I rarely engage in political discussions and avoid them in most cases. This post is about as political as I will get.
The fact is, we inhabit a politically driven world and the influence of politics on our lives is sadly inescapable.
While I have many friends, I have a small circle with whom I communicate frequently, frequently defined as almost daily to at least six times through a year. Daily would be face-to-face… six times a year might be through text, email, or phone call.
Politics is NEVER a part of my communications within the small circle. NEVER. That said, I am certain I have a good feel for how my friends might be politically oriented as I am certain they could say the same for me. A word here or there or reference to a book or film among other things can be innocent clues to political orientation.
Two friends, I no longer consider in my small circle. The alienation resulted from their forceful attempts to engage in political conversation with me that exceeded my limitations as they – intentionally or unintentionally – attempted to force their political orientation on me. I listened with no enthusiasm.
One friend in my small circle is VERY politically vocal and frequently shares his political thoughts on social media. In most cases, I am diametrically opposed to his viewpoints on a broad array of political topics, and I often find his tweets offensive. Even so, he and I NEVER engage in political discussions, and he remains in my small circle, and we’ve worked successfully together on many satisfying projects. I consider him a good and trusted friend.
I think most people would choose the words they use in political commentary more carefully – and less combatively – if they understood the political orientation of the person to whom they were talking. Few people intentionally choose to offend their fellows. For that reason, I announce here that am considered a member of
The Ambivalent Right.
I had no clue until this afternoon.
I subscribe to the Pew Research Center, a non-partisan think tank based in DC. Earlier today, I received the Center’s quarterly update, which included “a roadmap to the nation’s fractured political landscape.” I found the update very interesting and informative. The email offered a 16-question quiz that enables the participant to identify – as far as this quiz is concerned – the political typology the respondent’s answers suggest he is aligned with. Once the typology is identified, Pew provides a detailed summary of the typology’s characteristics.
No, I am not a 100% match for the ‘ambivalent right,’ but I can identify with many of the characteristics of this typology.
If you would like to see where you fit in the political typology – at least as far as the Pew Research Center is concerned – I invite you to click this link and take the quiz. It offers a perspective you may not have considered.
Fascinating survey. Like you, Pew put me in a group where I identify with some of the values strongly, and others … not so much. Some of the binary answers turned out to be something like 51/49. For instance, does religion belong in politics? The Founders often spoke of a moral people being a pre-requisite for a constitutional republic. Pew seems to conflate “moral” and “Christian”. Do religions belong in politics vs. religious peple? That said, how the various groups look at the issues is worth examining. Thanks as always for a thoughtful post.
I’m glad you found value in this, Paul. You are not alone. I’ve received more emails than usual in response to this interesting quiz.
I’m tired of politics, too. I identify with taking responsibility and caring about other people. Todays political labels might sound like they are about beliefs but the driving force is quest for power. At my age, I’ve decided to try to keep it simple. No one listens to me anyway. I focus on family, grandkids, friends, my neighbors cold beer, the Texas two step, Willie Nelson music. I count my blessings.
Indeed, Joe, you are blessed! I am pleased to count you as a member of my ‘small circle.’ I quit drinking beer a month ago, can’t dance, and prefer Harry Chapin to Willie!
This is something I had never heard of before. Pretty interesting. Political discussions have divided many Christian churches in the past couple of years. I definitely have some convictions about politics, but I am trying to “transcend” politics and focus on the Kingdom of God. The Bible describes followers of Jesus as pilgrims or foreigners in this world. My first citizenship is to the Kingdom of God and not to the United States. There is an earthly authority that the Bible describes and believers have a responsibility to follow as described in Romans 13 and elsewhere. The first priority, though, is the authority that Christ holds over me as Lord of my life.