- cross-posted to:
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- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
Humans evolved to pay close attention to danger, but today that instinct is being overwhelmed by an endless supply of bad news from around the world. Researchers say the answer isn’t to stop following current events—it’s to build healthier habits around how, when, and where we get our news.
Something that annoys me is the number of people who claim they don’t read/watch the news (except the weather) or use Facebook/social media anymore because it’s all bad news – and yet they still seem to have an opinion on everything that’s happening AND they still vote based on that opinion.
But I suppose that’s also bad news in and of itself, so I apologize for that.
In my experience, there are very few people who actually “don’t follow politics”.
In most cases, once I have convinced a person that I truly won’t judge them for their politics (I do, but I keep it to myself unless I think I can actually impact their way of thinking), they are usually happy to disclose their preferences and biases, which is usually plenty to determine their political leanings.
In all but a few cases, they “don’t follow politics” because they have problematic or hypocritical politics and don’t want to explain themselves.
A close-ish friend of the family is employed in data center design for in Social Media, and later Google. He is very progressive and aware of the issues that face lgbtq people in today’s age. Yet, he is completely incapable of accepting that their high paying job is contributing to the degradation of the world at large.
Long story short, if people’s livelihood is tied to fascism, they will make whatever excuses they need to to continue benefitting from that system.
I tell certain types “I don’t follow politics” when I believe that my politics will be problematic to them and I don’t want to hear about it, but the other way around from what you’re describing. The people I have to deal with have started shouting at me when I simply give a different perspective and have no chance of budging in their views at a 5 minute conversation wont override the hours of fox news they watch everyday. I live is a somewhat small community, so not only do I need to worry about these types no longer patronizing my family’s business, I also have to worry about my truck getting vandalized. I’ve actually heard one of these types proudly proclaiming they want to get into a fist fight with climate scientists.
At this point in my life, if I catch a whiff that someone is anything other than a secular humanist, I’m done. I have zero interest in any continued interaction, nor in sanitizing my perspectives to make them comfortable. Unless I am forced by extenuating circumstances, I disconnect my existence from them in every possible way.
I’m tired of trying to change narrow-minded people.
Same, but these are professional relationships. Not friendships.