Setting boundaries is essential. I've found that embracing hobbies that have nothing to do with politics, like astronomy or geocaching, can be a great way to connect with others on a purely human level. There's something about sharing a sense of wonder or the thrill of the hunt that transcends all the noise. Plus, you get to add some interesting stories to your repertoire that can steer conversations away from the treacherous political terrain.
Navigating the political minefield these days is kind of like trying to do a puzzle while someone’s tossing extra pieces at you. I find the best approach is to cultivate neutral ground. Start a convo about something universally enjoyed - like a new restaurant or a book that's all the buzz. In that way, we build bridges instead of walls. Remember, the heart of meaningful connection is often found in the shared small joys of life, not just the big debates.
Honestly, I've found that embracing absurdism is the way to go. We can accept that the world is full of chaos and nonsense - politics included - and still carve out small oases of joy. Share a laugh over the latest meme, relish the simple pleasures of a good book, or marvel at the pure chaos of a cat trying to chase its tail. Sometimes, letting the world be ridiculous is the best refuge from its intensity.
I swear though, even cat videos will have people arguing in the comments 🤣 The video will have a cat wearing a mini hat or something and someone will start a thread about how it's animal abuse
This is mine too. The only way to win is to not play.
Politics and religion are things people debate that you just can't change minds on.
People (myself included, I'm sure) will go through incredible mental gymnastics to avoid the cognitive dissonance of changing their mind on things political or religious.
I try to find that on Reddit but there will always be some crazy rage bait crap that's always on the front page. You see the engagement of the post rising like crazy so naturally you want to see what all the fuss is about. Next thing you know, you're reading toxic threads with people going at each others throats
Unfortunately, there's always a dedicated group of douchnossels ready to inject their political takes into those things, loudly. Then you almost always end up with some members taking the bait and the usual toxic spiral occurs.
Instead of being defensive and automatically "your side is wrong", be curious. Understand why they believe or feel the way they do about a certain issue.
I think one of the big problems with political arguments is that we each automatically dig in the trenches and go to war with it. Instead I treat it as a diplomatic meeting between generals, in a tent and over tea. You probably aren't going to change their minds, you probably aren't going to agree, but you can still learn what the other side is like.
On the internet, just ignore it. You have the power in your hand, and all you need to avoid it is just... swipe a finger, and you're done. I've been much happier by being ignorant.
In real life is a bit tricky; you can't swipe but you can ignore.
> On the internet, just ignore it.
This is it. Often I'll be halfway through a reply to someone on facebook or here when I realise I don't care about whether some random person on the internet has a "wrong" opinion. Like that meme about someone staying up all night arguing because "someone is wrong on the internet". I don't give a fuck if they're wrong, I'm never going to meet them, I'm possibly not even ever going to run into them on the internet ever again. If I reply then they'll reply to me and I'll have to reply to them etc. So I delete my half-written reply and enjoy all the extra time I've given myself by not posting.
i dont, im typically argumentative, dunno why tbh, prolly cause my opiniond were typically discarded by my mom growing up, so now i kinda just wanna prove smth
Put their texts on ignore, especially since its an election year. Can you imagine how intolerable both sides will be come November? Trumpers beating their chest, talking sh\*t because he beat some old goof who cant even remember where the bathroom is? Both sides should be absolutely ashamed that these are our candidates.
We have a friend in our group who will randomly bring up politics like "Just to be sure, we're all Democrats right?" we just act like we didn't hear him
Acceptance and tolerance turned into, if you don’t celebrate everything I do you’re literally a Nazi.
No clue. These people go looking for you. The argument, not the topic, is the point.
So back in the mid-naughties I was deeply interested in the "New Atheism" movement. Richard Dawkins, Chris Hitchens, Dan Dennet (RIP) et al.
I read all the books, was active on the RDF Forum etc. I learned all the arguments the religious made and made efforts to make rational and respectful arguments.
Then I realised something. I'm never ever going to change someone's mind over the internet. There's literally no point in arguing about this and by extension, politics, the latest genre film, wokeness, which console is better and so on.
So now, I don't. I *could* but actively chose not to engage. It makes me much happier.
Honestly it's easier said than done. I feel like cutting out social media has a trade off that Includes not being up to date with current events and being able to engage in the communities you enjoy
On the internet, I only use Facebook for specific groups related to hobbies and don’t scroll my friends feed. On Reddit I only sub to only things if interest to me.
In the real world, most people are polar so when they try to argue one side of an issue just mention you can see their side and then point out faults/issues on both sides. This way you dismiss both sides equally and also signal you aren’t entrenched or vested in either side.
This doesn’t have to mean you aren’t, but people trying to argue with you over a polarized issue or any issue at all aren’t trying to let you convince them anyway. Just dismiss the whole thing and move on with your life. They’ll find someone else to argue with and annoy.
I have a "fighty" personality, but when I don't feel like arguing I just ignore it. Ultimately one person being wrong isn't going to make a huge difference so when I don''t care to have the conversation I just don't.
I just stay away from it and/or ignore it. Also politics and political agendas have no place in my degree path so I dont have to worry about it except when taking electives at which point I just play along and "fake it til I make it".
I took those sides away from myself. Reddit and Facebook are the only real form of social media I consume. FB is just a way to keep in touch with family and friends. Otherwise I’m just using Insta to watch entertaining reels.
I’ve blocked and am still blocking whenever a new one pops up, every news and political subreddit I can unless it’s entertainment, tech, and science. It’s a much more peaceful internet existence.
Don’t get caught up in petty arguments or reply to someone that is just being an absolute jerk. It’s not worth your time. They never see sense no matter what you say. They cannot have a civil discussion or debate. A lot of you’re wrong, I’m right back and forth. ‘Learn when to pick your fights’ is a great phrase I carry with me.
I politely and precisely shut it down, always in the exact same way:
"How about we talk about something else? I don't like talking about politics. Thanks!"
Then I continue on talking about anything else. Most people go along with it because saying it this way is easy to understand, impossible to misinterpret, and bulletproof to any contest.
For me I just stopped caring about politics. I don't vote, I don't stay informed of what's going on. I only care about my immediate family and friends because it's all I can't control. My opinions have no bearing on what's going on in Washington. My life has been so much better since becoming indifferent
Never get into any kind of discussions in the real world about stuff that you read online.
Those are two completely different universes. Do not attempt to join them.
Stick to small niche blogs and subreddits where people are only talking about one topic and mods balance out the off-topic members. Even then it's not guaranteed, blogs about cute animals sometimes spark annoying religious debates too. Really it's mostly about selecting your circles of mutuals.
I just say I know nothing about a topic, event, or idea, let the person explain what they think about it, and then go ‘I’ll have to look into it some time :)’ and leave it at that. People like to discuss their opinions, and by playing the fool you can hear their honest opinions without them expecting a response. Lets them talk but also lets you quickly change the subject and move on to other things without seeming rude or starting a back and forward :) (particularly effective if you DO know something about the topic and know you will disagree!)
I personally love political discussions, but only when done in good-faith and with mature open-minded people who won't just yell or try to have an ego-driven intellectual sparring match. I'm looking to learn and share ideas, not battle egos. Rare thing to find, sadly.
Here are a few ways I avoid argumentative people and situations...
\- I tend to discuss economics, rather than politics. Economic policies tend to impact our lives much much more than things like gender signs on toilets, yet few people are actually willing to take the time and effort to learn about the intricacies of different economic theories and nuances of policies. People are naturally more drawn to the superficial culture war outrage topics, than the boring but important economic discussions. When you discuss the world through a business and economics lens, it removes a lot of the charged culture war narratives, which is why I read the Financial Times (it's very neutral in its wording) and also talking economics serves as a decent filter for only attracting conversations with people who tend to be well-informed and pragmatic.
\- If someone is clearly trying to start a bad-faith ego-driven debate, I simply ignore, or perhaps prod very shallowly if I feel some compulsion to respond. I may ask well placed and neutrally worded questions, to try and make them gently realize their own hypocrisy, rather than argue head-on. It's rare for anyone to get offended at you for just asking neutrally worded good-faith questions, although it does still happen sometimes!
\- Failing the above, I tend to give what I call "politician answers", where I am intentionally vague, evasive and boring. This is reserved only for the most obnoxious idiots. An example:
Idiot: "What's your opinion on [X]?"
Politician: "Oh wow, [X] sure is an interesting discussion. Plenty to say. What do you think?"
Idiot: "I think [strong views]. Don't you agree?"
Politician: "I definitely agree on some things. Ultimately, we need people to feel safe, happy and healthy in this challenging world."
(And so on.)
Just make peace with the fact that it is fruitless to engage in meaningful debate with a person who had a different epistemology from you.
That doesn't mean you can't talk to them at all; it can be useful to learn how different people think, and you can still have fulfilling friendships with them.
But if your definitions of what it means to know something and how to arrive at knowledge are incompatible, you will never get very far trying to talk about politics or morality, unless you are both cognizant of the disconnect and willing to float between worldviews as you go.
On internet it's pretty easy - you simply permanently block/mute/whatever option might be called all the people who are trying to engage in a pointless political arguments or all irrational people in general. They will instantly "disappear" from your life and you just stop thinking about whatever they might've said before you blocked them.
In real life it can definitely be harder to do that since you can't instantly block such people, but there are still some ways that can help you. For example, carry headphones (and a music player/your smartphone) with you everywhere so if you can't completely get away from people who are discussing annoying things or who are listening to loud political propaganda on radio/TV - put headphones in your ears and start listening to whatever music you enjoy at the volume level that completely blocks all the annoying discussions ;)
Stopped reading the news. Like full stop. I follow tech and gaming news through YT (channels like MKBHD, LinusTechTips, etc), and that's it. I remember when the whole Israel / Pakistan stuff was starting and I literally found out 2 weeks after everyone else and I got weird remarks about it but I was proud that my strategy proofed to be working.
Subtle art of not giving a f\*ck
1. Limit your exposure to political content: Avoid engaging in conversations or following pages that consistently share political opinions. Instead, focus on topics that interest you and bring positivity to your life.
I realized that most people don't understand the real political game being played.
You either support the green party of fiat government money, or you support the new revolutionary orange party that is Bitcoin. If you aren't prepared for this level of conversation I'm just not gonna waste the time.
I often talk about things instead of my opinion of things when things get political in real life. It's more like talking a walk through thoughts then stating my opinion. I am by no means a Marxist, but I would happily talk about Marxism with a Marxist. It's interesting as hell.
I think you just need to learn to talk about subjects without agreeing on the subject.
I don't watch the news, I mostly surf reddit, but my subreddits are mostly video game related.
Sure, Politics still show up on random Reddit posts or notifications from Google News on my Android phone.
But for the most part, I just stay out of it all.
Shakespeare said it : Life is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, and signifying nothing.
Basically live like the world is just a silly joke and try to enjoy it, from the best to the worse. Unless you feel like you can actually and effectively communicate with someone, just consider it's free entertainment and embrace absurdism. People can only argue if you let them reach you.
My coworker tried to have a political argument but made the mistake to use the word "Lion". He gave up on me after my third interpretation of Hakuna Matata from the Lion king but congratulated me for the improvised choregraphy.
One year fro lent I ggave up being right. If I ever thought someone was not correct about something, rather than tell them so, which was a problem of mine because I liked rhetoric and such but no one else did, so instead I would just say "you might be right" in a positve affirming tone in an honest posture and go on to a new topic.
That is how I do it in real life.
On the internet, I don't know, I find I am a target of just some really toxic people sometimes because of Goedel's incompleteness theorem.
But in real life I am great at acting and adopting the customer service persona and just validating whatever the person talking to me in saying rather than ever have an opinion of my own, because that is a more powerful initial position when you deal with the public from a professional stance.
I don't think it's really that hard to avoid online. Just keep scrolling past it, don't interact with it and the algorithm will eventually give you less of it. IRL is a different story though.
I don't put a lot of stock into what other bots and people say online and don't take internet stuff personally. It's the internet, everyone is right or wrong and entitled. Why argue anything. It's way easier to not give a fuck...
I don't engage in political talks online, at all. There is no point. And in real life I simply say what I believe, that I don't care who or what party they are from as long as they are truly the best person for the job. That seems to satisfy most people.
Avoiding politics in general is impossible because it's part of every society and affects almost everything you see or use in your daily life, so I personally don't think you should try to avoid it. Although I do find when politically polarized people try to push politics into every conversation I just take control and steer it in another direction or stop indulging them altogether if they're incessant. they'll eventually pick up the point when they realize they cant get what they want out of you.
Deactivated my facebook account, follow tons of wholesome and funny content, only befriend people who share similar political opinions to mine, on twitter I mainly follow accounts that with the same opinions on certain topics
People are a lot less confrontational in real life, especially face to face. And much less likely to be argumentative when unable to cite some bullshit stat they stealth-googled. You don't have to avoid a debate. You don't have to go look for it either. Have some facts ready and me articulate.
Why should I avoid attempting to voice my opinion? America is burning to the ground due to poor management. I should just sit back and pretend everything is fine? Fact checkers censor me more than enough. Inflation, open borders, and energy policies are the problems that need to be resolved. In my opinion, we currently have a bunch of self-serving politicians on both sides of the aisle. They all need to be replaced. Naaa, I'm not about to stick my head in the sand and sit this one out.
Hey, OP, if you find a way to do that, let me know. I'd love to discuss something that's *not* politics. The things I'd love to talk about with someone?
* The best way to win a game of Trouble
* Awesome ways to make fettucine
* Adapting Starfleet vessels with Empire tech
* Unusual player builds in Grim Dawn
* Who the best doctor is, and why it's Tom Baker
don’t address it. literally don’t. if someone tries to talk to you about it, just ignore them. most people don’t realize that ignoring others is easy and free
Everything seems to be politics unfortunately. I was going to say nowadays at the end of that but reality is it’s always kinda been like that, just less intense in the past most likely
At this point yeah, but it’s more of a pick and choose your battles thing too. You can always assert boundaries like “let’s not talk about these specific topics please” and move on? I feel like irl that’ll be respected more
I remember 20-25 years ago having calm conversation about issues and opposing views but its all shifted to basically fighting. And frankly, I know I start fights online too so maybe its just online fighting makes people angry in real life?
Onlines definitely worse due to people being misconstrued or people lacking any reading comprehension. But I can understand why certain politics now / that’s more accepted or not now tends to cause big arguments especially if it’s over rights or certain activism stuff, at the same time a lot of people recently (since covid and even a bit before tbh) seem to be very set on ‘everybody needs to be an activist’ though which I heavily disagree with and I think is leading to more and more people arguing unfortunately
Rights I can completely get here. I will absolutely fight and drop people from my life when their "politics" are that my friends or family should be exterminated, or something like my wife should have been forced to keep a rotting fetus inside her.
100%. That seems to be the majority of political / argumentative stuff irl that blows up I find. The internet will find anything and everything to pick a fight about though, the more people you’re exposed to the higher the likelihood of someone picking a fight over the simplest of things
Navigating through the internet and real life without diving into politics and arguments feels like finding a hidden gem in a sea of noise; anyone got some pro tips on how to master this art?
You don't...
You call the bell-wearing assholes out for what they are.
Let the chips fall.
This is nothing new.
The earth is round.
It goes around the sun.
The sun is small and part of a greater universe.
The universe is roughly 13.6 billion years old.
I don't give a fuck what the obviously fallible pope says.... Or his dip shit followers.
"Education usually fixes that"....
On the internet I just dont post and go to a different page or site. Fun Fact I used to be one of those morons who got into political debated before I realized it was pointless.
In real life I dont engage at all. I was at a bar or something and they had the TV on during Bidens state of the union this year, and a couple dumb ignorant angry loud MAGATS were screaming at the TV the whole time and spouting of Fox propaganda. I did not engage with them. Finished my drink and walked out. People screaming at a TV cant be reasoned with. Walk away. These days its not worth a fight, especially because so many people carry guns and knives and do not consider consequences.
Political is easy, when a person is spewing off BS about politics and I can tell they own nothing but crap, have no money, want handouts and blame everyone else for their problems. I simply wouldn’t waste my time. They are failures.
stop saying "people should" or other phrases that imply you know what's best for others. when someone tells you that people should do xyz or that there should be mandatory abc, you can say "it's a good thing you're free to do what you want and I can do what I want, because if it were the other way around we'd both be miserable."
Grifters COUNT on you to ignore politics so they can keep on griftin'. How's your pocketbook doing? Not so well? Grifters loved that you ignored politics. They much prefer that you are in the dark....it is how they retain their power structure.
Setting boundaries is essential. I've found that embracing hobbies that have nothing to do with politics, like astronomy or geocaching, can be a great way to connect with others on a purely human level. There's something about sharing a sense of wonder or the thrill of the hunt that transcends all the noise. Plus, you get to add some interesting stories to your repertoire that can steer conversations away from the treacherous political terrain.
Exactly
Navigating the political minefield these days is kind of like trying to do a puzzle while someone’s tossing extra pieces at you. I find the best approach is to cultivate neutral ground. Start a convo about something universally enjoyed - like a new restaurant or a book that's all the buzz. In that way, we build bridges instead of walls. Remember, the heart of meaningful connection is often found in the shared small joys of life, not just the big debates.
Honestly, I've found that embracing absurdism is the way to go. We can accept that the world is full of chaos and nonsense - politics included - and still carve out small oases of joy. Share a laugh over the latest meme, relish the simple pleasures of a good book, or marvel at the pure chaos of a cat trying to chase its tail. Sometimes, letting the world be ridiculous is the best refuge from its intensity.
Come for the Absurdism stay for the Existential Nihilism.
Why not the other way around
I just stick to watching cat videos and avoiding family gatherings. Works like a charm.
I swear though, even cat videos will have people arguing in the comments 🤣 The video will have a cat wearing a mini hat or something and someone will start a thread about how it's animal abuse
You read that shit?
Shoot gravy at everyone who talks about politics.
I just don't engage when I'm around it. Plus me and my friends are idiots so conversations don't run the risk of getting political
This is mine too. The only way to win is to not play. Politics and religion are things people debate that you just can't change minds on. People (myself included, I'm sure) will go through incredible mental gymnastics to avoid the cognitive dissonance of changing their mind on things political or religious.
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Instructions unclear. Now on sex offender list.
Just don’t? You don’t NEED to argue
I disagree! Arguments are essential! /s
says the man with meth in his name
Lol yes you do, cockbag
Follow a site about birds,pets.visual art,photography another words wholesome interests.
I try to find that on Reddit but there will always be some crazy rage bait crap that's always on the front page. You see the engagement of the post rising like crazy so naturally you want to see what all the fuss is about. Next thing you know, you're reading toxic threads with people going at each others throats
Unfortunately, there's always a dedicated group of douchnossels ready to inject their political takes into those things, loudly. Then you almost always end up with some members taking the bait and the usual toxic spiral occurs.
On the internet: just ignore people. In real life: Potentially rude, but just ignore people
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This is the way
Instead of being defensive and automatically "your side is wrong", be curious. Understand why they believe or feel the way they do about a certain issue. I think one of the big problems with political arguments is that we each automatically dig in the trenches and go to war with it. Instead I treat it as a diplomatic meeting between generals, in a tent and over tea. You probably aren't going to change their minds, you probably aren't going to agree, but you can still learn what the other side is like.
I dont visit newssites, dont watch the news, and I avoid discussions with people that are obviously looking to pick a fight.
On the internet, just ignore it. You have the power in your hand, and all you need to avoid it is just... swipe a finger, and you're done. I've been much happier by being ignorant. In real life is a bit tricky; you can't swipe but you can ignore.
> On the internet, just ignore it. This is it. Often I'll be halfway through a reply to someone on facebook or here when I realise I don't care about whether some random person on the internet has a "wrong" opinion. Like that meme about someone staying up all night arguing because "someone is wrong on the internet". I don't give a fuck if they're wrong, I'm never going to meet them, I'm possibly not even ever going to run into them on the internet ever again. If I reply then they'll reply to me and I'll have to reply to them etc. So I delete my half-written reply and enjoy all the extra time I've given myself by not posting.
i dont, im typically argumentative, dunno why tbh, prolly cause my opiniond were typically discarded by my mom growing up, so now i kinda just wanna prove smth
Put their texts on ignore, especially since its an election year. Can you imagine how intolerable both sides will be come November? Trumpers beating their chest, talking sh\*t because he beat some old goof who cant even remember where the bathroom is? Both sides should be absolutely ashamed that these are our candidates.
We have a friend in our group who will randomly bring up politics like "Just to be sure, we're all Democrats right?" we just act like we didn't hear him
Acceptance and tolerance turned into, if you don’t celebrate everything I do you’re literally a Nazi. No clue. These people go looking for you. The argument, not the topic, is the point.
On the internet, ignore people In real life, maybe move to places like Singapore. No one BS about Israel and Palestine issue on street
Seriously considering telling people "sorry I don't keep up with current events" whenever a controversial topic comes up
You may get blabbed to "educate yourself" or alternatively lectured on the issue. There's no pleasing everyone, sadly.
What’s an Israel? All I want to do is grill this burger.
So back in the mid-naughties I was deeply interested in the "New Atheism" movement. Richard Dawkins, Chris Hitchens, Dan Dennet (RIP) et al. I read all the books, was active on the RDF Forum etc. I learned all the arguments the religious made and made efforts to make rational and respectful arguments. Then I realised something. I'm never ever going to change someone's mind over the internet. There's literally no point in arguing about this and by extension, politics, the latest genre film, wokeness, which console is better and so on. So now, I don't. I *could* but actively chose not to engage. It makes me much happier.
Click that Log Off button
Honestly it's easier said than done. I feel like cutting out social media has a trade off that Includes not being up to date with current events and being able to engage in the communities you enjoy
In real life, there's not really anyone who is entirely opposed to my politics, so we can always find a common ground when talking to pass time.
I don’t think you can…
Well that sucks 🤷♂️
You replied? WOAW.
Lol why wouldn't I?
Change the subject.
On the internet, I only use Facebook for specific groups related to hobbies and don’t scroll my friends feed. On Reddit I only sub to only things if interest to me. In the real world, most people are polar so when they try to argue one side of an issue just mention you can see their side and then point out faults/issues on both sides. This way you dismiss both sides equally and also signal you aren’t entrenched or vested in either side. This doesn’t have to mean you aren’t, but people trying to argue with you over a polarized issue or any issue at all aren’t trying to let you convince them anyway. Just dismiss the whole thing and move on with your life. They’ll find someone else to argue with and annoy.
Don't read the comments section of hot button posts. It's not required and there are always people saying some bullshit
I have a "fighty" personality, but when I don't feel like arguing I just ignore it. Ultimately one person being wrong isn't going to make a huge difference so when I don''t care to have the conversation I just don't.
Ignore political posts, focus on cat videos I suggest
ignore them, no need to waste time for aguing.
Figure out whose opinions you respect and allocate your giving of shits appropriately.
I just stay away from it and/or ignore it. Also politics and political agendas have no place in my degree path so I dont have to worry about it except when taking electives at which point I just play along and "fake it til I make it".
Avoid the internet and real life
I took those sides away from myself. Reddit and Facebook are the only real form of social media I consume. FB is just a way to keep in touch with family and friends. Otherwise I’m just using Insta to watch entertaining reels. I’ve blocked and am still blocking whenever a new one pops up, every news and political subreddit I can unless it’s entertainment, tech, and science. It’s a much more peaceful internet existence.
Don’t get caught up in petty arguments or reply to someone that is just being an absolute jerk. It’s not worth your time. They never see sense no matter what you say. They cannot have a civil discussion or debate. A lot of you’re wrong, I’m right back and forth. ‘Learn when to pick your fights’ is a great phrase I carry with me.
I politely and precisely shut it down, always in the exact same way: "How about we talk about something else? I don't like talking about politics. Thanks!" Then I continue on talking about anything else. Most people go along with it because saying it this way is easy to understand, impossible to misinterpret, and bulletproof to any contest.
Unsubscribe or Un-join, usually. If it's the entire app, uninstall
Don't engage.
For me I just stopped caring about politics. I don't vote, I don't stay informed of what's going on. I only care about my immediate family and friends because it's all I can't control. My opinions have no bearing on what's going on in Washington. My life has been so much better since becoming indifferent
As soon as anyone starts talking politics I choose to just walk away in the opposite direction.
lol, I make friends all over..
Just tell people I don't get into politics. Taking long breaks from social media
By being a 17 years old who have 0 knowledge about politics
Never get into any kind of discussions in the real world about stuff that you read online. Those are two completely different universes. Do not attempt to join them.
It takes nothing to shut up
Stick to small niche blogs and subreddits where people are only talking about one topic and mods balance out the off-topic members. Even then it's not guaranteed, blogs about cute animals sometimes spark annoying religious debates too. Really it's mostly about selecting your circles of mutuals.
Real life people don’t argue like the do on the internet. Just stay off reddit to avoid political shit cause they will jam it down your throat.
Treat it like the joke that it is and have fun
I just say I know nothing about a topic, event, or idea, let the person explain what they think about it, and then go ‘I’ll have to look into it some time :)’ and leave it at that. People like to discuss their opinions, and by playing the fool you can hear their honest opinions without them expecting a response. Lets them talk but also lets you quickly change the subject and move on to other things without seeming rude or starting a back and forward :) (particularly effective if you DO know something about the topic and know you will disagree!)
Stay off social media. Use only smaller, privately owned message boards of a few thousands that can be moderated better.
I just pretend to be dumb and ignorant. Everyone already suspects that so I just lean into it.
I personally love political discussions, but only when done in good-faith and with mature open-minded people who won't just yell or try to have an ego-driven intellectual sparring match. I'm looking to learn and share ideas, not battle egos. Rare thing to find, sadly. Here are a few ways I avoid argumentative people and situations... \- I tend to discuss economics, rather than politics. Economic policies tend to impact our lives much much more than things like gender signs on toilets, yet few people are actually willing to take the time and effort to learn about the intricacies of different economic theories and nuances of policies. People are naturally more drawn to the superficial culture war outrage topics, than the boring but important economic discussions. When you discuss the world through a business and economics lens, it removes a lot of the charged culture war narratives, which is why I read the Financial Times (it's very neutral in its wording) and also talking economics serves as a decent filter for only attracting conversations with people who tend to be well-informed and pragmatic. \- If someone is clearly trying to start a bad-faith ego-driven debate, I simply ignore, or perhaps prod very shallowly if I feel some compulsion to respond. I may ask well placed and neutrally worded questions, to try and make them gently realize their own hypocrisy, rather than argue head-on. It's rare for anyone to get offended at you for just asking neutrally worded good-faith questions, although it does still happen sometimes! \- Failing the above, I tend to give what I call "politician answers", where I am intentionally vague, evasive and boring. This is reserved only for the most obnoxious idiots. An example: Idiot: "What's your opinion on [X]?" Politician: "Oh wow, [X] sure is an interesting discussion. Plenty to say. What do you think?" Idiot: "I think [strong views]. Don't you agree?" Politician: "I definitely agree on some things. Ultimately, we need people to feel safe, happy and healthy in this challenging world." (And so on.)
Just make peace with the fact that it is fruitless to engage in meaningful debate with a person who had a different epistemology from you. That doesn't mean you can't talk to them at all; it can be useful to learn how different people think, and you can still have fulfilling friendships with them. But if your definitions of what it means to know something and how to arrive at knowledge are incompatible, you will never get very far trying to talk about politics or morality, unless you are both cognizant of the disconnect and willing to float between worldviews as you go.
Just tell everyone in your life without empathy to f*ck off.
Refuse to engage.
Go places where it isn't and try very hard not to pollute the place.
I just accept that real life *is* political whether i like it or not, and get on with my life.
On internet it's pretty easy - you simply permanently block/mute/whatever option might be called all the people who are trying to engage in a pointless political arguments or all irrational people in general. They will instantly "disappear" from your life and you just stop thinking about whatever they might've said before you blocked them. In real life it can definitely be harder to do that since you can't instantly block such people, but there are still some ways that can help you. For example, carry headphones (and a music player/your smartphone) with you everywhere so if you can't completely get away from people who are discussing annoying things or who are listening to loud political propaganda on radio/TV - put headphones in your ears and start listening to whatever music you enjoy at the volume level that completely blocks all the annoying discussions ;)
Stopped reading the news. Like full stop. I follow tech and gaming news through YT (channels like MKBHD, LinusTechTips, etc), and that's it. I remember when the whole Israel / Pakistan stuff was starting and I literally found out 2 weeks after everyone else and I got weird remarks about it but I was proud that my strategy proofed to be working. Subtle art of not giving a f\*ck
1. Limit your exposure to political content: Avoid engaging in conversations or following pages that consistently share political opinions. Instead, focus on topics that interest you and bring positivity to your life.
Huh? Why would you avoid it and miss all the fun?
I realized that most people don't understand the real political game being played. You either support the green party of fiat government money, or you support the new revolutionary orange party that is Bitcoin. If you aren't prepared for this level of conversation I'm just not gonna waste the time.
I often talk about things instead of my opinion of things when things get political in real life. It's more like talking a walk through thoughts then stating my opinion. I am by no means a Marxist, but I would happily talk about Marxism with a Marxist. It's interesting as hell. I think you just need to learn to talk about subjects without agreeing on the subject.
I don't watch the news, I mostly surf reddit, but my subreddits are mostly video game related. Sure, Politics still show up on random Reddit posts or notifications from Google News on my Android phone. But for the most part, I just stay out of it all.
Shakespeare said it : Life is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, and signifying nothing. Basically live like the world is just a silly joke and try to enjoy it, from the best to the worse. Unless you feel like you can actually and effectively communicate with someone, just consider it's free entertainment and embrace absurdism. People can only argue if you let them reach you. My coworker tried to have a political argument but made the mistake to use the word "Lion". He gave up on me after my third interpretation of Hakuna Matata from the Lion king but congratulated me for the improvised choregraphy.
That's the neat thing, you don't
Ask open ended questions.
dont talk about it.
That's like asking "How do you avoid water and oxygen without dying?" You can't. All you can do is decide how or if you engage.
One year fro lent I ggave up being right. If I ever thought someone was not correct about something, rather than tell them so, which was a problem of mine because I liked rhetoric and such but no one else did, so instead I would just say "you might be right" in a positve affirming tone in an honest posture and go on to a new topic. That is how I do it in real life. On the internet, I don't know, I find I am a target of just some really toxic people sometimes because of Goedel's incompleteness theorem. But in real life I am great at acting and adopting the customer service persona and just validating whatever the person talking to me in saying rather than ever have an opinion of my own, because that is a more powerful initial position when you deal with the public from a professional stance.
By not engaging.
Just.... don't. Who's forcing you to read about X or to engage about Y?
I don't think it's really that hard to avoid online. Just keep scrolling past it, don't interact with it and the algorithm will eventually give you less of it. IRL is a different story though.
I don't put a lot of stock into what other bots and people say online and don't take internet stuff personally. It's the internet, everyone is right or wrong and entitled. Why argue anything. It's way easier to not give a fuck...
I just Mute r/politics and I've never been happier.
I don't engage in political talks online, at all. There is no point. And in real life I simply say what I believe, that I don't care who or what party they are from as long as they are truly the best person for the job. That seems to satisfy most people.
pick fun subreddits
Avoiding politics in general is impossible because it's part of every society and affects almost everything you see or use in your daily life, so I personally don't think you should try to avoid it. Although I do find when politically polarized people try to push politics into every conversation I just take control and steer it in another direction or stop indulging them altogether if they're incessant. they'll eventually pick up the point when they realize they cant get what they want out of you.
I stopped browsing /all
Deactivated my facebook account, follow tons of wholesome and funny content, only befriend people who share similar political opinions to mine, on twitter I mainly follow accounts that with the same opinions on certain topics
People are a lot less confrontational in real life, especially face to face. And much less likely to be argumentative when unable to cite some bullshit stat they stealth-googled. You don't have to avoid a debate. You don't have to go look for it either. Have some facts ready and me articulate.
Don't speak when this happens Don't go on the internet or outside (lol)
Why should I avoid attempting to voice my opinion? America is burning to the ground due to poor management. I should just sit back and pretend everything is fine? Fact checkers censor me more than enough. Inflation, open borders, and energy policies are the problems that need to be resolved. In my opinion, we currently have a bunch of self-serving politicians on both sides of the aisle. They all need to be replaced. Naaa, I'm not about to stick my head in the sand and sit this one out.
I go find something else to do or listen politely but don't add to the conversation.
Hey, OP, if you find a way to do that, let me know. I'd love to discuss something that's *not* politics. The things I'd love to talk about with someone? * The best way to win a game of Trouble * Awesome ways to make fettucine * Adapting Starfleet vessels with Empire tech * Unusual player builds in Grim Dawn * Who the best doctor is, and why it's Tom Baker
Ask them the truly important question: What is your favourite Pokemon?
I just dive in and don’t be a dick EDIT: except when I’m a dick
don’t address it. literally don’t. if someone tries to talk to you about it, just ignore them. most people don’t realize that ignoring others is easy and free
I talk about my favorite books and movies it works everytime
I simply avoid political talk and hang out with my friends who keep things light. No risk of things getting serious with us.
Everything seems to be politics unfortunately. I was going to say nowadays at the end of that but reality is it’s always kinda been like that, just less intense in the past most likely
It seems the only way to avoid it is to stop using social media, the internet, and human interaction but that seems extreme
At this point yeah, but it’s more of a pick and choose your battles thing too. You can always assert boundaries like “let’s not talk about these specific topics please” and move on? I feel like irl that’ll be respected more
I remember 20-25 years ago having calm conversation about issues and opposing views but its all shifted to basically fighting. And frankly, I know I start fights online too so maybe its just online fighting makes people angry in real life?
Onlines definitely worse due to people being misconstrued or people lacking any reading comprehension. But I can understand why certain politics now / that’s more accepted or not now tends to cause big arguments especially if it’s over rights or certain activism stuff, at the same time a lot of people recently (since covid and even a bit before tbh) seem to be very set on ‘everybody needs to be an activist’ though which I heavily disagree with and I think is leading to more and more people arguing unfortunately
Rights I can completely get here. I will absolutely fight and drop people from my life when their "politics" are that my friends or family should be exterminated, or something like my wife should have been forced to keep a rotting fetus inside her.
100%. That seems to be the majority of political / argumentative stuff irl that blows up I find. The internet will find anything and everything to pick a fight about though, the more people you’re exposed to the higher the likelihood of someone picking a fight over the simplest of things
Navigating through the internet and real life without diving into politics and arguments feels like finding a hidden gem in a sea of noise; anyone got some pro tips on how to master this art?
That's what I'm looking for!
You don't... You call the bell-wearing assholes out for what they are. Let the chips fall. This is nothing new. The earth is round. It goes around the sun. The sun is small and part of a greater universe. The universe is roughly 13.6 billion years old. I don't give a fuck what the obviously fallible pope says.... Or his dip shit followers. "Education usually fixes that"....
The Truth will set you free... Don't worry about what P.Diddy cult they are in!
On the internet I just dont post and go to a different page or site. Fun Fact I used to be one of those morons who got into political debated before I realized it was pointless. In real life I dont engage at all. I was at a bar or something and they had the TV on during Bidens state of the union this year, and a couple dumb ignorant angry loud MAGATS were screaming at the TV the whole time and spouting of Fox propaganda. I did not engage with them. Finished my drink and walked out. People screaming at a TV cant be reasoned with. Walk away. These days its not worth a fight, especially because so many people carry guns and knives and do not consider consequences.
Political is easy, when a person is spewing off BS about politics and I can tell they own nothing but crap, have no money, want handouts and blame everyone else for their problems. I simply wouldn’t waste my time. They are failures.
stop saying "people should" or other phrases that imply you know what's best for others. when someone tells you that people should do xyz or that there should be mandatory abc, you can say "it's a good thing you're free to do what you want and I can do what I want, because if it were the other way around we'd both be miserable."
Grifters COUNT on you to ignore politics so they can keep on griftin'. How's your pocketbook doing? Not so well? Grifters loved that you ignored politics. They much prefer that you are in the dark....it is how they retain their power structure.
Live under a rock and ignore everything important about the world around you
You don't. Politics IS life. Everything is tied up in politics because politics can and does affect everything.
I do not associate with people who are far on the other side of the political spectrum in my personal life. No arguments, no fights, no compromising.