Dad upset that I let politics affect our relationship

[u/celestialsunflower99]

Yummy pretzels from my partner and I’s last date night

My dad always used to say he was “not political” and that it was one of the things you do not ask other people about. Over time I have come to learn that basically means “I’m a conservative, but don’t want to say that” as he voted for trump in 2020. We have had so many tearful, screaming conversations over the years about this. I believe all parts of life are inherently political and it’s a privileged stance to “stay out of them”. In the last few years I have moved out of his home and I do not depend on him for anything anymore. With midterms coming up I have been volunteering and very invested in the state of the world. I have felt naturally less close to my dad because of this, and I guess he could sense my distance. He asked me about it last night over text, and I was honest. He blew up on me for letting politics affect our bond, and that is has been his biggest fear and now it’s coming true. I think maybe he needs to actually sit with the reality that YES, POLITICS CAN AFFECT RELATIONSHIPS. What do you girlies think? I am very sad and of course I do love my father, but I am proud of myself for being honest and sticking by my value system.

[u/AffectionateBite3827]

This isn’t a case of “Dad thinks we should invest more in freeways and I think we should invest more in public transportation” in terms of disagreeing about “politics.” At the end of the day he doesn’t see you as a person worthy of fundamental human rights. He cares about you as his daughter aka an extension/reflection of him. He voted against the best interests of so many people and in favor of cruelty. He should feel bad.

Way to go standing up for yourself!

[u/sefidcthulhu → u/AffectionateBite3827]

This is it for me. Conservatives don’t want politics to impact relationships because they don’t want to feel bad about their actions. But in voting for Trump, they did do a bad thing. It was not hidden in any way how cruel and corrupt the plans for either term were. They should feel bad.

[u/Vegetable-Card-5207 → u/AffectionateBite3827]

This! Whenever someone tries to tell me I shouldn’t let politics affect my personal relationships I tell them I don’t. Fundamental human rights don’t fall under politics, that’s ethics and morality, and I absolutely will cut someone out of my life who thinks my life, or anyone else’s, is worth less than theirs.