I'm not your friend anymore!

I'm encountering an interesting phenomenon these days on Facebook. I enjoy the popular social networking site, although I don't spend nearly as much time on it as I used to, because it appeals to my interest in keeping up with friends old and new and especially finding long-lost friends from college, high school, and before (a trait for which some have criticized me in the past, for whatever reason). In fact, my girlfriend and I had dated briefly in high school but had no contact thereafter until Facebook brought us back together after 26 years, and I'm so grateful for that.

But the "interesting phenomenon" to which I refer is being "dumped" by erstwhile friends after posting something that pertains to my liberal viewpoints -- which, I might add, I seldom do. But when I do ... hoo boy, do I hear about it.

Just yesterday on Facebook, I linked to a hilarious post by our old blogfriend Gen. J.C. Christian of the blog "Jesus' General." The post, on which I stumbled more or less by accident (not having read "Jesus' General" as much as I'd like lately), was a satirical eulogy of Jerry Falwell ostensibly written by the infamous object of Falwell's scorn, Winky Tinky of the Teletubbies. I heard back from one of my old high school friends simply asking me, "Why are you such a basher?"

Well, I hadn't really considered myself much of a "basher" -- maybe here at Blast Off! in my "blog persona" as Sinfonian, but in meatspace, not really. Then I saw that said friend had de-friended me from Facebook, so I felt free to reply in detail:

Well ..., I was debating about whether to reply with the short, funny version or the long, detailed version, but since you apparently dropped me as a FB friend over this, I'll go with long. You weren't the first to dump me on FB over politics, and I'm sure you won't be the last. So much for open-mindedness; pity people take these things personally.

I don't really consider myself a "basher;" in fact, I posted this because it's hilarious. But, for now, I'll go with the label.

I'm a "basher" because I've seen how the Radical Right has destroyed so much of this country. How the hate and distrust of people who are "different," whether gay, non-Christian, African-American, etc., and so on has created a nation where people actually defend their "right" to openly take assault weapons to presidential appearances. How the people who by all rights SHOULD be most tolerant, based on their professed beliefs, are usually the LEAST tolerant.

So, yeah, I'm perfectly willing to "bash" people who are hypocrites. People who, for example, pray for the death of the president, as a pastor recently has done. Or, in this case, a nationally-renowned pastor who publicly blamed 9/11 on "the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively ... Read Moretrying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way...." That kind of attitude is abominable, and living in Florida, I see it far too often.

So I guess posting a piece that I didn't even write here somehow justifies being labeled a "basher" and chided for my opinions. As I said above, I'm just sorry people take this so personally. Many of my friends, on Facebook and otherwise, have ideologies different than mine; I choose not to denigrate them for their views and instead maintain the friendship. Even my girlfriend is a Republican, and somehow we survive. I'm sorry to have offended you and anyone else affected.

This isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened. It's not even the first time in the last couple of weeks: one old high school friend, who since has become an evangelical Christian, explained to me a short time ago in no uncertain terms that she would not stand for my "bashing [her] brothers and sisters in Christ" because of a Facebook post (referring to Blast Off!) wherein I referred to the pro-prayer forces in Santa Rosa County as "radical Christianists." She then dumped me from her Facebook friend list. (Hmmm ... maybe I really am a "basher.")

I'm sorry to lose friends over politics. I guess ultimately it's inevitable, but it's hard to hide my opinions permanently on a forum (Facebook) that is so personal. However, my sorrow comes more from the idea that people would take such things so personally; I acknowledge my differences from many of my friends, even those who proudly display "McCain-Palin" or "Bush-Cheney" stickers on their cars. We disagree, even debate, but that doesn't make them my friends any less.

I really do have a lot of Republican friends. My girlfriend is a Republican. Nearly everyone in my family is Republican. Most of my Republican/conservative friends -- well, those who know about this sucky blog -- tell me they enjoy reading the blog now and then, and occasionally they even comment here. Good -- I welcome dissenting opinions. But I'm never going to apologize for my sincerely-held beliefs and opinions ... nor will I ever ask my friends to do so.

People who publicly wear T-shirts proclaiming "Islam Is The Devil," though ... well, that's an entirely different story altogether ....

UPDATE (11:42 am 9/1/09): Just saw that one of my Facebook friends posted her response to a poll, "Which of these candidates would you vote for if there were a 2008 Presidential Election Do-Over?" She answered Mike Huckabee, commenting, "This is who I voted for in the FIRST place!!" Now, I wouldn't even think of defriending her (although I might think of recommending professional help for her obviously delusional behavior).

(Just kidding!)