General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Can you be friends with someone who holds political views opposed to yours? [View all]3catwoman3
(24,083 posts)...a FaceBook post from a childhood friend of mine, in which she spoke disparagingly and dismissively of "libtards."
She still lives where we grew up, in Rochester NY. I have moved several times - San Antonio TX and Japan (courtesy of the Air force nurse corps), grad school in Denver, upper peninsula of MI and Washington DC area (my husband's last 2 AF assignments), and now the greater Chicago area.
We have seen each other only at high school reunions, and the last one I was able to get to was the 40th, in 2009, well before I saw this FB post. I am pretty sure it does not occur to her that she is talking about me when she talks about "libtards." I wonder how she would feel if she did know. Might she be embarrassed, or would she dismiss me as a jerk, or pray for me to be saved (she became a fundamentalist).
I have some strong negative feelings about people with uncompromisingly intolerant attitudes - those we often call the RWNJs. I choose to limit their expression to forums such as DU, where I know I am amongst like-minded people. I have no need to be offensive or inflammatory in a public forum such as Facebook. I never assume anyone thinks as I do about anything.
We will probably see each other at the 50th re-union in 2019. I will feel awkward inside, knowing how she thinks of people like me, and I am not sure how it will go.