Giving people advice is almost always a waste of my time. It doesn't matter if the advice is sought or not, whether or not I have valid experiences to back it up, or even if I have the facts behind it because people don't see me as a legitimate source. Perhaps they view me as a flake or wacko; I'm not sure, but they definitely don't think I ever know what I'm talking about, and that's fine; it don't hurt my feelings. I have more productive things to do with my time and energy.
I bring this up because I also avoid the topic of politics. If you haven't guessed it already, it's for the same reasons I explained in the first paragraph. Not that it matters, because these days, most people bring it up on their own anyway. You could be sitting around a dinner table or standing in a checkout line at the grocery store, and someone will share their opinion with you. And if you disagree, they repeat all the talking points they heard in mainstream media. If you attempt to break down why that's not correct, they grow frustrated because, much like our current politicians, they've only memorized the lines of this play; they didn't actually read the whole thing.
People on social media are probably the worst. Everything is virtual signaling. They deem it necessary for everyone to know their stand and that they're 'good people' following the 'right' path. I've mentioned this previously. But more and more, politics are starting to feel like a team sport. It's no longer about making positive progress but your 'team' getting another point. In fact, it's as if people are more tied up to their 'team' than they are concerned with the results. So what if people die, families go hungry or become homeless, or if life in general is miserable and hopeless, as long as your 'team' is doing better in the polls or scoring some political point. It's all about rubbing it in your opponent's face. It's like a sporting match, where people trash talk the fans on the other team, except for the stark reality that this isn't a team sport, an irrelevant game, but real life with real consequences and relationships you're never getting back.
In the end, the test is how we treat each other. We're not going to pass.
