I’m a politically inclined person. That much should be clear from the many Op-Eds I’ve written for this paper alone. 

But contrary to what many of my peers have assumed, I don’t like bringing up political topics in my personal relationships. 

The constant flow of oftentimes sensitive information, whether it be in my classes or the content I consume, fatigues me from those topics when I’m in casual, social situations. It’s hard to write about a brutal ICE detention for five hours, then talk about it for another two.

However, this doesn’t stop me from discussing politics with my friends from time to time. And since we’re a complex species with infinite amounts of contrasting beliefs, sometimes these conversations become contentious. 

We all would enjoy a world where everyone agreed with everything we said. It’s why we believe in our views to begin with. 

But not only do I think having conversations with people who hold dissenting opinions is healthy, I believe in keeping those who disagree as good friends as well.

There are obvious limits to this; I, for example, would never game with Tucker Carlson or Nick Fuentes. Neither would I watch a movie with an open Klu Klux Klan member. 

But for individuals who live normal lives and don’t significantly contribute to what you ideologically view as problematic, there are a plethora of reasons not to kick them to the curb.

It helps you understand social conditioning

I believe in nurture over nature. Where you grew up, who you were around and the amount of resources you had in formative years play an enormous role in what politics you end up believing in. 

But in our current political climate, it seems as though fewer individuals acknowledge that there might be gaps in their knowledge and understanding due to this reality. 

Talking to someone who doesn’t agree with you politically carries a high likelihood that they grew up differently, forcing you to engage with a variety of cultures, settings and economic statuses. 

In my personal experience, this has greatly expanded my understanding of social conditioning as a concept. Changing my opinions in certain cases, or providing me with better ways to present my own to other people who disagree.

It strengthens your ability to deal with conflict

Conflict, whether politically charged or not, is a constant in life. And quickly and effectively resolving it is a skill that, like most, requires practice. Having friends or family members who challenge your ideas in a way that may bother you is one of the best ways to train yourself to deal with other, more consequential, instances of beef in life.

It’s not fun to get into a heated disagreement with someone you care about, especially if it’s about something that you believe is causing widespread harm. 

But forgiveness is not afforded to everyone, so going through the trial and error of conflict resolution with someone likely to keep your trust is more preferable than encountering it for the first time in a public or professional setting.

It’s often the best way to root out hateful ideology

The scariest proposition of having friends with different ideologies is the inevitable fact that a belief that extends beyond the normal boundaries of political discourse will slip through the cracks. 

In these cases, being a dissenting voice in the person’s life might be the only way to drag their worldview back towards normalcy.

I stated earlier that those who significantly contribute to policy change or ideological shifts in the opposite direction from oneself should be off limits for casual friendship. Staying in someone’s life and attempting to slowly pull them out of a hateful belief goes a long way in preventing individuals from entering this zone in the first place. 

It’s frustrating to engage with ideas that significantly contradict what you know or what you have experienced. But without understanding and discussing differences in opinion, there’s no room for harmony, and as a result, necessary societal change.

Empathy is at the core of why we should have friends with political disagreements. The sooner someone demonstrates that quality, the sooner others will follow and a sense of relative harmony can be reached within a population.