Political

 I heard someone recently refer to another man as being political, and I took that as being a negative assessment of the man. I have wondered if there is a difference between being political and having a social philosophy that one seeks to promote. To say someone is political seems to have a negative connotation to it, and I wonder if it is being used correctly in its application. I don't think it is as negative as calling someone a “hypocrite”--which is obviously a negative characterization that is used quite often towards those people someone disagree with, even if they are only being inconsistent in some way as opposed to be deceptive, which hypocrisy more accurately denotes.

I could see a person being “political” if they side with their political party contrary to their beliefs, but if one has a specific social philosophy and sticks to it, regardless of their political party that they align with, is that being political? If a person believes in open borders, is he being political? If you are for open borders or opposed to open borders, depending on what your political party believes, wouldn't that be being political? I'm just using that as an example.

It's amazing what you can find on YouTube, because you can usually find the opposing side of a view supporting that view at one time, whether it be tariffs or gay marriage or Israel's right to exist, etc. Of course, people have the right to change their minds on an issue, but is it what they believe or is it their party's platform that they are now supporting?

I just don't think it's right to dismiss someone's views that you don't like by claiming they are being political. Do you know for sure that it isn't their social philosophy? And we have the freedom and right to claim our social philosophy as anyone else in this country.

And why do those who oppose a certain social philosophy get to be so outraged, when that opposing view has just much of a right to have a view? If we are both going to get so outraged and violent, then we are going to destroy one-another. Why can't we calmly discuss the social philosophies we disagree over without outbursts of wrath and derogatory names and labels inaccurately used to discredit those you disagree with?