Most Irreal readers know that we here at Irreal have a strict rule against dealing with politics. It’s not that we don’t have political opinions, it’s that we think they’re mainly relevant in the voting both and shouldn’t spill over into our day-to-day life.
Marco Arment, who is well known in tech circles, has a beautiful post on politics in everyday life that really resonated with me because it reflected my own views so faithfully. Arment tells the story of some of his neighbors while he was growing up. He didn’t know or care about their politics, only that they were good neighbors and helped his family and their other neighbors whenever they could. He wonders why he should be expected to shun good people simply because their politics differ from his.
Sadly, the opposite view is prevalent today. If you’re a Republican, a Democrat is one of the “other” and vice versa. I remember years ago reading someone saying that they could never date a Republican. That struck me odd and I couldn’t understand it. Why, if you met someone you liked and found attractive, would their politics matter?
My family and I have good friends of many political persuasions and we get along well by simply not dwelling on our differing political views. Sometimes we even discuss politics but always with respect for each others’ views.
One of the worst aspects of this is the dismissal of someone’s (nonpolitical) views and work simply because of disagreement with their politics. In our field, Richard Stallman and Eric Raymond come to mind as targets of this. Despite their significant contributions, some would dismiss them because they don’t like their politics. The world would be a much better place if everyone adopted Arment’s views.