Mixing friendship with political talk has the potential to be volatile. On one hand, you love your friend. You two get along well, you do everything together, and you can't imagine your life without them. However, they support the dreaded other candidate. If you're being honest with yourself, you know this is extremely disappointing and rather unfortunate. Obviously, you wish your friend could see the world in the same ways that you do. You wish they shared the same opinions as you and that everything could be happy, smooth-sailing, and perfect. In spite of that, nothing is perfect, friends can disappoint us, and life can be very frustrating at times. Here is what to do when your friend supports the other candidate and how to save your friendship in the process.
1. Find humor in your disagreements.
No, blatantly telling your friend, "You're stupid" is not the answer. What you should always keep in mind is that you don't want to let your political differences destroy your friendship. What better way to do this than through the use of humor?
2. Avoid getting into heated debates over controversial issues.
Hold your head high, take a deep breath, and turn the other cheek. Trust me, it's much easier than getting into a screaming match over the current state of the economy.
3. When in doubt, seek out friends with similar political views as yourself.
For the times when you just can't even anymore. You know what they say: misery loves company, so find someone you can sit down and complain with. Your sanity will thank you later.
4. Keep your smart remarks to yourself.
There's inevitably going to be times where you are surrounded by friends from the opposite party. Sure, they might gang up on you, and you might have some choice words for them as a result, but do your best to take the high road and keep them to yourself.
5. Periodically remind your friend how much you love them no matter what.
At the end of the day, you know your friend is invaluable to you no matter how screwed up you feel their thinking might be. The truth is, you wouldn't be able to survive without them, which is why you need to call attention to your unconditional love for them every so often.
The race for the White House is bound to get uglier between now and November. Just remember to put your friendship first and try not to get into any catfights.
