When your FB "friends" throw up right wing and left wing propaganda and you disagree, do you speak up?

I do speak up, and I anger a lot of old friends.
A guy I used to know posted a picture of a Marine and his beautiful thin wife, and next to it a picture of 2 occupiers who looked toothless and homeless. His comment was something like “One is willing to die for his flag, the other will shit on it”.
I posted a comment, saying something like “One will urinate on the dead bodies of enemy soldiers, creating an international incident, and embarrassing his country around the world, while the other just wants the rich to pay more taxes.” (The urinating story had just been in the news. I didn’t continue with the “marines posing with a nazi flag story” that came just afterwards.)
The guy I used to know became unglued, and really went off on me. Fortunately, he doesn’t possess the firearms it would take to reach me, though he would love to.
I miss the days of “civil” political discourse.

None of my FB friends are conservatives so I don’t disagree with any of them. Not on social or political issues at any rate.

@filmfann, political discourse was never civil. Go back to the early to mid nineteenth century and check out the shitslinging that went on. Today’s elections pale in comparison.

@Mama_Cakes, arguing on facebook is pointless. If someone posts something you don’t like or that bothers you, click the “hide” button.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard I remember a time when you could get members of both political parties to agree to vote on something that the extreme parts of congress would object to. It wasn’t that difficult. You could get Tip O’Neal to agree with Reagan on some things that needed to be done. Now, it’s all about making the other guy look bad.

Every once in a while I do, when it is something a friend puts up. But there is this new thing where they “like” a photo that is a political statement and it appears on their timeline, but still as someone else’s post. There’ll be hundreds of agreeing comments, and anything I say will be hidden in a mass of ignorant ditto heads.

I am slowly learning that disagreement on Facebook is like shouting from the middle of a freeway.

Since I never go on Facebook, this is not an issue.

If I had a Facebook friend who was a Republican, then I would take myself back to a psychiatrist. That would be a sign of mental illness.

Usually not.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard I usually end up doing that, my friend.

No. I feel that everyone has a right to their opinion and everyone can post whatever they want on their FB. I also am not into arguing with people about things that they’re probably not changing their minds on.

Referring to Civil Discourse, how can you not love a question that says Everybody get me what I want and stop wasting my time I only want the nice people to answer this question die in the water assholes

@filmfann, that’s more a manifestation of a likely mental illness.

If it is a friend who makes a right-wing statement, I will wade in – however, if it is a family member (& I do have some family members who are Republican minded), I generally will not. I do not understand the mind-set of my family members who have Republican leanings, but it seems to go along with the whole Bible-belt mentality.

I sometimes “hide” them.

I’m much more careful what I post there as my co-workers and my boss are there.

Sometimes yes, usually no. If it bothers me that much, I “hide” it.

I’m much more bothered by statuses that actually disturb me- such as one friend who keeps posting nonsensical, somewhat scary things because she’s always beyond shit-faced.

I’m just not a fan of political propaganda posts in general, even if I agree with it. I have a friend who’s always posting left wing propaganda on his Facebook (it’s pretty much all he does now). It just seems so polarizing, even if I do agree with a lot of it. I tend to just ignore those things…

If I disagree, then I definitely won’t comment. Facebook is definitely not the site I use for arguing…

Nope. I just let it go.
If I agree I usually don’t comment. If I disagree I never comment. I don’t feel that It’s my place to argue with someone about something that they post on their facebook page. If it bothers me I hide it.

I try try not to. But, I do respond sometimes. Now I kind of limit it to people I know who like to banter, like the people here on fluther. The people who just put up ridiculous far left or right ridiculousness I try to ignore.

No. I unsubscribe anyone that posts political or religious rants, games, ( so and so needs a cow! or whatever), thousands of petitions, (please sign!) any of that shite. It’s not unfriending them and they don’t know about it. It just keeps you from seeing this kind of crap that makes us crazy.

@WillWorkForChocolate I just read your post and it made me laugh my head off. I certainly feel your pain, oh yes I do. Hahaha

@filmfann now I am laughing so hard I’m crying.

It depends on the nature of the post, and the nature of my relationship with the person. Mostly, I will try to correct blatant untruths, or explain why people feel a certain way, if I care enough about the subject and the person posting it.

it’s especially funny high lighted in red. Sorry, I just can’t stop laughing, thanks so much @filmfann

Yes, I speak up. I am rather selective about who my Facebook friends are, however, and only accept a request if I think that Facebook would be a good way of keeping in touch with the particular person who sent it. This is why I’m not Facebook friends with my brother, who uses his account for business purposes only. I just pick up the phone if I want to talk to him.

All of this means that I rarely wind up arguing with my actual Facebook friends. More likely, I find myself arguing with their friends after one of them has made some sort of reply to something a friend posted. I have a policy of limiting myself to one Facebook argument a month, however, because people seem to be much more sensitive there than they are elsewhere.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard Surely the question of whether or not arguing in any particular medium is pointless depends on the purpose for which you undertake the argument, yes?