Why I don't discuss politics with friends

Update: There is something poetic about this essay on tribalism getting removed from users abusing the flagging system (then restored) after hitting #3 on Hacker News 😆 March 2025 For as much as I enjoy analyzing politics[1], I'm even more against discussing it with friends. This policy arose from three patterns observed over the years: Most people don't have political views, they have political tribes Developing the political reasoning skills to graduate from tribes to views is incredibly difficult and the kicker: Most people don't want to graduate from tribes to views Often when someone asks "who did you vote for", what they're actually doing is verifying your adherence to group culture, like a congregation member asking "you believe in god, right?" loudly in church. The insidious nature of this question comes from the false representation as earnest, intellectual discourse. Many who ask it may truly believe they’re engaging earnestly, but their responses quickly reveal an ang ... Read full article.