Social Question

Cruiser's avatar

Have you lost friendships because of the Presidential election?

Asked by Cruiser (40454points) October 3rd, 2016

A new survey from Monmouth University shows that seven percent of voters have cut ties with a friend over the 2016 Presidential Race.”

“CBS News reports that nine percent of Hillary Clinton supporters said they’ve lost a friend because of the election and, 6 percent of Donald Trump supporters have said the same, as well as 3 percent of other voters. Monmouth noted that 7 percent of voters in previous political campaigns have also ended friendships.”

Have things between you and a friend became so heated over your choice of candidate for President that you severed your friendship?

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21 Answers

janbb's avatar

Nobody in real life but there are internet friends whom I don’t respect any more because of the vehemence of their views and their sense of being victimized. I wouldn’t say we’re no longer friends though. (By the way, that doesn’t include you @Cruiser – we’ve agreed to disagree on some things long ago.)

ibstubro's avatar

I would not lose a friendship for the sake of either Clinton or Trump.
Apparently 93% of Americans cannot take this presidential election seriously.

I long for the days when divorces were sued over Presidential Elections.

elbanditoroso's avatar

Not yet, but we still have a month :-)

It’s unlikely to happen. On stuff like politics and religion, I just don’t talk about it with people that are going to be belligerent.

filmfann's avatar

I still consider friends that I have removed from my Facebook contacts list “friends”.
I just don’t want to hear their shit that Hillary caused 9/11, or that Obama hates America.

Cruiser's avatar

@ibstubro You can count me in that 93% as the moment Trump and Clinton won their parties nominations I stopped taking this election seriously. That said I would not let a friends support of either candidate get in the way of our friendship. I let most of these types of things roll off me like water off a ducks back or off a penguins back…right @janbb? ;)

ARE_you_kidding_me's avatar

Most people I know are quite displeased with this whole charade. Liberals are voting Hillary and republicans Trump. In the end it still comes down to self interest. No friendships are in jeopardy this go around.

Dutchess_III's avatar

I did in the 2012 election. One of our own, actually. :(

tinyfaery's avatar

Nobody I know supports Trump and no one I know really likes Hillary.

jonsblond's avatar

I’ve lost respect for some online friends and have removed them from fb. I haven’t had any issues with people I actually know. Surprisingly these people are pro-Hillary, not pro-Trump. My pro-Trump friends have been quiet and respectful. My pro-Hillary friends have been condescending and arrogant. They think they know what’s best for everyone and are happy to tell you how wrong you are. I can’t take the next four years of them either gloating or blaming, depending on the outcome, so I removed them from my fb life.

ARE_you_kidding_me's avatar

^^I wish I could but when they are good friends and close family I don’t just get to shut them out.

jonsblond's avatar

^I’m lucky I guess. Most of my close friends and family agree with me. We hate both major candidates.

ARE_you_kidding_me's avatar

I’m from a politically diverse family which is actually a good thing but it can lead to some spirited debates. I have pretty much just shut down social media at this point.

ucme's avatar

America: Eating itself from the inside out…bon appetite

Dutchess_III's avatar

When I lost my friend it wasn’t even though an argument or discussion we had, because we didn’t have any. She was just upset that I was sharing so much pro-Democrat stuff on my Facebook. She hates Obama. I don’t know where she stands on Trump…but she is not stupid.

ARE_you_kidding_me's avatar

I can attest that reposting political crap on FB is the most annoying thing ever. The last one I got that resulted in an insti-ban of the poster from my feed was how telling our kids to hug each other is promoting rape culture. This person is a good friend and was for many years.

Dutchess_III's avatar

:/.

BTW, I always fact check before I share, even if it’s for the “other side.” Not that it would make it any less annoying.

ragingloli's avatar

I do not have any friends, but everyone in my office knows that trump is a joke.

jca's avatar

My friends are a diverse bunch. I usually refrain from posting my political opinions on my own FB page and I usually refrain from agreeing or disagreeing on friends’ pages. I have the same attitude towards religious posts – your opinion is yours, mine is mine, I’m not changing yours and you’re not changing mine so why get into it?

Off the internet, when people say things I don’t agree with when it comes to politics, I usually keep my trap shut. In my opinion, life is too short to argue with people and get stressed out. I am really not into drama or arguing if I can avoid it, especially when it comes to politics.

ibstubro's avatar

I think the inevitability of a Clinton candidacy did a lot toward creating the Trump candidacy. Now I hope the Trump candidacy does a lot toward a Clinton presidency. Then I hope the Clinton presidency does a lot toward HC not being re-elected.

Chris Rock. I have been so impressed with Chris Rock’s grasp of the political landscape that I’d volunteer to go door-to-door for him.

Oh. I suppose I should ad an aswer to the question.
By and large people know, or soon guess, that I will not hesitate to call out BS. I have a terrible (for the insincere) habit of listening and responding to what you say The only Trump supporters I’ve engaged in conversation have seemed abashed. Explaining why they cannot support a Clinton presidency.
I agree with them.
Then I state the obvious. “Life is good! Life has been good for years. Why wouldn’t I vote for 4 more years of the same?”
Personally, I don’t know anybody who’s life is worse now than it was in 2008. I never liked Obama, from the git-go. Did not vote for him. Still wouldn’t. Unless he was running against Donald Trump.

“My potential to lose friends over this election in great, but, so far, none have bailed, that I know of.”
Final answer, this round!

canidmajor's avatar

None for whom they support, a couple for posting their owns words that were so hateful I could not deal with the vitriol. It saddens me that this election seems to make it OK for some to verbalize their innermost racist and sexist biases.
Conversely, however, it encourages me that some of my friends who have different political ideologies from me are exhibiting more sensitivity than usual (as I am trying to, with them) so we can still be friends after the election.

Pandora's avatar

I’ve only lost one relative from my husband side but we were growing apart long before Trump came along. Trump was just the final nail in the coffin because it just confirmed for me something I grew to believe about him over the years. I noticed he was becoming more sexists and racists over the years but he would hide it in immature and crude jokes. My husband would say, that is the way he is. He’s just takes jokes a little too far. But when he bashed Hillary using right wing neo natzi misinformation and would toast Trumps sexist tweets and started to make out right racists comments, I was done with him and so was my husband. The real him was revealed. He was no longer hiding behind risky jokes. Oh, I forgot to add that his homophobic racism especially was revealed.

Even my elderly father in law who is really old fashion says, he doesn’t understand this fear of gay people. He says, gay people don’t interfere in his life, so why should he interfere in their. They have as much right as anyone to try to be happy and live like any other American. People have always loved who they were going to love and no agenda is going to change that and no one had the right to try to change that.

People think it’s just about politics. It was no longer just about politics. People like him felt comfortable coming out and out right spewing the secret hatred in their hearts.
If I would thank Donald Trump for one thing is that all these closeted racists, sexist and homophobic people are coming out in the open.

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