How do you handle friends/acquaintances with heavy political FB post habits

[#2ontheway]

I have a friend who I haven't seen in a long time. Since then her Facebook posts have become, in my view, more and more inflammatory. I don't want to get into the substance, but I just find a lot of the stuff she's posting to be really offensive. I certainly have lots of friends/colleagues/relatives with different political views, but I don't do well with the stuff that just feels like personal attacks (on either end of the spectrum). She's never brought up the political stuff in person, which also feels weird to me (like she knows it's probably inflammatory and Facebook is a sort of safe "anonymous" place to post).

She called me yesterday inviting me to a gathering at her house (one of those sales parties). I'd really like to decline. I've probably been deliberately letting the relationship go by the wayside, but I wonder if I'm just doing that because I find her posts distasteful and if I should put that aside. DH says I should feel no guilt whatsoever about letting it fizzle but for some reason I do. What would you do?

[specialp]

If it was me, I would not go simply because it is a sales party. I have no problem keeping someone at a safe distance (i.e., no intimate parties or lunches, etc.) for whatever reason, politics included. I have one acquaintance who is so extreme. I truly did not believe there were people who believed like this. Everything from education to marriage to kids (even products) to jobs to politics to sports (yes, you read that right, sports) is off limits. I turn down everything because I know there is only so much I can say about the weather and it makes me uncomfortable.

[crl]

Let it fizzle.

Catherine

[elektra]

I have kept FB posters like that around for comedic value, but if it really starts to get to me, I either hide or block them.
I don't think you should have guilt about letting it fizzle, unless it is someone that means a lot to you, a family friend, etc. Ex. one of my best and oldest friends and I have different political views. While she rarely posts anything political on FB, if she did, I would still try and make our friendship work. She would be worth it. Like if she was posting personal attacks I would be reaching out to try and get her mental help!
For the run of the mill person who is more of an acquaintance, I would just hide their posts, and decline their party invites without guilt.

[AnnieW625]

I have kept FB posters like that around for comedic value, but if it really starts to get to me, I either hide or block them.
I don't think you should have guilt about letting it fizzle, unless it is someone that means a lot to you, a family friend, etc. Ex. one of my best and oldest friends and I have different political views. While she rarely posts anything political on FB, if she did, I would still try and make our friendship work. She would be worth it. Like if she was posting personal attacks I would be reaching out to try and get her mental help!
For the run of the mill person who is more of an acquaintance, I would just hide their posts, and decline their party invites without guilt.

however I have friends and extended family members who spout off on FB about politics but keep it quiet IRL and most of the time they are not offensive or say stuff about politics so I just ignore their posts and assume that FB is their place to post political stuff.

[carolinacool]

however I have friends and extended family members who spout off on FB about politics but keep it quiet IRL and most of the time they are not offensive or say stuff about politics so I just ignore their posts and assume that FB is their place to post political stuff.

This describes my situation with one of my besties.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I had one of those. I his her on Facebook and let the friendship fizzle. No regrets.

[Globetrotter]

however I have friends and extended family members who spout off on FB about politics but keep it quiet IRL and most of the time they are not offensive or say stuff about politics so I just ignore their posts and assume that FB is their place to post political stuff.

I know someone like that, who I really am fond of IRL. I had no idea until I saw her on FB, so I keep her around, and anyway she lives far away. However, I have another high school friend who is really extreme in her views and posts some offensive stuff. I had to hide her - I only see her pictures at this point!

[anonomom]

I posted here a while back about someone who I had just started getting to know, but was finding her FB posts off-putting. I eventually hid her posts from my newsfeed and I haven't been pursing the friendship. It's so weird that with FB, you can end up knowing much more about a person than you'd ever learn IRL. Sometimes I think people (from all points on the political spectrum) forget that.

[Pennylane]

I agree with DH. I would politely decline and move on.

Ann