Diversity

[lesliepear]

Just a comment for those who have been unhappy with other LJ friend's comments in their blogs on the election.

I've been on the net since 1996 or so (and some other online stuff prior to that). I've meet many different people through e-mail and lj. Many of these people are very different from my own life - here are two examples:

Republican cat lovers
Moms who are in "poly" lifestyles


I have learned a lot from meeting all these different people - I just prefer to agree to disagree on somethings, especially when the disagreement isn't the topic of the particular list.

Comments

[chelona.livejournal.com]

Republican cat lovers?! OMG! :) hehehe

It's not an lj person

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

But her sig line e-mail was pro Bush. Since it was a cat list, I ignored.

Re: It's not an lj person

[chelona.livejournal.com]

I was just joking with you, and "outing" myself as the other one on the list by poking fun at the other one. Also, most cat people I know, I have NO IDEA of their political affiliation, because it never came up. So finding that probably about half of them are Republicans wouldn't at all surprise me.

[hippybngstockng.livejournal.com]

hehe... Have you been raiding my friends list? I think I have both a republican cat lover and a poly mom ;)

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

Actually the cat person isn't on LJ.
I have another friend on a kids clothes list. Her screen name is very republican and her new dog is named George W. But otherwise she's nice :)

[hippybngstockng.livejournal.com]

I've actually been quite surprised to see how many people on my list are republicans, I think I might have as many as 4! I'm indifferent about most of them, but one of them is practically my favorite person on LJ and while I don't agree with everything she has to say about everything, she makes me laugh harder than anyone I know in real life, but mostly because of who she is as a person. Other than her, it surprises me when republicans friend me because I don't think of them as being able to deal with freaks, and I'm a self identified freak, but hey, I'm open to everyone. I like to think about different points of view even if I don't share them. Maybe that's the writer in me.

I also have lots of republicans in my life, so I've gotten to the point where I can be friends with them easily as long as I never talk politics which I pretty much don't anyway. It gets too personal with me. I hate Bush but it's because my family was one of those "statistics" that went unemployed just before 9/11, and we STAYED unemployed, lost out house and were living with my mom until we move to frigging Canada which it was just luck that we could because my husband is a dual citizen. So yeah, I'm not republican, and on top of it Bush essentially ruined my life so there's no way in hell I would support him. But the whole time, my grandma was just his biggest fan, and while I liked to argue with her about it, I couldn't hate her for her views no matter how hard I tried. I just wondered how she got so..... Republican.

[tahoebean.livejournal.com]

I appreciate diversity in public / moderated forums, but I consider my LJ private - and only like to have like-minded people on my friends list, so I can vent and have validation :D

[twistperception.livejournal.com]

What's so crazy about Republican cat lovers?


(note for the election-enraged: this republican voted for Kerry)

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

Nothing :) I'm not republican - just pointing out that although I know people with common interests, there aren't all the same as mine :)

[twistperception.livejournal.com]

my point was that I am in fact a Republican cat lover ;)

[devi-pavarti.livejournal.com]

why am I not surprised :P

[purple-roses.livejournal.com]

So far, I haven't had any problems, but one of my friends did. Personally, I think she has a right to be upset. She posted a message SPECIFICALLY asking that folks not comment on the election. So, what did they do? They wrote some of the most hateful, mean comments I've read in a while. And these were folks on her Friends list. I can't blame her for responding and removing them under those conditions.

[waning-estrogen.livejournal.com]

I don't have problems with diversity and differences of opinion. I'm very middle of the road, but like a weeble, I wobble.

I just don't really care to read the journal of someone who solely posts political rhetoric or religious dogma. Last night I dropped a couple of those I've had on a filter for some time because I can only envision them continuing to whine and/or preach for the next four years.

I'm having a bit of difficulty (incredulity, disbelief, sarcastic comments I don't really post) with adults who are crying and want to hide, keep apologizing for America, etc. I can accept that from young idealistic teens (having been one about 40 years ago), but if you're my age, you should have developed a few coping mechanisms by now, seriously. I'm not happy with this (I've got two kids in/joining the navy with shrub jr. for their commander-in-chief), but I don't intend to mope about for four years because of it. I'm in my twilight years here, and I don't intend to waste 'em moaning about something I can't change. Move on.

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

Two children in the service. Wow.

[waning-estrogen.livejournal.com]

yes. when amy got to come home on leave in july, she had to do a couple days at the recruiting office. ben went with her one of the days, because he had been talking to the marines! (<--scary, that!) but the navy folks talked to him and he didn't keep his appointment with the marine recruiter. I was very happy about that outcome. it's an exaggeration, I know, but I feel like if you join the marines, you may as well be wearing a target on your back. the navy is the safest branch of the military service, so it gives me a bit of breathing room.

[ericainohio.livejournal.com]

Hey, you forgot "homebirthing nutjob Republican cat lover of Native American descent" - that's me, LOL!!

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

I didn't know you were Native American until you mentioned it recently.

I'm amazed you did a homebirth. I couldn't have, I don't think myself or Mark could have handled it.