Instant Loss of Respect
Does anyone else immediately get annoyed when someone starts talking about politics or any current affairs for that matter? It seems like everyone - my friends, my colleagues, my parents, the random fucking people in line at the grocery store - all want to share their opinions on political issues. I could not fucking care less about this shit. I deleted all my social media mainly due to all these people I personally know who act like they have a phd in economics or social policy yet struggled to pass fucking high school algebra. This has caused me to basically condition myself to zone out and become overall disappointed whenever someone talks about this stuff. Clearly I am jaded, but curious to hear what everyone else thinks.
There are have been quite a few political posts on here lately, and yeah I agree. It’s pretty exhausting trying to have conversations with people who care more about hearing themselves talk and spewing what they saw on IG rather than critically thinking and listening to different perspectives
it's a default conversation, and I've found a good non-combative way to do this is just say "hey man, I hate to be a convo killer, I'm burnt out on all that stuff, can we talk about something else? you read any good books lately? you watching the Conor fight Saturday?" shit like that.
that way, you're not making them feel bad for bringing it up, you're just saying it's you, not them. you do not have to engage. I do it with my friends all of the time, someone will inevitably say "did you see ____" and I'll reply "nah, I'm not interested in that kinda stuff" and then I'll switch the subject and ask them a question about something unrelated like work, love life, recent drug binges, etc.
This actually makes a lot of sense. Thank you
so pumped for this fight saturday lol.
Who you got? I think conor lands the left but if it goes past the first, I like poirier
I did NOT see that coming
I'm pretty burnt out by the whole chatter on politics and what people keep thinking is "right". I don't care much to what people think, it's not worth upsetting myself over. I mostly just try to steer clear of that stuff by changing the subject with people and do kind of the same thing like thebrofessor, mention that I'm burnt out by it. Good idea to take a break from social media for a little bit. Maybe revisit those accounts later in a month or two once things have settled, if you even want to go back. I tuned myself out from social media quite a bit as well. It's amazing how quickly ideas or view spread on there like wildfire. I scaled it back to follow hobby related stuff, not really people.
On the other hand, I tend to lose more respect for people who have no idea about what is going on in the nation/world.
My friend’s girlfriend spends all day engrossed in social media and TV yet knows nothing about anything of substance. I’d rather hear someone blabber on about current events than what happened on The Bachelor.
Omg did you know Dale and that crazy girl broke up?!
I get that. But at this point, I'd rather have someone blabber to me about the Bachelor or the Kardashians than lecture me on political hot takes regurgitated from Instagram and Facebook without any apparent understanding of what they are actually saying. Both are objectively useless and toxic in my view, and I'll gladly point the finger at social media for molding the social landscape into what it currently is
I agree. A loss either way. I can't imagine someone who could chat about the Bachelor or the Kardashians to have an informed or well-thought view on politics either. However, I'd take that over arguing with someone over politics.
I have friends who are very into politics and social policy and the ones who cannot read the room can be very obnoxious indeed. Some may reveal that they are unable to think for themselves but at least I can pick up a few things that I hadn’t caught in the news myself, whether I agree with them or not, while they are orating.
The reality TV inhalers just make me lose faith in humanity. They are not even absorbing opinions or ideas but waste vast amounts of time watching vapid people do trivial things — and not even for fun but in admiration. A conversation about politics might be draining but having to hear about Instagram posts and reality TV celebs is demoralizing.
this is a good point. I'm not advocating being uninformed, I read the news every morning but nothing else. my point is that politics is not a personality, so you do not have to allow it to enter your conversations if you don't want to.
Yes. My immediate assumption is if someone talks shit about someone TO me they’ll talk shit ABOUT me. Best bet is just being nice to everyone and not having too much personality/opinion.
This is a standard assumption.
I think the answer is to avoid gossip altogether. There is no need for it and it is defamatory. No one likes when people are talking shit behind their back. Its best to just talk shit to the person directly.
I pretty much only talk about politics on this website. It simply isn't worth engaging with people who lack critical thinking or any reasoning skills. If it's close family I will be respectful and politely nod as things go one ear and out the other. As for friends, you can find friends who are more interested in maintaining friendship rather than going into political issues, and often you and that friend will share some other common interest (i.e. working out). It takes time, but those are people you will enjoy spending time around.
Not really fun to engage this kind of stuff in real life. I'll talk about it on here plenty cus arguing in WSO is fun haha, and I might talk with people who generally agree with me on stuff IRL, but I used to like debating with people when they tried to prove shit to me but its burned me out. I care a ton about what's going on in the country, but it doesn't need to dominate every conversation. I also have friends who I very strongly disagree with on stuff, but they're still just that--my friends. I love them like family and would jump in front of a bus for them. We don't need to fight about our differing views when both of us would rather be drinking or ripping Verdansk together. Like, who fuckin cares.
Don't ever go to DC. People talk politics all the time in the bars and everywhere. It is sickening. I lived there for a year and then departed to NYC.
I’ve been telling people I caught COVID while storming the Capitol. Have gotten a pretty wide berth hence.
It's a good thing you posted on here anonymously. Otherwise, financeabc would report you to the FBI.
I’m so burnt out listening to shit about US politics
It can be annoying to me, but I don't mind having intellectual conversations about politics. What really irritates me and causes me to have that instant loss of respect is when I try to have a conversation with people who lack critical thinking and reasoning skills. If you're so engrossed in one side (may it be CNN or Fox, it doesn't matter imo) and you can't recognize the perspectives of other people without feeling the need to make vicious personal ad hominem attacks, then that's what kills me. I sometimes enjoy having conversations about public policy, the healthcare system, immigration, economics, urban development, education, and a lot more with people that aren't little shits.
Final thoughts: Conversations about politics are not necessarily bad, conversations about politics where the other person is a brainwashed, virtue-signaling asshole are bad.
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