Mark Olmsted
Aug 28, 2017 · 1 min read

I’m having EXACTLY this same exchange on FB, with someone I greatly respect who feels just as you do. And my last comment to him might apply to you as well:
“I think you underestimate how much your friendship means to them — because of your fairness and intellect. I am constantly astonished by how many conservative troll the pages of my liberal friends — trying to get them to agree with them or at least not disapprove of them. And no matter how much it doesn’t work, they keep trying and trying.
And then, if they finally get defriended, the umbrage! Whereas when the reverse has happened (to me at least) I couldn’t care less. You object to my support of gun control? Abortion rights? Palestinian rights? Defriend away, by all means!”
So that is my theory — they actually would be more affected by our withdrawal of friendship than by our arguing back, or certainly by our respectful non-pushback.
My sister’s brother-in-law friended me out of the blue — and North Caroline redneck, and when I saw the anti-Muslim stuff on his page, I immediately defriended him. He was so surprised and semi-apologized, not really understanding what he did “wrong.” I explained and said I couldn’t be friends with him. He still tries every 3 months.
Meanwhile he quietly read stuff on my page. So I maybe changing his mind without having to endure his claptrap.

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    Mark Olmsted

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    Author, "Ink from the Pen," about my 9 months using creativity as the ultimate survival tool behind bars.