How to lose friends and alienate people

[Chris71]

There's an old saying that you should never talk about religion or politics. Having put a couple of slightly flippant comments up on Facebook I now realise this is true. This is the first general election (of three I've been eligible for) that I've bothered to vote in and I can't say I'm particularly fussed by politics - I'm not a die hard supporter of any of the current candidates. However, I made a couple of joke about Gordon Brown and promptly got a tirade of abuse from apprently pro-Labour friends. The worrying thing is that this wasn't banter; they seemed deadly serious and genuinely offended.

Be warned. It seems politics can trigger an extreme sense of humour failure

[Plotloss]

One might suggest it's your fault for entertaining the friendship of lefties...

[Frankeh]

Does anyone actually care that much?
Slight debate is fine, but I mean actually having an argument is a bit OTT.

Very Americanised.

[Robatr0n]

Don't worry, I've posted some anti Brown stuff on my facebook page. I had the idea because I want to clear out some of my 'friends' and what better way to start then clearing out all the lefties.

No-ones bitten yet though.

[Chris71]

Robatr0n said:

Don't worry, I've posted some anti Brown stuff on my facebook page. I had the idea because I want to clear out some of my 'friends' and what better way to start then clearing out all the lefties.

Most of my friends on my OH's side are teachers or musicians or both. Many are also northerners or, worse still, Welsh. So they're all a few steps left of Trotsky. That I expected, it was the fact they took it so seriously that alarmed me.

Sadly I can't Facebook-purge them as most of them are otherwise worthwhile people who's friendship I value in real life.

[cs02rm0]

My facebook page is covered in pro-Labour comments. They're a very loud and annoying minority at times like this. There seems to be quite a lot of Labour support amongst IT contractors, educated people working for themselves in the private sector, seemingly with a screw loose though.

[randlemarcus]

Chris71 said:

Sadly I can't Facebook-purge them as most of them are otherwise worthwhile people who's friendship I value in real life.

Convert it into a real life situation then.

Your mate's mates have scammed you over a number of years, and you now have a household overdraft of some twenty grand, through no fault of your own. Your mates know about this, and are still drinking in the pub with their other mates, laughing at you. Are they really that good a set of friends?

[Neil H]

Chris71 said:

However, I made a couple of joke about Gordon Brown and promptly got a tirade of abuse from apprently pro-Labour friends. The worrying thing is that this wasn't banter; they seemed deadly serious and genuinely offended.

Delete them.

[Frankeh]

cs02rm0 said:

There seems to be quite a lot of Labour support amongst IT contractors

Do you know how much money Labour has pumped into poorly planned IT projects?
Most never get completed and end up scrapped.

There's a lot of money to be made when you're basically asked to write some software, then rewrite it 5 more times because councils aren't happy with the original spec.

fking gold mine.

[iggletiggle]

Chris71 said:

or, worse still, Welsh.

Oi! Steady on..

I am welsh and are DEFINATELY not worse than any northerner.. plus i am extremely anti labour..

[cs02rm0]

Frankeh said:

cs02rm0 said:

There seems to be quite a lot of Labour support amongst IT contractors

Do you know how much money Labour has pumped into poorly planned IT projects?
Most never get completed and end up scrapped.

There's a lot of money to be made when you're basically asked to write some software, then rewrite it 5 more times because councils aren't happy with the original spec.

fking gold mine.

Yes. These particular ones though are involved in private TV (Sky for one).

[Chris71]

iggletiggle said:

Chris71 said:

or, worse still, Welsh.

Oi! Steady on..

I am welsh and are DEFINATELY not worse than any northerner.. plus i am extremely anti labour..

I used to live in Wales, I like it a lot and (ahem) some of my best friends are Welsh, but it is a traditionally labour/socialist area I understand? Ditto for all those murky places north of Watford apparently.

[sday12]

Gordon Brown is a lefty?


Good God!

[Shay HTFC]

cs02rm0 said:

My facebook page is covered in pro-Labour comments. They're a very loud and annoying minority at times like this. There seems to be quite a lot of Labour support amongst IT contractors, educated people working for themselves in the private sector, seemingly with a screw loose though.

I would bet that on facebook, labour fans are not the minority and hence not overly loud, just representative of the facebook demographic. Lib Dems will be massively over-represented compared to the UK average too.

The fact is that your average Tory voter will still be communicating to their friends via telegram

Edited by Shay HTFC on Friday 7th May 13:11

[iggletiggle]

Chris71 said:

iggletiggle said:

Chris71 said:

or, worse still, Welsh.

Oi! Steady on..

I am welsh and are DEFINATELY not worse than any northerner.. plus i am extremely anti labour..

I used to live in Wales, I like it a lot and (ahem) some of my best friends are Welsh, but it is a traditionally labour/socialist area I understand? Ditto for all those murky places north of Watford apparently.

you are correct.. everyone who lived around me in Caerleon was a labour supporter.. luckily i now live in the East of england surrounded by fellow Blues

[Fittster]

cs02rm0 said:

There seems to be quite a lot of Labour support amongst IT contractors, educated people working for themselves in the private sector, seemingly with a screw loose though.

I'm amazed by that. Most IT contractors I've met want a tiny state a low taxes (especially the taxes they pay or do their best to avoid)

[Rags]

Fittster said:

cs02rm0 said:

There seems to be quite a lot of Labour support amongst IT contractors, educated people working for themselves in the private sector, seemingly with a screw loose though.

I'm amazed by that. Most IT contractors I've met want a tiny state a low taxes (especially the taxes they pay or do their best to avoid)

Surely items such as IR35 do not benefit contractors in the slightest!?

[JonRB]

Rags said:

Surely items such as IR35 do not benefit contractors in the slightest!?

What is your point? IR35 was enacted in 1999. Labour came into power in 1997.

[Cara van Man]

Chris71 said:

There's an old saying that you should never talk about religion or politics. Having put a couple of slightly flippant comments up on Facebook I now realise this is true. This is the first general election (of three I've been eligible for) that I've bothered to vote in and I can't say I'm particularly fussed by politics - I'm not a die hard supporter of any of the current candidates. However, I made a couple of joke about Gordon Brown and promptly got a tirade of abuse from apprently pro-Labour friends. The worrying thing is that this wasn't banter; they seemed deadly serious and genuinely offended.

Be warned. It seems politics can trigger an extreme sense of humour failure

Delete them. Commy bstards.

[bazking69]

If you aren't interested in politics or religion, save comments for likeminded people who don't care either. Getting involved in something that others are passionate about when you aren't is fatal.