The unenviable position of political differences at work

[mr_pandakun]

Alas, I've found someone at work who has differences of opinion with me in regards to some political thought. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to be in favor of legislating against civil rights, but he does bring the arguments up. Like the slippery slope that if we're allowing people of the same gender to marry, that opens up the possibility for other

Comments

[nomercles]

Last semester, I took an ethics class. I hated everything about that class. My classmates were rude, vicious little monsters of entitlement, and the teacher was not much better. However, one of the things we dealt with, that sticks with me the most, was learning how to argue fallacies. I can't, of course, remember the specifics of the top of my head, but if you'd like, I can dig out my notes. Though just not talking about it might be the better option. I'm sorry. It sucks.

[mr_pandakun]

I looked back at it, and yes - the argument does use the slippery slope fallacy. That fallacy depends on there being an extreme example as to what could happen, not a middle-ground one. Using a niece or a pet as an example, by his own admission, was extreme, so I wasn't incorrect.

Anyway, I talked about it to a few people and I've come to the conclusion that:
a) I don't have to be completely open to people at work. After all, they're co-workers, not friends (at least 99% of them aren't).
b) he's not my boss, and doesn't even work in my department, so I won't be reminded of that conversation. I just found a topic to avoid whenever we're having around.
c) now I know, personally, what it's like to have that sort of confrontation personally. Before it was, for lack of a better term, academic; now I know how it *feels*, and it feels crappy. Before I'd sympathized without experience, and now I feel more ... em... "full" in my sympathy and appreciation of those who fight for equality.