I Don’t Like Labels – They’re Usually Wrong

 
Whenever people ask me what my politics are, that’s always a loaded question. People typically ask these things to determine if another person is in their tribe or not.
The problem I have with such things is that there is never a glib answer that is all-encompassing.
For instance, if I say I’m a Liberal, that for some means I support killing unborn babies.
Or if I say I’m a Conservative, that for some means I don’t support gay marriage.
I’ll say this much – neither of those is true.
So if you ever ask me what party I’m affiliated with or what my label is – you won’t get an answer. If you ask me about a particular subject that I think could be controversial – I’ll probably not discuss it, simply because of what the Internet is and what tribal affiliation really is all about.

That being said, let me also talk about the whole determining if someone is part of your tribe or not and the Internet.
Most of the people we “know” on the internet aren’t folks we tend to know as well as those in real life. That’s also why when I talk with people, I always keep in mind one thing my grandfather taught me ages ago:
“Never presume that the person you’re talking to holds the same opinion as you do.”
Think about that for a moment.
Let me play the role of someone who isn’t happy with President Calvin Coolidge [see, I avoided modern politics on purpose.]
Me: “Hey, Fred! Did you hear what that moron Coolidge said today? He actually believes that….”
In this case I’m assuming Fred is part of my tribe. He’ll of course agree that Coolidge said something ridiculous and we’ll have a good laugh and bond, right?
Well, what if Fred, unbeknownst to myself happens to be married to Coolidge’s first cousin or grew up with him as a child or maybe you totally misread Fred and he wholeheartedly disagrees with you.
The jibe turns into grumpiness and snide remarks etc.
The Internet loves that stuff.
Unlike in real life when someone who disagrees can have a friendly debate or even a heated one, we all typically have the social skills to unwind ourselves in a live conversation. On the Internet, harsh words invite glares – they fester into full-blown flame wars, and nobody ever gets a reasonable point across.
So if I would ever have a word of advice on this stuff (talking religion, politics, etc) – always consider what my grandfather said.

“Never presume that the person you’re talking to holds the same opinion as you do.”

– Joseph Rothman