In Defense of Politics on Facebook

I'm that guy who is unafraid to post something political on Facebook. I know it upsets some of my friends, many of whom are conservative and wearies others who are moderate or liberal. But I don't apologize for this simple reason: politics is how we decide what we're doing as a group. Religion is a private decision but politics is a group decision.

If you decide to vote for a freeway expansion, I have to pay for that with additional taxes. If you decide to vote against a freeway expansion, I have to pay for that with additional commute time. If you decide to vote for an amateur who doesn't understand foreign policy or the market, I have to pay for that in terms of costly, disastrous wars and costly, disastrous recessions.

We're in this together. If you're about to vote for an outcome I see as dangerous, I want you to know why it's a bad idea. And I expect you to point out the same to me. It's called dialogue.

Social media gives a unique opportunity to democratize not just the vote but the discussion leading up to it.

Obviously people can make any discussion / argument a battle of wits or an accusation of stupidity but friendships should not be equivalent to a witless protection program. Our friends should be a resource for helping us to understand the world a little better, even if all we understand is how their perspective or situation is different from ours.