Has anyone else lost friends from expressing their views?

I have sent out emails and some people now refuse to talk to me or are nasty when they do. I've sent out things I've found on DU and responded to anti-Muslim and whacked out Pro-Christian government forwards that were sent my way.

Yesterday I called a friend trying to be nice and explain my position and he just yelled at me. And later that night I got an email from a friend trying to refute my debunking of that Jane Fonda email. That nasty one that says she gave Social Security numbers of POW'S to their captures. I've also found that people still hate her to this day! Throw the first stone if you've never done anything wrong I say.

I've also gotten some nice emails from people I don't even know thanking me for replying "to all" and it is apparent that some people have forwarded MY responses.

Yea I think I'm smarter than these dingbats who sent these lies around but for the Love of God why can't people do some critical thinking on their own?

I've moved to a Red County in a Red state, (FloridDUH) from New Jersey and I seem to be surrounded by people walking around with their bibles and believing that George Bush is a good Christian man.

I feel like I want to pack it in. I'm tired and I feel like I'm being persecuted. I've always spoken out for the underdog and gotten hurt in the way.

Does anyone else feel this way or am I just a loud mouth like my mother says?

They send me rightwing propaganda, I send back the facts. If they don't like it, let them eat fish heads.

I don't worry too much what people think about me. My true friends will always be true friends. The assholes will always be assholes.

:yourock:

..Jacksonville. (Hicksville)

Yep..When I lived in Jacksonville years ago, I had the same stories to tell and I lost a lot of "Acquaintances" ..I don't call the them friends because I wouldn't want a friend that is that ignorant about the world.
I'm in St. Petersburg now and the people are WAY more Left-Leaning....so I don't usually have to put up with other people's stupidity.. :)

and Sarasota might be good places. I'd go for Orlando but it is too big. I never thought of Saint Petersburg though. Maybe I'll check it out. I don't want to move too far from my mother though. She's in Bonita Springs - another RED RED RED city.

I lost that one

of "friend." Real ones don't leave if they disagree with you.

You might want to volunteer to help a democratic candidate, or work in a Dem's office, if you have any at all down that way. Start fresh, make new friends...because people who would dump you for your politics are not your friends in the first place. Move on, and don't worry...and if you are a loud mouth, good. They haven't taken free speech away, yet anyhow.

share many of the same views as I. Nor would my friends yell at me for differences. Maybe they aren't friends after all!

There is an older couple who have a business in my neighborhood- I used to stop in for coffee every day. The man listens to Limbaugh all day and parrots him. We knew our political differences and for a long time we could be friendly and just not talk politics.

Then one day a month before the election he lets loose with all this crap about how Bush is a patriot but Kerry is not, Daschle is an obstructionist who deserves to be run out of the Senate, and anyone who needs health care in this country (I've had no insurance for 3 of the last 4 years and he knows it) can just go to the emergency room. I left theire business and never went back.

He has no thoughts of his own, just RW talking points. Friends like that I don't need.

and we went through a lot during that time which made us like brothers. Well, after the Corps we became separated. He looked me up several years back and we began to remember the former times, how we've changed over the years and what we are doing now. The issue which caused tension between us was politics and religion, especially how he saw the two as one issue. He has become a born again Christian and right wing republican. In my opinion he has the right to be who he wants to be, however he began to try and convert me, tell me that what I think is wrong and how I'm going to hell for it; he just would not stop (he said it was because he cared about me). This was where I had to draw the line and say "good-bye old buddy and thanks for saving my a$$ that day, but unless you stop with all this, I have to go." He did not so I left and I have not heard from him again.

Painful to loose a dear friend? Yes.
Standing up for what you believe: Priceless.

years ago are almost all like-minded. It would be hard for me to be close to a right-winger (because of the vast differences in the way we look at the world). I enjoy to be around folks who are in sync with my beliefs. I want to be around those who support me and my views and visa-versa. I'm a lesbian so my close friends are, for the most part, gays & lesbians (even though I have great working relationships with my straight co-workers - I know it's not THEIR fault that they're straight - they were born that way - LOL)Anyhow, I did have a "falling out" with a gay male friend who I was really good friends with (due to our philosophies). He and his partner make major bucks in the entertainment industry and all that matters to them is their tax breaks. He's turned into a racist and an elitest. It's been heartbreaking for me because before he met his partner, he was a loving, kind, wonderful person who could care less about money, possessions, etc. Oh well, I've met others to replace the friendship I had with him but I still am saddened by what happened.

"Painful to loose a dear friend? Yes.
Standing up for what you believe: Priceless."


You are all restoring my faith in myself.

but that's another topic...

anymore. I think it really makes you stand back and look at the
whole person. Then I realize that I really dont have that much in
common with this person and really dont care to consider the friendship much of a loss.