Facebook Posts on Politics

Peter and Molly,
So I'm a liberal Mormon, we're real, and I've gotten the impression that the two of you may be liberalish, though sometimes you say things that definitely aren't, so I thought you might have a good middle of the road look at this. I have lots of friends on Facebook from where I grew up, which is in the middle of Mormon country, these people are normally kind, but when it comes to politics and their Facebook page, they aren't at all. I was on a mission when President Obama was elected, and so it wasn't so bad, but now I'm back, and I just keep reading all of these people who call what he does socialism (I wish). Every time I read it, I want to hit my head against the table and call them out for being ignorant. Should I just ignore them, or do I have a responsibility to correct these blatantly false statements. If I do, how can I do it without sounding like the rude elitist I am.
Sincerely,
Facebook Foe

Dear Foe, wow, Facebook and politics in one post, did we hit the jackpot or what? Peter and I both share an apathy for politics. We are interested in governance and voting, but the fighting of how we get there I'd rather stay out of it, and we both believe that as Mormons we get to believe in everything that's true, whether it comes from scripture or from a university professor. We don't get to believe that President Obama is a socialist, because that's not true. You can respond to these posts in simple personal ways that will be hard to attack that talk about how his policies have benefited you. This helps you be honest, without having to make others feel bad.

President Obama is not a socialist in the academic sense, however, we have to understand that words change over time. The fact that so many smart people in the public sphere call his policies socialist, helps us to see that the word is not a single form of government but a comparison. (ie. That policy is more socialist than the policy I would have proposed.) Read this way, these statements are not inaccurate, they're just using sensational language to get a response.

I disagree with Peter, words have specific meanings, and if only half the country knows that a word's meaning has changed, it's not very effective. Perhaps a little bit of humor could correct the perception, "If Obama's socialist, Marx is rolling in his grave" or something similar.

Don't try and make fun of their political beliefs. If you can open an honest dialogue, like Molly's first suggestion, then I'm all for it, but cracking a joke on Facebook implying they're ignorant is not a Christ like way to go, regardless of your personal political opinions.

If you have any questions e-mail us at PeterMollyAdvice@gmail.com or find us on Facebook