By The Editorial Board
At some point in our lives, almost everyone has been involved in an awkward political argument. Perhaps it happened at home among family, making what started as a pleasant dinner into a tense bloodbath. It may have occurred as that unprompted classroom debate.
Whether you were the one who started it, whether you were taking the heat or whether you were witnessing it all unfold, it’s pretty obvious after it’s all said and done that these disputes create an uncomfortable environment that usually ends in little-to-no resolution.
With the recent return to campus and commencement of the fall semester comes the opportunity to rekindle past friendships and make new ones. Simultaneously, with politics in the air due to the election, friendships are more likely to be prevented or crumble over heated discussions. According to a study by the Survey Center on American Life,15 percent of people ended friendships over political disagreements.
This is not to say that political debate is unhealthy in all situations. When done right, political debates can help open minds and allow people to adopt new perspectives on life and their beliefs. By having these scary, yet thought-provoking conversations, relationships can even grow stronger.
That’s right. We’re saying liberals, conservatives and everyone in between can be friends.
It’s practically guaranteed you’re going to come across other students, professors or staff with political beliefs opposite to yours, even at Baylor — a campus that appears to be substantially conservative. However, upon meeting more people and according to poll responses, it’s safe to say there is a pretty good mix of political ideologies here.
You may be surprised to find out that your buddy you sit next to during English class is on the opposing end of the political spectrum. But he seemed like such a great guy, right? How could you have so much in common and yet think so differently about such crucial matters? That’s because friendship is built on shared life experiences and commonly-held values, not the compatibility of politics and specific beliefs.
A solid friendship is based on, for instance, the shared value of honesty, kindness or a similar sense of humor. A solid friendship is probably not based on a shared belief in trickle-down economics or Obamacare.
As we’ve grown up, it’s become frustrating for many of us to stay friends with people who think differently than us. When we were kids, it was easier to find things to bond over, such as who your favorite superhero was and what games you enjoyed playing together at recess. Now, life has become much more serious and we’ve learned to develop friendships on a deeper level based on those more serious similarities.
So after a certain amount of time, you’re bound to talk about politics with those you’re close to. That just comes with going from being friendly with someone to actually being friends with someone. It would be strange if we didn’t care about what our friends’ beliefs and opinions were.
In the long run, it’s important to know how to get along with and be friendly with people you don’t necessarily agree with on everything. It’s also simply not realistic to live life without being exposed to different perspectives and ideas, as many of our future workplaces will force us to someday work closely with a variety of different people.
Some would argue politics are worth breaking up or preventing friendships over because many aspects of it concern our identities, rights and well-being. For instance, a common trend that can lead to politically-induced friendship break-ups is for two people to aggressively dispute heated issues such as abortion, gun control and LGBTQIA+ rights.
Politics certainly shape how we live our own lives. When it comes to friendships, however, PsychCentral says those of a genuine nature are built on trust and respect.
To maintain a friendship between two people of different politics, it’s important to find common ground and to be an advocate for your beliefs, not an opponent to theirs. To that end, ask your friends questions to seek understanding rather than agreement. Too often, political discussions devolve into arguments where the main objective is to come out on top rather than to obtain a greater understanding of a different perspective or to expose someone else to your own.
We’re not saying to force a friendship if it doesn’t feel right or make sense for you. We’re just saying to not let politics stand in the way of a valuable connection.
