Dear Thonny,

I made a new friend in my Government class this year, but I recently found out that she has extremely different political views. I don’t agree with her at all and we have had some major fights about it. I have a feeling I’m about to lose the friend I just made. What should I do? I don’t want to lose her, but sometimes she says things that make me want to go off on her.

Sincerely,
A friend in need

Dear friend in need,

The first thing I want to tell you is that you don’t have to like or agree with everyone’s opinion on politics, but you do have to respect it. Everyone has the right to speak their mind.

I remember when I took Government there were people whose opinions I didn’t agree with. Instead of having a huge fight with them, I would ask why they had that opinion so I could get a better understanding of their point of view.

Instead of fighting with your friend, you should try to see why she has different political views than you. It could be the way she was raised or because she has different morals. Either way, it’s okay to not have the same views. Life gets boring when everyone agrees with what you say.

Another thing you can do is control your temper. Going off on someone just because they have different opinions than you is immature and it’s just not a good look.

Making friends is the hard part of friendship. Keeping them is supposed to be the easy part. Try to focus on other aspects of your friendship if that’s easier for you. If she really is your friend, then you shouldn’t let talk about politics get in the way of your friendship. Remember that decency Trumps being rude.

Sincerely,
Thonny