Short Political Rant, or, In Defense of Defriending

[caitri]

I'm so sick of the insistence that defriending people (whether on social media or in real life) who are politically different from you is lazy, undemocratic, or straight up "epistemic closure."

Like, look, normally I might agree with this statement, but this election cycle there is a candidate who is straight up advocating FOR violence and advocating AGAINST civil rights in a bid for straight-up fascist totalitarianism, and I'm sorry, but anyone who AGREES with this shit and is willing to vote for it is not only NOT MY FRIEND but not someone I want to be around AT ALL.

I mean, think about it. If someone was in your house and spoke gross racial epithets and talked gleefully about hurting other people, what would you do? You can try to talk sense, but that only gets you so far--in addition to the general emotional exhaustion and, let's be real, further verbal abuse you are likely to get. And to everyone with patience and spoons: GO YOU!!!! But for those of us without spoons, for those of us who see this shit as threats of direct violence to us and our loved ones, why the FUCK should we put up with it? It's right back to that freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences.

Or, as I saw in a glorious tweet: "Lifehack: You do not have to be friends with people you don't actually like."