max223•15d ago

Hit 10 years of not deleting a single Facebook friend over politics

So back in 2015 during the whole election stuff, I decided I would NEVER delete a friend just because they posted something I hated. Ten years later I checked my count and I still have every single person I added since college. That includes the guy who shares conspiracy memes at 3 AM and my aunt who posts those weird chain prayers. It got me thinking about how cancel culture pushes us to just cut people off instead of dealing with different views. Has anyone else tried sticking to some kind of no-block rule and found it actually changed how they argue online?

3 comments

3 Comments

charles64015d ago

Man, 10 years is a long time but I gotta say this sounds like a recipe for getting brainwashed slowly. Keeping people like that around you just normalizes their garbage takes to the point you might start questioning your own values without realizing it. Social media is already designed to trap you in endless arguments, why make it worse by keeping hardcore trolls and crazy relatives on your feed? Some folks post that stuff specifically to wear you down, not to have a real conversation. Cutting them off isn't "cancel culture," it's just basic self-respect. Truth is, you can't change someone who's already decided facts don't matter, so all you're doing is giving them a free audience. Bet you've spent way too many hours arguing with people who never budged an inch. At a certain point you have to ask yourself how much of your mental energy is worth throwing into a black hole. Maybe the real flex isn't keeping everyone, but knowing when to walk away.

foster.tessa15d ago

Real question here though @charles640 - what's the line between "wearing you down" and actually changing your mind without you noticing? Because I've seen people on both sides of that fence and sometimes it seems like the ones who think they're immune are the first ones to start parroting stuff they swore they'd never agree with. I'm not saying you're wrong about cutting people off being self-respect. But there's also something to be said about knowing what you actually believe well enough that it doesn't shake when someone yells at you about it. The problem is most people don't have that kind of confidence, so yeah, walking away is probably safer for them. You mentioned unlimited energy though and that part I get. Nobody has time to argue with a brick wall every day. Just curious if you've ever had that moment where you dropped someone from your feed and later wondered if you were the one being too harsh.

grant47814d ago

Dunno, seems like most folks were never gonna change their mind anyway so it's not that deep.