Down to earth may not be the best phrase though, a better one is probably that people who swear are “more real” or “more authentic” for them.

There is another level to this: People infer your politics not only by what you addressing your online posts, but what you ignore. The day after the election, a business associate posting a new profile picture on FB. She looked great: Big, happy smile. Of course, it told me more than I wanted to know about her politics.

I have been deeply offended by a business. A spice company. I enjoy cooking and baking and was following them on FB and via newsletters. The promise was to talk about spices, sharing recipes and sending sales offers. But the guy went on a rant about the election result, how it was so wrong and how the people who do not share his feelings are racists and are not welcome on his page. He even sent me the same rant via email.

So I decided to unsubscribe and buy my spices elsewhere. That I share his feelings or not is irrelevant. He is discriminatory and mean about it. That is not the kind of person I want to buy from. Like you said, I felt betrayed.

Thank you for your post!

In our personal life, we have a circle of friends, family and neighbors where usually we have common ground. BUT….

How many times have I learned something that has been truthful, insightful, helpful and maybe even life changing because I heard something different at work (which is a setting where I connect with others of not-so-common ground at times), and someone had the courage to speak up and share a different aspect I’d never been exposed to before, or revealed “more to the story” than what the media reported? MANY TIMES!! AND I AM THANKFUL! We can’t trust the media for 100% truth – the media consists of other imperfect human beings, people with their own opinion (and EVERY single opinion is a bias in itself). There is so much never ever reported or considered that I would be oblivious to if someone had not shared a totally different perspective.

PLUS…when you share (even if I disagree with an aspect of it), the point is it connects us as people – to see people, understand people rather than put people in a box as things we use just for our own good. I question why were so many people shocked at the election results? You could only be shocked if you were living in your own little world – unaware of how many people are different from yourself, and can value that they have a reason, journey, experience or something that caused them to do what they do – just like yourself. In that way we can understand and be connected rather than divided.

As a life coach, it can tell me a lot….Just saying…

When I was a teen in high school, I used to like to portray a bad boy image, and then show people that I wasn’t the bad boy after all. One day a woman asked me why I did that, and then said, “you only get one chance to make a good first impression.” She was right, and it totally changed my viewpoint. I liked this girl at Church….her parents wouldn’t her go out with me. I’m betting it was that bad first impression I left.

Today, I cherish my character above all else. What you see is what you get, Birds of a feather flock together. If you cuss, fuss and raise #@%& you will attract those same people to you. If you live a squeaky clean life, like-minded people will be attracted to you. You can’t please everyone, but you do have control over the first impression you leave. That girl in high school…she will always be the one who got away.

Some of us feel our lives are on the line at this point or the lives of people we love. We speak up when and where we can.

For some It is life or death and they feel they can’t sit on the sidelines just to earn the business of people who don’t even respect them

Our business is ours. None of us created it to play it safe or by the rules. I’m willing to lose business. If I wanted to shut my mouth for the bottom line I would stay at my 9-5. I’m willing to offend and lose business. I don’t want business at all costs.

Some people aren’t worth doing business with. Leave them behind.

I respect Target for stand, I go out of my way to Costco because of their open commitments to workers, I go to Starbucks because of the stands they have taken and I don’t drink coffee. Marie Forleo posted something about Black Lives Matter and I felt proud to have bought her products, it strengthened my commitment to her. I’ve seen some posts from businesses that gave me a deeper understanding of the Dakota pipeline issue, I appreciated it

I appreciate business goes out of its way and takes a risk they isolate some for the sake of progress. In the process they gain those who applaud them for their bravery

I’m not staying silent just to get 50% of people who I wouldn’t be a good fit serving. And that number is overinflated because even within 50% there are many who won’t leave you even if you risk taking a stand on an issue, they will find your service or product so valuable they won’t care what you say. I know this because I have people who show up to my events now who have a radically different stance than I do and come back even after I make politically charged statements

I guess what I am saying is I’m willing to take a stand when I feel it’s right, not all business is good business and if I lose some then they were never mine to begin with

To each their own. If people want to say nothing then do it. If not, don’t. But we shouldn’t let the fear of loss stop us from doing or saying or speaking up if we feel it’s right

I don’t have a so called party affiliation since I think all politicians are corrupt. Nonetheless, long ago I used to work for a very liberal boss, and she would always talk politics and I would either just nod at her comments or laugh, or say, that’s really interesting, but never disagreed; other people in the team would sit there arguing about a topic, while I just sat there and watch the show. At some point there were cuts on staff, and I noticed that the first to go, were those who used to disagree with the boss. That’s why I say, don’t mix work/business with politics! 😀