[strogonoff]

I have friendly relationships with a few people who have political opinions some of which are opposite to mine.

> Will the SE and sales guy work as well together if the former knows the latter donates half his commission money to organizations that help kill babies?

A friend of mine is a vegan. Anywhere he works, to him, most of his coworkers not just help kill conscious beings that have self-awareness and feel pain, they literally eat them. Does this mean talking about what you have for lunch should be banned? Does this mean he should throw a fit any time he talks to a non-vegan?

Incidentally, we sometimes have good debates about the nature of consciousness, the effectiveness of individual veganism on reducing suffering, utilitarianism and deontology, vegan food options, etc. I feel being converted and I don’t mind it.

[AlexandrB]

> Anywhere he works, to him, most of his coworkers not just help kill conscious beings that have self-awareness and feel pain, they literally eat them. Does this mean talking about what you have for lunch should be banned?

You're making the opposite case of what you think. Your Vegan friend is avoiding taking about politics constantly because they're not bringing up the fact that everyone is consuming the flesh of innocent animals every time they go for lunch. If they started talking about the politics and beliefs of veganism at every meal shared with coworkers, I think it would have a negative impact on those relationships.

[strogonoff]

He does not bring up consuming products of animal suffering (including egg and milk products) directly, but he does order vegan food, which is enough to make a point (for me at least).

What he is doing by expressing his philosophical position simply through his order is turning me subsequently ordering something with eggs into a philosophically loaded action as well. That, of course, shifts my opinion on the question.

I am making the point I am making: if we worked together, we should be free to discuss veganism or paleo diet (which I have discussed with a coworker previously) whenever either of us wanted, and he demonstrated being an adult about it when we do. If he asked to not talk about it because it made him uncomfortable, then we wouldn’t. I do not see why political discussions have to be different.