Just something to get my mind off...

[mr_manifesto]

I've just added a new statement to my user info:

Contrary to common perceptions held in North America political beliefs do speak to what kind of a person you are. You can not be a good person if you inherently have bad values. It is not possible to be friends with someone who is diametrically opposed to what you believe is good and just. To do so

Comments

[silverspar]

Does this mean we can't be friends, then?

[mr_manifesto]

There is a difference between diametric opposition what is is correct and just a different position. What it means (for example) is that friendship with someone who voted for the fascist, piece of shit, excuse for a leader to the south of us would be impossible.

Everything comes in degrees. I consider you a person within reason, who is capable of having a discussion and is not on the completely wrong side of every single issue. Therefor you are someone with more than enough rational thought to engage in debate, but there is a point where someone is so wrong that the best thing you can do is stay as far away as you can from them.

[weirdchylde]

i used to be awesome friends with this person from my high school, but after a while i found she was just much too religious (she's not now) and her mood swings were just too intense for me. it is hard to keep a relationship with someone whose beliefs are very different than yours.

[mr_manifesto]

I usually try to stay away from people that I know are on the opposite end of the spectrum. I had little problems doing this when I lived in Portugal because people aren't often friends with others that have a completely different view of the world.

The problem I have found here, is that although you can still make sure that your friends have an outlook on life that doesn't completely devalue yours, they often times can be friends with other people who are exactly what you are trying to avoid.

That is when serious conflicts can arise. The lack of importance placed on ones values in forming friendships means that more often than not people who are more prone to being add odds with each other are making nice. Well I can't be nice to some people, it's just not within me...

[weirdchylde]

agreed

[moonlightjoy]

political beliefs.. i'm not even sure what my political beliefs are... or do I, and I just don't know that they are "political" beliefs. hmmm. I kinda understand where you're coming from with that statement. I would never add a queer-basher to my friends list. On the other hand, I am friends with plenty of atheists and agnostic people and that really doesn't bother me.

I wonder why you used the word "bad values"... Isn't it more like "different" values? Everyone has a reason for believing in what they do - even though some of them have less foundation than others.

[mr_manifesto]

It is exactly what you said in your first paragraph. I don't want to be friends with people who are radical GW supporting conservatives. They to me are human rights bashers.

I use of the word "bad" is for qualitative reasons. This is a radical comparison: People don't tend to call Hitler's values "different" as much as they tend to call them "bad". By doing so you, as a person, are devaluing him morals for the specific reason of showing that his actions were unacceptable. I believe that the actions of right-wing conservatives are too, unacceptable. Not just different, but different and wrong. I am not running a peace treaty symposium here. This is my journal, and I want people who would like to read it to know what point of view I am coming from and what I consider to be unacceptable behaviour.

[moonlightjoy]

yes, i understand.

but you do see how GW followers might think that you're the one with the bad values, and that they're doing things for a better good?

which... makes.. me.. shudder.

[mr_manifesto]

Surely there were followers of Hitler who truly believed that people who were against him had bad values...

[anar_anar]

You know, now, of course, I cannot find where I told you I believed in the death penalty, but of course catching up with your journal and reading this I remembered I said it somewhere...so anyway, yes, weren't you going to point out my hypocrisy? ehehe, or something like that yes ?

[mr_manifesto]

Yeah I know where you said it...

[anar_anar]

pah! tell me!! i'd honestly ilke to have this discussion with you, give me your reasons, ill give you mine, we'll see eh?

[mr_manifesto]

No no no we'll end up with that 4300 word limit thing on comments and it would be a mess all over my journal with multiple part answers... and my journal has already had many such incidents!