I think that it has got a bit nasty and personal on this thread at times, from the stereotyping to the general insults directed towards those groups that voted the "wrong" way (whichever way that might have been).
I'm disappointed to be honest because I did believe that we were better than this, that we would able to accept that other views can exist and might have validity despite conflicting with our own...I guess I was being naive.
I am a Leave voter, but I dont think I know better than the Remain camp, I made my choice based on the information I could glean from various sources and determined for myself that Leave was the choice that best fits my beliefs. Remain voters probably think the same about their choices and I respect that - obviously I dont share those beliefs or I wouldn't have voted Leave however I am mature enough to accept that other people will have come to their decisions in a similar way to mine, by weighing up what we regard as facts and basing our responses to those facts as we understand them.
Some of the things I have read, on here, on other forums and on Fb have been frankly astounding regarding the way that some people perceive members of the other voting faction. I voted Leave, but I'm not stupid, ignorant, selfish or easily led. I'm not a baby boomer, I'm not intent on dooming my children to a miserable future out of the EU, I'm just a normal working family man with the same worries and concerns that I'm sure everybody else has...the way I voted doesn't change me as a person, it doesnt make me better or worse than someone that voted to remain and I wouldn't expect to be treated any different because of my voting preferences - I'd be willing to put money on the fact that nobody would stand up, look me in the eye and say some of the things that have been said on this thread about supporters of both sides however the virtual nature of communication allows people to overstep propriety and good manners and to feel safe enough to throw around the kind of insults that would get you a right slap if you said it in the pub.
As I said earlier, I'm disappointed in the way this politics thread has degenerated at times and I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't putting some people off contributing, which is particularly sad when the general feeling is that more of us in real life are actually engaging with politics now due to interest stirred by the referendum.
I'm not going to post on this topic any more as I have already said everything I feel that I need to. It's notoriously difficult to have a reasoned debate when you can't interpret responses correctly, due to lack of visual response, lack of nuance or even a missing emoticon, and It makes discussion of such an emotive and personal topic as politics into a complete minefield just waiting to blow up in somebody's face.
I've read some interesting posts, I've been educated by some views and I've been troubled by some. Those things are all good as that is what a debate should produce for the participants however there comes a point when the positive aspects of a discussion are so lost in pettiness and name calling, the recriminations so vehement that the thread becomes an unwelcoming place.
I'd be happy to see this thread continue and will continue to dip in and out to see what people think, but perhaps I'll wait until people do not feel so personally aggrieved before I get involved again in any way.
