Questions Regarding Political Dialogue

Posted on by Forest in General, Opinion

I’ve seen a lot of people asking questions related to political dialogue on their websites and in real life situations recently and I wanted to give my take on it.

Questions Regarding Political Dialogue

Questions Regarding Political Dialogue

A lot of people avoid political discussion and dialogue. It’s a deep pit once you get into a discussion and because of these reasons and the fact that it is human nature to avoid conflict people feel that it is often best to keep their opinions and ideas to themselves. In my opinion this is absolutely not ok for many reasons.

Not everything has to be political… I disagree EVERYTHING is political

In our world inter linked lives I think every aspect is political. That candy bar is political due to the ethics and business practises that go into making it. The man who just whistled at the pretty lady at the bus stop is making a political statement on how he feels it is ok to treat women. When you invest in a stock you are making a political choice, when you choose McDonald’s over Joe’s local diner and I could go on and on.

So what if you can’t change their mind?

Some people avoid getting into discussions because they feel they just can’t change the mind of someone they seriously disagree with. Well if you think someone is a total jerk because of their political views then I don’t see a reason as to why you should tolerate their hatred or spew. I am not saying you can’t get on with people you disagree with but what I am saying is that you either learn to have a constructive conversation or you fight with them or you just don’t accept them into your head space. I have many friends and read many blogs I don’t agree with. Kevin over at Financial God writes about Free Market Libertarianism, most of the time we disagree in the details but I think he is a great guy and am happy to hear his views on the world and political domain.

People won’t like me if I show my thoughts?

A lot of people probably hate that I think certain things. However I don’t care and I am much more comfortable as a person being happy to tell people what I think. I lived in Egypt for two years among Muslims, yes I said the M word! Suffice to say in certain Christian circles in America it would do me well to shut my mouth, however I am not about to do that. Muslims are not terrorists and I will find any opportunity to talk about Muslim culture, both good and bad, from my experience.

If someone doesn’t like you for your beliefs it is their problem but if someone does respect your view maybe you’ll even amend their world view?

I don’t talk about politics on my blog because 1) it’s bad for business and 2) it’s just not political

I spend a lot of time online, as you can tell, I blog too! Frugal Zeitgeist isn’t exactly a political blog but as I mentioned in my first point I think everything is political so when the chance to add even a short commentary to a topic comes up I throw my little view point out there. Sure it might push some readers away but more likely it will develop deeper conversations and create a personal voice. Voice is ever more important in business these days and I seriously think it is worth the people you lose for the people who’s respect you gain and who may learn something from your point of view.

Financial Samurai wrote in his recent 2012 predictions post “One blogger friend in a previous post highlighted an Obama scandal he’s pissed about, and when I asked him to write about it on his site, he said “he doesn’t talk politics on his blog”!  If that’s not government omnipotence, I don’t know what is!  Our leaders would not be here if we did not believe in them.” and Sam will probably be the first to tell you that you talking politics on his site has helped him gain a very interactive and much larger readership. Of course people disagree with him all the time!

Len Penzo shares his political thoughts and views every single week in his Black Coffee round up posts. Miranda shares her thoughts on her blog This Time, It’s Personal blogspot and she doesn’t hide her identity or anything. Miranda is one of the most prolific hired writers in the PF realm and I am sure her being upfront with her thoughts has not harmed her one bit.

Nothing will change anyway!

People can’t be bothered to talk about things they oppose in government or life or even do anything about it because they feel it can’t make any difference. They feel even changing things they personally think should be better in their own lives won’t help. Things like “I won’t stop eating meat because the animals will be killed anyway” or “If I use my car less it isn’t going to stop them ruining Alberta with the oil sands”. This may be the case but it only takes one person to do something and talk about it for a chain reaction to happen. As Glen pointed out in his post Consumers Still Have The Power To Enact Change GoDaddy changed their stance on the EVIL SOPA and Verizon and Bank of American backed down on proposed fees (yes I think consumer issues are political).

The government listens too to some degree and even if you feel they don’t you have to keep showing your displeasure. This is why I 100% support efforts like the #Occupy movement. People are voicing themselves. The fact that the mainstream media is making a mockery of them and the police are attacking them is just shameful.

Times when it may be ok to avoid politics

• At work if it will genuinely cost your job or clients.
• Your partner’s family the first time you meet them, maybe….

So, now the floor is yours. Say what you like and it will be published as long as it isn’t hate speech. Let me know what you think, if you are political in daily life and anything else that springs to mind.

Thanks for reading.

Tags: political dialogue, politics