Unfriending - some thoughts

Whoa, been a while since I posted.

Earlier today I unfriended a guy on Facebook. I have mixed feelings about it, and I thought I'd unpack. Because if there's anything I can do, it's talk at length about inane shit. I'm like the Doctor, but considerably less awesome. Only one heart, not about to test whether I can regenerate, and my sonic screwdriver doesn't even change the TV channel...

Aaaanyways.

Mostly I keep my Facebook list to people I actually know. In more recent times I've expanded it out a bit to people I've met online, generally sci-fi fans who have been involved in discussions I've been part of, who have for some reason decided it was worth sending me a friend request. (I hardly ever send out requests myself, I don't want to bother people). But apart from that, mostly family or people I know from offline.

This particular guy is someone I knew from high school, so not exactly a fleeting online acquaintance. Still, we've never been friendly. Probably met twice offline since leaving high school, and sure, those encounters were relatively cordial, but... not much more. And we've not exactly clashed and had any horribly acrimonious arguments online... mostly.

I hate to say it, but my issues with him stem from his religion. We went to a Catholic high school, and while I didn't actually end up all that religious myself, he seems to have become a bit... zealous. Frankly, some of the views he's espoused would be at home with the religious right in America.

A few years ago, New Zealand went through its own ructions over marriage equality. First we had civil unions, then it became fully legal a couple of years ago. At this time, the dude had a Facebook thread about it. He was against it, of course. I got involved, tried to argue... didn't go so well. Before I gave up and... well, ok, I flounced. In my defense, he was arguing that giving equal marriage rights to gay people was the same as giving your cat the right to speak to fairies.

I still don't know what that means!

He seemed to think it meant giving them the right was pointless. For reasons. Like I said, I don't get it.

Lately, he's shared a couple of articles relating to the Planned Parenthood debacle going on in the States. Predictably, he's in the camp that believes Planned Parenthood is dissecting unborn babies for profit. I had one relatively low key discussion with one of his, shall we say, fellow travellers, which went considerably less low key when the second guy asserted that Planned Parenthood... you know what, I'm just gonna say PP from here on. So, PP were, in his words, hiding behind the mantle of 'women's health' so they could 'brutally dissect babies in the womb to maximise profits'.

I'm sorry, but when people start evangelising their conspracy theories, I tune out. Turned off notifications for that thread rather than see any more idiocy from him.

The guy from high school, though.... today, Facebook put in my feed a comment he made on someone's thread. In it, he asserted that because the PP employees had been matter-of-fact in the videos, and didn't use the usual euphemisms like 'products of conception' or 'fetal tissue', it somehow proves the point. Because, ZOMG, they talked about harvesting eyes and livers!

And I'm thinking... well, DUH. As far as tone? They thought they were talking to legitimate PROFESSIONALS involved in MEDICAL RESEARCH. How else are they supposed to talk? They were talking business with their peers (they thought). Just not the kind of business done for profit.

And as for being specific about organs and stuff... again, DUH. You can't test for brain chemistry in a foot. Scientists are gonna want to be specific about what they're doing. Then again, having no clue what they're talking about is pretty much par for the discourse.

But it was at that point I realised... there's no reasoning with that level of lunacy. No talking to people who sincerely want to believe that anyone would and could 'brutally dissect babies in the womb'. That kind of world view is just beyond fucked up.

And I'm better off without it.

Like I said on Facebook, I don't mind differing opinions, but I can do without regurgitations of hateful nonsense.

Of course, if a PROPER and THOROUGH investigation by LEGAL authorities reveals that PP are as bad as accused, I will be very contrite. I can admit when I'm wrong.

But I still wouldn't friend that guy again.