Politics at Work

It is common knowledge that talking about politics in the workplace is a bad idea. Everyone has their own views on the government and how things should really be run. Everyone has heard the advice to refrain from talking about politics at work because it can cause unnecessary tension and cause you to view your coworkers in a different (and often incorrect) light. So why do we still do it?

It may start out as something as simple as discussing the current debt crisis and how our country has had it's credit rating downgraded (partly due to the $2,000,000,0000 miscalculation by the S&P) and how it is affecting the stock market and the fact that this is going to lead to a double dip recession and all the progress that has been made in the past two years is gong to be erased, but the conversation will inevitably turn to politics. Some people will discuss the stimulus package that Obama passed as leading to the debt, some will point to the health care reform that has lead to the debt. Some will point out that the ongoing and pointless wars we're in are leading to much of the debt. Some will point out that the tax cuts for the wealthy are a leading cause of the debt. After a while, people will start to blame the Republicans for trying to push through a bullshit bill in order to reduce the debt, blame the Tea Party for their lying tactics and fear mongering, blame the Democrats for refusing to let the bills pass until the last minute, blame the President for not stepping in... There's always someone to blame. And with this continued conversation and this continued line of reasoning, people will be starting to get angry with those that disagree with their thoughts.

It might even be a more controversial issue that is brought up with coworkers that can lead to a heated discussion, like the fact that gay marriage is finally allowed in New York. Or maybe the topic of abortion will be brought up. Or maybe it is the continuing war in Iraq and Afghanistan that is brought up with the news of yet another attack and more soldiers being killed.Or maybe it is the proposed legalization of marijuana.Or maybe it is the thought of lowering the drinking age to match the voting age. Or maybe it is the country's crumbling and deteriorating education system. Or maybe it is the great need for health care reform in the country. Or maybe it is the need for tax reform and budget cuts. Or maybe it is the amount of religion allowed in schools and allowed to influence our country's leaders.

These are all issues that almost everyone has some strong feelings about. And these are also issues that you will usually never change anyone's mind or opinion on. By getting involved in these conversation, you might be able to ascertain why people believe what they do and you might get a new view point on these issues. But, sadly, most of these conversations lead to people getting angry that the other person won't believe as they do and they don't understand how the other person can believe all of the liberal/conservative propaganda in the media.

In the end, most of the time the other person's views on these issues and their political beliefs may change the way you view this coworker entirely. You might have thought that this person was a smart person, capable of doing their job, a hard worker. But now that you know their views in politics, your opinion of them will (maybe only subconsciously) change. If they can believe all of the ridiculous propaganda and lies in the media, are they really as intelligent as you once thought? If they aren't as smart and as competent as you thought, are they really able to do their job properly?

People don't like to admit it, but most of these doubts will arise. I've noticed not only from my coworker's behavior, but also my own. It is (usually, but not always) a subconscious reaction to learning that someone you once respected has what you see as absurd beliefs and convictions. Is this right? Of course not. But it is what happens. After learning of such differing views, you might want to try and point out the fallacies in the the other person's argument. It might be remarks occasionally made. It might be an unspoken tension between you. But your work environment has changed. Hopefully, if you start to see that you view a coworker differently based solely on their political or religious beliefs, you will be able to take a step back and realize that just because you have opposing views on certain issues does not affect the way they can do their job. And if you start to sense the tension based on your differing views, you will be able to step back and realize that you are at work to work, not to argue about our nation's future and our problems.

Why do we get so upset when people have such opposing views from us? Because we want to be right. We want it to be the other person's (or political party's) fault. With all of the issues we're facing in the nation, we want to have someone to blame. If we can blame someone, then we might be able to easily fix whatever is broken. If we can show the other person that they're wrong, they'll stop and we can win. And who doesn't like to win?