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You’ll likely find this thread more personal than political, but I’m about half insane from this constant pounding I’m taking and I just need to connect and find out how others might handle this.
I am alas the only liberal in an office of conservatives. That’s liberal, not necessarily Democrat. Like many liberals, I am disappointed in the current conservative Democratic “leadership” and I’m not their biggest cheerleader. At work I do not preach my politics, I don’t ram it down other’s throats, I seldom if ever articulate an idea. I’d be preaching to The Lost, what would be the point? Now, none of these conservative co-worker’s politics personally bother me as such, they can think what they like. Kind of the way I think they’re idiots for it. The problem is a handful of them are exceedingly vocal, and a great deal less concerned with accuracy than personal rancor. Every day these guys are right outside my work area just banging away on Barach Obama (which is of course the ONLY thing the Republicans seem to be able to talk about this election). Whatever disgusting stupid thing their favorite FOX talking dummy whipped out last night, they’re in here wearing it to the ground the next morning without fail. I’m no angel, I’m not Obama’s biggest fan, but if I were to criticize the man, or anyone else, I would make some effort to have that criticism based in reality. What I have to listen to all day is more along the lines of, “Barack Obama is just a big doody pants Muslim. Boy, that Sarah Palin sure put him back in his place at the convention! I laughed my ass off. He’ll raise your taxes!”
I have to work here. You can only roll your eyes so much before it gives you a migraine.
It’s important to me that you understand I am close to losing my job behind this, and I neither instigate nor participate in these discussions. Ever. Sure, I could obliterate many of their arguments with easily demonstrable facts, but these people reside in an alternative reality where substantiating evidence and truth are unknown. It would only make matters worse to step in this slime. Like my Grannie always told me, if you lay down with dogs, you get up with fleas.
Here’s the cherry on top of this s**t sundae. In my desperation, I posted a completely apolitical version of these events on the “All In a Day’s Work” page on Etiquette-Hell.com (i.e. I’m the only Purple Party supporter in a Yellow Party office). There was absolutely nothing on this thread to indicate the political affiliation of either myself or my tormentors. And even if something slipped through, so what? It wasn’t ABOUT politics, it’s about ignorant, inconsiderate verbal diarrhea created a hostile workplace. The ETIQUETTE people at Etiquette-Hell.com banned me for 14 days for posting political threads! My friends on that board have helped me through a number of uncomfortable office situations in the past, when the moderators slammed that door in my face I could have cried.
I don’t know what to do. Why should I be driven from my job, in this miserable economy where I can hardly be assured of finding another, over some obnoxious conversations I am not even participating in? We haven’t an HR department to consult with (modern corporate structures typically run stripped to the bones these days you know), I haven’t a sympathetic ear in the office. There's no one here from my planet. What’s a girl to do??
How might I politely convince these people that their constant inappropriate discussion in the workplace severely undermines by ability to continue respecting them in a professional manner? Do any of you have to deal with this? Do you just ignore it? Do you argue back? What do you say?
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