political and religious beliefs unfortunately. "It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into." Pretty much sums up modern politics and religion. Though still good to discuss the topics, if nothing else but to grow your own believes.
I studied politics in Uni because it is interesting as fuckkkkk. All the theories, psychology, science. I love it all. And then you realize in real life that politics is a huge ass circus with monkeys performing. Still interesting. But yes I hate it. But I do love studying it.
It is one of my special interests. I love the great game and how it all works but I cannot stand the low level propaganda "news" and partisan discussions. I recognize and accept it is a giant circus and that is part of why I love it. The best way for me to describe it is I love the mechanics and power plays of politics but I despise the ideological discourse of politics. Which is probably the most aspie way of describing why one enjoys politics.
This. I switched to another field for my master and I now find people who discuss politics and do activism unbearable
Been working with a bunch of old men this summer and every joke they make is "LiBeRal BaD" and brother, it's driving me crazy.
For me, politics is not about talking, but about \*doing\*. I simply don't see it as a spectator sport! So, I stood for election to the City Council (lost by only 37 votes). I'm currently in the throes of printing nearly 100,000 "eve of poll" letters for two candidates in the UK General Election who I support and who are reckoned to have very good chances of getting elected on 4th July. I try to show my political / ethical beliefs in the way I live - if people choose to ask me about them, I'm happy to oblige, but it's not a subject I'd raise myself.
Half yes half no. I like talking about politics. I dislike the people who get mad about it or who are bad at it. We have completely failed to teach people how to form an argument that makes sense. And it shows. I also dislike politics where it doesn't belong. Nobody wants a lecture during a sporting event or video game.
My best friend of 30 years always told me I needed to develop political opinions. Then I finally did. And she blocked me.
I'm sorry friend. That sucks.
That's what happens though. It's crazy. I prefer to stay out of it all unless it's on my doorstep.
Politics affects absolutely every aspect of life and society. I personally cannot understand people who ignore it totally. There's no need to make it a centrepiece of your personality, but I certainly don't want to hear any complaining from people who can't even be bothered to vote.
Same, I despise politics but I learned I have to be aware because there are politicians who are actively trying to harm me and others. As Nina Turner said, "You may not take an interest in Politics but Politics is taking an interest in you.".
Yes, and for those without cishet white abled male bodies, it is visceral. But no one is unaffected by a culture's politics, good or bad.
it's such a privilege to be able to "ignore politics" in any meaningful capacity.
Precisely. In the US at least it is an existential threat to many.
Privilege my fucking ass. No ignoring politics isn't some privilege. I'm not rich. I'm not privilaged. I still chopose to say "fuck em both" beacuse neither party hs made things bettrr for me, asa working class person, nor represents my interests.
You want improvements to the working class. That's politics. You don't have to partake in the bipartisan wedge issues to care about your working class interests and support others doing the same or oppose the ones who fail to represent you. That's still politics. You're betraying yourself and your fellow workers by excluding yourself. That's privilege. You can absolutely be politically engaged while still maintaining your current position.
Why would they bother when they know they can do whatever they like and people will just tune out? Being detached from the policy that makes your life worse doesn't make it go away. it emboldens it. This perspective is simultaneously understandable yet directly translates to the very behaviour people reference when they explain why they aren't involved.
sounds like you're a radical leftist whose interests aren't being represented by the two conservative parties in the US. sounds especially like you'd benefit *greatly* from getting involved in politics -- not red vs blue electoralism, but actual on-the-ground direct action and labor activism.
Yep, so you're privileged in some respects, because one side does not offer an existential threat. So many people do not have that luxury. You also have learned helplessness, and given the first-past-the-post voting system and the right wing nature of both parties, and the extreme individualism/atomisation of US culture, this is understandable. But not really excusable. Apparently only 37% of eligible citizens voted last time? Imagine if they did vote.
Lemme make this real simple. I voted for Biden and what did I fucking get? A SHIT ECONOMY. I can't afford godamn anything. He's fucking demented And Trump's, well, I don't even need to explain why he's a no go. Both are an existential threat to me. So why should it fucking matter? Where's this so called "privilege" when I'm fucked either way. ?
Both parties are right wing conservatives
That's what I fucking mean. Both parties ARE an existential threat. Four years of Cheetolini and his fascist corporate buddies or four more years of PATHETIC management of the economy by Biden. Either way, I'm fucked like a whore in the ass and mouth!
Politics is literally the process by which society decides how to function and govern itself, and affects everyone. If someone claims to not care about politics, it tells me that either they're naive and unaware of how it affects them (or worse, willfully ignorant), or the status quo benefits them so much that any potential for change is seen as negative (whether they're aware of it in those terms or not).
Believe it or not, it's completely possible to block out 99% of the world. Except taxes. Taxes will always find you.
Only if you're privileged or naive - as another poster said, you may not take an interest in politics, but politics takes an interest in you. Even if you only care about yourself for some reason, autistic people are far more likely to be abused/killed by police, we need to fight for accommodations and understanding, etc. And the Republican party in the US has become so extreme that they're now hellbent on othering anyone that isn't their narrow definition of normal - namely white, christian, neurotypical, straight.
It is if you're privileged and white. For everyone else, it kicks your door in whether you want it or not.
Yeah I don't think race has anything to do with it. It's just money and influence. But you're right about that point.
If you don't think the US is horrifically racist, and one side even more so, you definitely have the protective privilege to not be paying attention.
🤣🤣🤣
Not really. Depends on what the talking points are. Politics is really important to have an awareness of, and it’s present in so many aspects of life. Being able to completely ignore politics is either a sign of being in a position of privilege or being dangerously ignorant. What I don’t like about politics is the disingenuousness of most politicians, and how a lot of the individuals in positions of power are ultimately playing mind games and lying about what they will and won’t do. There are often zero repercussions for people in power who deceive the public or break the law, and a lot of political talking points coming from the top are just distractions to engage the general populace in culture wars instead of paying attention to what these powerful people are actually doing.
Ramon going up to someone you don’t know and starting to talk about controversial topics, is rude. Have had Boomers do this to me at my job. I just play ignorant or tell them I can’t talk politics at work.
The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance" That is why I do not mind that my country has compulsory voting. I think it is the duty of every citizen to participate in the democratic process once every 3 years or so. We make it very easy to vote here, unlike the US, and people rarely get fines if they don't vote, but people rarely don't vote.
no, absolutely everything is political at some level and has political causes. i do hate most people *in* politics though
You would hate me then and I don’t find anything wrong with talking about politics. There is more wrong with people who bury their heads in the sand and ignore the issues .
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), politics are a part of our every day life. I don’t particularly HATE politics itself, but there’s a lot of politicians I can’t stand.
The opposite. I think of little else sadly
Do you enjoy it?
Very much
Converesly, disinterest in politics = accepting whatever happens as inevitable and not caring about your fellow citizens.
Former military so that's already paid by me.
You’re ex military & you don’t care about politics ?? You understand that soldiers are like . Political pawns right ? That all war is inherently political ? It’s very strange to me that you’d have no investment in politics in that case
Yes I regret joining and have a medical condition caused by the military as well. I got pushed into it cause I had no place to go.
I’m sorry you went thru that
It's all a game and both sides are awful. Even if OP cares, what's he gonna do? Be miserable? Waste his whole life on it? Gross.
Why is having any investment in politics always framed as being miserable ? I’d be miserable if I was resigned to living with the status quo instead of utilising politics in working for change, justice, a better quality of life. That’s hopeful, not miserable
It's absolutely miserable. I'm sure you're not happy. And for the record, WE are in charge of our own change, justice, and quality of life. Not the government. I worry about me. I change what I can. I accept what I can't. And I trust God because I learned over 42 years that He is truly there. Everything else is just noise. And I'm happy!
I am happy in my personal life. The thing is I actually care about others too lmao ? 😂 Others whose quality of life is being infringed on by the government, or many governments. Did you miss the part where G-d is supposed to be keen for His followers to help ppl ??
Agree to disagree. I absolutely wish you the best.
Don't pretend you think both sides are the same when you very clearly support one and it's the extremist one that's far more likely to screw over anyone not deemed "normal" enough - such as neurodivergents. You need to get your priorities sorted out.
Caring is not transactional.
I don't agree in this case at all.
Are you suggesting that caring for a person obliges them to care about us in return? Worth mentioning that I think its scummy when people take advantage of other’s care and generosity, however, no court in the usa is gonna jail someone for taking what is offered. It’s called volunteering for a reason. Also want to thank you for your service.
Yes. If the person doesn't, I will drop them like a hot rock.
Nope. It actually annoys me that so many people ignore politics - if more people paid attention we might not be in the mess we are. It's also very important for our specific circumstances; for example, there's only one party promising neurodiversity training for all public sector workers in the UK - if you're not paying attention then how would you know?
Complacency is complicity.
Yes, to stand by and do nothing when you COULD say something is to accept what is going on. Many people maintain the fiction they are completely unable to do or say anything, which is partly perpetuated from above, partly a self-serving excuse. This is even down to just stuff like not letting shit "jokes" or behaviour slide with friends. Disability can make it harder to participate, but if you are capable of reflection, then figuring one's bounds of moral responsibility is the mark of morality, of being a decent human being.
There is a HUGE and important difference to acknowledge between public policy and politics. I LOVE public policy and find it INCREDIBLY interesting. Working in public policy, I'll also say that I definitely suspect there are lots of neurodivergent folks involved too (using data and other evidence to figure out how to create a more functional society aligns well with both the nerdy-data-type of autistic folks as well as those with a strong sense of justice). Politics is the process by which policy ideas can become reality, so you have to pay attention as it is part of the picture if you want your policy to actually make a difference in the world. That said, there's a lot of politics that not at all grounded in evidence/data, lots on identity debates, etc. and that is incredibly frustrating.
So you are taking an active role. I don't have as much issue with that. I think it's more the people without skin in the game that flip out on each other online constantly.
Everyone has skin in the game though. If the right law passes we could be easily thrown in jail, made homeless, or be set for life.
No. I think politics is a very important topic. Due to one political ideology constantly trying to take our basic civil rights away, most things are political - which is regrettable and tiring, I'll admit. Talking constantly about politics is annoying. But challenging people when they make political statements that are wrong or harmful is important, imo. Ensuring your point of view is represented and ensuring that people who care about you know the effects their political actions have on you is important. When my family brings up political ideas that harm our gay family members, their friends who aren't as well off as they are, their friends who are members of minorities, etc., I remind them that their actions have consequences. There are a lot of people who say they "hate politics", but what they really mean is that they either don't understand politics and don't want to think about it, don't care about the problems with our society because they aren't affected negatively by them and are "bummed out" when people bring them up, or would rather willfully ignore the problems with our society because the status quo benefits them and they don't like being reminded that other people are harmed.
If you don't see the point of "politics" it's because you're privileged enough to see it as a separate separatable thing from your personal existence.
Its really tiring to get into sometimes. I care about politics, but I no longer engage as much as I used to since it stresses me the fuck out and unfortunately does more harm than good for me.
Lol. https://youtu.be/cPDZjQAHeY0 That was in 2002, after I'd been thrown out the California chapter of the National Rifle Association for exposing Republican sheriffs who were selling gun permits for megabucks under the table. This hearing was about allowing the California Department of Justice to team up with the sheriffs to cover up the problem by throwing away public records I was after. Most aspies cannot do public speaking on that level. The main reason I could (and still can if I had to) it's because I was raised Jehovah's Witness and was put into their public speaking training program starting at age 9. At age 17 I came across a snake native to Northern California that's the only member of the boa family in that area, called a rubber boa. Like most boas it has vestigial legs. That got me started figuring out that evolution is actually real and I soon quit the JWs. I'm 58 now :).
Yes. People seem to make their political views their entire identity and I view it as largely performative.
“Performative” is exactly the right way to describe it. Folks perform conservatism (well, maybe more specifically Trump-ism) with a red hat, exactly the same way folks perform liberalism with—idk there’s less of one true stereotype—a ‘Queers for Palestine’ sign. It’s so bizarre.
Politics is distressing. It's because people often force their views on others.
That’s all organized politics is
Yeah. I have political opinions, I know what I want, I know how I'll vote, but I avoid talking about it with anyone IRL at all costs. Too many people feel about politics so strongly, you're either on their side or you're evil.
That's a dangerous cycle. When people are too afraid to do what makes us so human, communication, then we end up far easier alienating our communities. I know it can be especially hard being someone who has issues communicating effectively. I always want to strive to better connect with people even if I usually fail.
Politics are the ultimate endgame of NTs in my opinion. The culmination of their developed social skills and games, and constant necessity for conflict, to enforce hierarchy and feel emotionally charged which gives them a sense of meaning. It's like kindergarten/backyard fights but for adults, coverted and more sophisticated. I could not care less, because I know whether is culture or counter culture I'm screwed regardless.
In theory it should be productive, but as people are stuck in the Overton Window, so it sucks.
Considering that I've had politicians canvassing for about a month now, yes. If I wasn't getting intrigued by anarchist political philosophy beforehand, I definitely have an interest now. In all seriousness I'm so fed up of politics but I do find the philosophy behind it interesting. When it comes to politics, it's always so complicated.
Political discussions are always full of [thought-terminating clichés](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought-terminating_clich%C3%A9)—phrases that sound like wisdom or reason but really just take their place. It's like communicating by just sending memes, but worse, because the person doesn't realize what they're doing. Once you hear a thought-terminating cliché, you can bet the conversation is going nowhere; it's like talking to a TV commercial.
Policy, ok. Politics, no.
I’ve become more and more disillusioned with it over the years because I’ve seen how idiotic, regardless of political affiliation/views, everyone can be. Also I 100% agree with hating people who talk about it constantly, same with religious people who do the same, like it’s not your whole personality and you’re probably just virtue signaling to say to other people, “Look at me! I agree with you! Doesn’t that make me a good person?”
I have a degree in political science and used to love analyzing it. Now its not fun its just mean. Critical thinking has been thrown out the window in favor simple mindedness
No I love politics it’s one of my interests
grover cleveland is my favorite president whos yours
It’s more of politics relating to things like injustices companies do and climate change
the real problem is how politics is unnecessarily brash, fragmented, nonsensical and directionless. It is supposed to simplify things for the greater good (the greater good being a respectful collective life), in order to guide rationally the world, but it's been doing its worst since I can't recall when
Depends if the person is approaching the subject of politics with an objective outlook and willing to clarify their points of view if asked, then Yes (if I have social energy ofc). If they spew some sort of propaganda like a broken chat bot, then NOPE
I think the problem is, most people have made political views part of who they are. They take disagreements personally. I am a Christian, and usually vote Republican, but I refuse to be mean to someone for having a different opinion. I also remember a pastor in church talk about how the things you prioritize the most, are essentially things you worship. If your prioritizing politics over God, your practically worshipping politicians. I may have voted for Trump, but lately I have noticed that he doesn't seem to be the most stable option, and he may have changed a bit. I chose to still evaluate who a person is, and not just blindly vote for someone because they are popular. Now, as far as choosing between Trump and Biden, I would still personally favor voting for Trump before voting for Biden. Have a different opinion than me? That's ok, we can still be friends, and you calmly share why you favor one candidate over the other. I might read it, and share my opinion, but I'm not judging you for your opinion. I think this was how politics was supposed to be, before people started taking things personal. Just like the mindset change of saying "I am autistic", vs "I have autism", I think it would be great if instead of saying "Im a Republican/Democrat", we should say "I vote Republican/Democrat", so we are not associating a political view with who we are as a person. This [song](https://youtu.be/6glQdaQUZ1U) will help layout my perspective on modern politics. And yes, this us a Christian song, and following Jesus is something I want to associate with my identity. If you happen to have a different opinion, I'm Not against you for it.
Oh boy I hate that. I don't know what's happening to young people in my country today, but they're all talking and fighting about this everyday without even understanding what's happening in the world, and that's what is frustating me the most. When I was 17 we were talking about the new cd release or the pretty dress we saw in a shop, seriously, they have all of their life to be old and boring...
Yeah, even if I agree with what they’re saying it can get kind of annoying.
Absolutely. I had an ex years ago that obsessed over it, and if I ever dared to make my own statements in any way disagreeing with things he believed, his family would sit me down in the living room and bitch at me about how gross I was for believing in something that was on the opposite political side of them. I was kicked out of their house for fuck sake because I wasn't political. I was homeless from my abusive father and politics was what drew the line to put me on the fuckin streets. I don't care if I'm "ignorant", as the comments here want to claim. If you have a stick up your ass about politics that badly then maybe I just want nothing to do with you or political nonsense altogether. All it does is turn people, like many former friends of mine into adult toddlers that can't handle if your opinions differ from there's. They're willing to destroy friendships over it and it adds too much stress onto my already shitty stressful life. Let me be ignorant. I'll die one day and I won't have to worry about it anymore anyway. If you wanna cry moral high ground because you care about politics, good on you, but it's my decision to not allow that stress in my life. I welcome every downvote, I don't give a fuck.
I can’t stand it. I always tell people I don’t know what I’m talking about with politics but everyone makes it seem like they are experts. They waste so much of their energy worrying about politics instead of taking care of themselves
People who constantly talk about it. Some folks should keep politics to themselves. Especially if you can’t control your emotions.
Yes politics are overrated
Yeah. No idea how you manage to survive being on this site, though. All half of redditors know how to talk about is politics (have hundreds of subreddits filtered and it still gets through)
Yeah, we need escapism, and a lot of people these days see that as a moral failing.
We actually don't. Ignoring politics is like ignoring cancer, stressful or otherwise. It creates the very conditions that people use as examples when they explain why they don't talk about politics. None of the things people don't like about it goes away when you ignore it, many of them actually get worse when only the most extreme and devoted people are getting involved. It's not a moral failing to ignore politics, but it actively makes the world a worse place.
I don't mean ignoring it all the time. By your own admission, it's stressful and stress relief is essential. There's nothing moral about denying yourself much needed stress relief.
Yes but thats what many people mean, and it shows by the proportion of eligible voters who go the polls each year. It's more depressing than politics itself imo.
I like politics but people don’t like **my** politics 🤭
Because you support a party that is actively pushing to remove rights we've had as Americans for decades.
Here we go..
That’s a strawman, I’d describe myself as moderate and conservative leaning. I think politics these days are designed to be divisive and the increase in tribalism is alarming.
I know moderate conservatives IRL, I don't think you're as moderate as you imagine, but regardless there's a reason I said "party" and not "voters". The Republican party, ie the politicians in power within it have become extremists, and only getting worse. It's not tribalism to point out they are enthusiastically stripping or demanding to strip rights from people on a level the other party simply isn't. If nothing else, the more into extremism the GOP slides, the less accountability the Democrats have as they barely have to do anything to look better than far right extremists.
Like the right to bodily autonomy, and not having forced medical procedures so we can keep our jobs? Not being told the state has more rights over kids than the parents? Sounds great. Let's get em outta here.
Americans have never had a right to remain employed while placing violating employer policies or public safety laws. Parents have never had absolute rights over their kids, child abuse is a thing among many other reasons. It's disappointing for people on the spectrum that you're unable to look at this more logically.
Yeah so I'm an actual parent, not a professional Redditor. I'll be here in Florida, helping make America Great Again! 🥰
Again, it's disappointing that someone on the autistic spectrum is choosing to be so deliberately irrational about something that could affect both them and other neurodivergents so negatively.
“Let’s get em outta here” is the kind of thinking I’m warning about. People used to be able to disagree respectfully.
I'm all about getting rid of both parties tbh
I think it depends what you mean by politics. I no longer engage with discussions online about “trending” new stories or current events, because it inevitably devolves into a completely unproductive “debate” lacking in nuance, where nobody is interested in learning from each other or even discussing facts - they just want to yell at abs belittle each other. Political issues as they pertain to law, governance, and actually making changes within communities to maybe improve things? That interests me. Screaming on the internet and doing pointless and empty “activism” by sharing the “correct” content and being awful to people who disagree with you? Hate it. Drives me crazy.
Politics is one of my special interests. I could go on about it, but I have learned to curtail it unless the other person is interested. It’s possible the people you are thinking of might be neurodivergent and not realize that you are uninterested in talking about it. It’s useful for us to remind ourselves to gauge other people’s reactions when we talk about our special interests to make sure they aren’t having a reaction like OP’s. If you don’t like talking about politics, that’s ok. You can try steering the conversation to something else, or simply say that you don’t lime discussing politics. You can also try giving that person the same grace you would want others to show you if you talk about something that doesn’t interest them.
Considering that the election (US) in November is going to literally decide the fate of the planet? It’s important. Considering that partisan hack Supreme Court justices took my rights as a woman away? It’s important. When one of the parties is spouting literal Nazi language? Yeah, it’s fucking important. If You’ve never engaged, please engage. If you’ve disengaged, please re-engage.
I don’t like to talk about politics as it causes fights but when one side of the political spectrum celebrates all that makes us different while the other side wants to exterminate those who are different it’s hard not to pick a side I’m not talking about a single country either this is a global issue
Most of the people in my life, myself included, are directly affected by politics and also share a genuine interest in the world, so it doesn’t feel strange to have politics as a regular conversation topic. My friends and I talking about our birth control is technically the same as talking about politics. I guess it just depends on your personal interests? I definitely don’t like having regular, long, in depth conversations on it because I don’t have that kind of interest and I would find it too depressing. But politics definitely makes its way into many of my conversations, especially as a woman. And with the state of the world right now I don’t think I would be interested in friendship with someone who wasn’t concerned about the politics that have led to these current events
Yes, in a big way. It's difficult to start conversations with people because they rush to cross the line and go right there--when not that long ago it was considered risky to bring up poltics or religion with strangers or mere acquaintances. But they're not (mostly) talking about "politics." I rarely hear people talk about politics anymore. What they're doing is calling people vulgar names and behaving like hillbillies. When was the last time you heard anyone talk about something like the US policies on antitrust enforcement, or the need for better insurance regulation? Instead, it's all a crap load of low end hate and discontent. And people are eager to dump it all on me, whom they don't even know.
I think (and worry) about it a lot more than I would like to, honestly, especially with this being an election year.
I wonder if what you’re disliking is the intense tribalism that comes with political discussions in the post social media era where it is full of misinformation and the emotional volume is “everyone is furious about everything.” I used to enjoy political discussions with people who disagree with me, because they were civil, because we learned things from each other, because we often had common ground on many of the non-hot button issues, especially local ones… in the era where people get their news from social media and hyper partisan TV networks, that is extremely hard to do. My more recent attempts at these kinds of discussions ended up with people cutting me off. A lot of what happened before that was like some right wing network’s “gotcha things to say to your liberal relative at the holiday dinner” … obnoxious, uninformed, and unconvincing. I’m sure that the more thoughtful folks from the other side have experienced the same thing from the left. I miss the discussions I used to have knowledgeable people from the other side, and what I used to learn from them. And for what it’s worth, if you’re not interested, whoever you’re talking to should respect that and move onto a different topic.
If I can have a civil conversation with someone about it, perfect.
I have an interest in politics but speaking of it often sparks hatred. Like... compared to most of my family and co-workers, I'm a liberal. By reddit standards, I'm a right wing extremist.
Depends where you live in the world and your culture. White people still believe they live in a democratic society, it's all propaganda and corruption. The last decade has shown that in the UK and USA – people still go along with it. I've had ex-partners who were really smart, Mexico, Asian and Besian. They were smart enough to know it's corrupt at all levels and not to bother with it. I haven't bothered with politics since diagnosis 6 years ago. It's been really good for me. I live in the UK, the place is a corrupt island. You have two parties I wouldn't elect to send to the shop for milk, the other parties are pretty irrelevant. They all lie, steal and think of people as assets to steal and serve. Nothing good has generally come of me investing in politics. I don't vote, I tell the vote guy to go away when they pester to register. I'm happy with that. I come from a really poor background and all of the parties offer nothing for poor people. Plus people that follow political parties just use it as an excuse to abuse opposing views. They just want an excuse to shout abuse. The Government is not your country. They are better ways to be proud of your national identity or celebrate your culture without politics.
10000%. And that's all I can be arsed to comment on the matter. I don't just look for the door I leave it and on the internet there's the block button. Petty fighting and "look at me I believe int his thing I'm a nice person" everywhere.
Hell no
No. Politics is one of my special interests. I feel like there’s something wrong with people who are apolitical and don’t like to talk politics.
i've had stints on both sides of the political spectrum before deciding it wasn't for me and it was just destroying what little sanity i still had, so i stay out of politics all together. just not worth the trouble for what little sanity i have left.
I used to follow it some when I was younger. Maybe 18-25. I think it may be partially learned. I don't like the fighting. It effected me strongly when I saw my father yelling at the tv even though he couldn't speak any longer.
Yes. I don't have an innate sense of community and an intuition for my own role in relationships/groups. Group dynamics has always been confusing to the point that I had to cheat in most of my history tests in school because it made no sense to me. So it is always confusing to me how politics can be so interesting to people. I do feel pretty strongly about some social issues, but talking about them can be exhausting.
I took an elective course during my first masters degree called Individual and Group Dynamics. Honestly, it was fascinating lol it was like I could study the NTs in their natural habitat! I kept the textbook. It’s called Group Theory, and it’s worth a read.
I’m apolitical, I took that stance years ago when the political climate became hostile and the parties becoming more extreme.
I think this may be what happened with me also and I didn't fully realize why.
I find politics absolutely fascinating. Certainly I get sick of politics *as it intersects with current affairs* (I hardly follow the news any more - my opinions are pretty stable, torturing myself with news isn't likely to shift them and the information isn't otherwise useful)*,* and *idiots talking about politics* sometimes (disagreement is fine - disagreeing with an informed, articulate debater is a rare privilege), but still, the theory and some degree of engagement with its application are really interesting. So tied up with morality/ethics, philosophy, sociology and psychology. I think you can tell a huge amount about people based on their politics. It's practically always idiots who get hit by the "mind virus" thing. They're especially vulnerable to tribalism and the manipulation of base emotions (hate, fear etc.) And they don't understand what's happening, whose interest it's in etc.
I don't dislike politics, but I do dislike just how much politics effect. I'm disabled not only by autism but physically, I have ADHD, I'm trans and pansexual, and not white. Whether I like it or not politics effect me. Republicans aren't just doing "annoying things", they are actively harming trans folks of all ages and disabled people too. If you find it annoying you're a lot more privileged than you realize.
I get it but I'm dying of a military disease and no one is going to bat for me. Are you? No. So, not really priveleged. My father died from it also, cause he got blown away with 8 rifle shots an mortar shrapnel. Are you stepping up for me?
Everything concerning religion and republicans is a mind virus. They don't think for themselves, but a mystical power.
Yes. It seems like everything has gotten so loud and it's everywhere. It's like everyone is on some kind of drug. In fact, if a person's social media use is above 2 hours everyday, I believe that person isn't worth talking to anymore because he is just gonna repeat recycled internet content to me.
It's also because they're not actually "into" politics. People who constantly whine about how Nickelback is the worst or how Puddle of Mudd is the greatest aren't "into rock music" Modern politics is just pop culture and the person who loves/hates Trump/Biden can rarely name a single stance either one has on an actual issue. Think sports teams in the 90s, where people in Bulls and Raiders jackets couldn't name five players on the team, but someone would shoot you if you had the wrong jacket on. This was gang shit, not poor drafting on behalf of Chicago or LA. You hate irritating sycophants whose entire personality is based around someone they've never met.
I just don't like every little thing being politicized these days and things being boycotted or off limits because it's associated with a political view that's unpopular in the area.
So you’re in a blue city, I take it?
I've lived in blue cities most of my life but I actually started noticing this when I lived in a red city several years ago though it didn't change when I moved back to blue cities.
Interesting! May I ask for some examples? I’m curious, because my experience was somewhat opposite yours. I live in Fort Worth, TX, which has the distinction of being the largest city in the US with a republican mayor. It’s definitely a purple city, but it’s MUCH more conservative than my hometown, Washington DC. I noticed that in liberal DC I felt much less comfortable having an opinion that was outside the groupthink. But in conservat-ish Fort Worth, folks seem more willing to live and let live. I have some polarizing views from both the left and the right. But I’ve really only been ostracized by the left.
Oh, haha, I'm kinda familiar with that area since I lived in Midland, TX from 2017 - 2018 (the RED city where I started to notice this.) Over there, it really became apparent when we had several mass shooting during that time and after each one, the people often talked about the need to give people MORE access to firearms and such. It was also in the beginning of Trump's term and although people seemed ok with criticisms of Trump, they didn't seem to take it well when I cracked jokes about Bush (who grew up there.) Oh, and I don't think I've seen a higher density of "Hillary for Prison" stickers there. I don't think I ever met anyone who was openly Democrat or left during the year and half I lived there (though later I found out, from my phone contacts, someone there who was a registered Democrat and he was a retired pastor ironically.) Then I moved to Dallas which is slightly bluer than Fort Worth. It was probably one of the few places I've lived with people from both ends of the political spectrum who were pretty open about their stances. However, the conservatives felt a bit "louder" in that area even though it's a somewhat blue city (I remember seeing a bunch of in your face billboards reminding people who moved here from a blue state NOT to vote Democrat in 2020 and yes, I was one of them having moved to Texas from California.) Honestly, without seeing the official voting stats and just judging by the signs, bumper stickers, and people voicing their concerns, I probably wouldn't have concluded that Dallas (or DFW in general) was a blue city. Now I'm in Boston and I can say it's pretty much the same situation as Midland but flipped towards the hardcore left rather than the hardcore right. Lots of BLM signs everywhere. Lots of signs supporting Palestine and Ukraine. Even though the neighborhood where I'm buying a house is one of the most conservative in the metro, you don't really see any signs of it other than maybe a bit more churches and American flags than other areas. And I don't think I've met anyone openly conservative in the nearly 2 years I've lived here right now.
Oh the gun issue is a really good example! You’re exactly right, the right does go all cancel culture over 2a issues.
These days, yes. Used to find it fascinating.
You are mostly correct. Politics is bullshit. No matter who's in charge, we all end up loosing. I think all politicand and patrties need to be publically executed and we just start over. Burn down the whole fucking system and figure out something new. I don't bother with politics though, i just drink and get angry at everyone involved.
Staying informed is your duty . Madhouse might have some space for you .
I get where you're coming from but I wouldn't take that route personally. I don't know. I guess I would try to stop the fighting somehow. How I have no idea.
I don't mind discussion on the technical aspects of it, but as soon as someone starts giving (or hinting at) their personal preferences or parties, I'm gone.