Left, Right Behind

I’m single dater and I meet guys on dating apps and in person. Regardless of how I meet people I’m noticing a theme- politics. It seems that if I differ in opinion, the date is over or in some cases the date never even happens. Some online profiles even state from the get go that opposing political views can swipe left immediately. Why are people allowing elections to dictate their dating?

Everyone has a “type” and in the old days, type focused primarily age, physicality and socio-economic status. There’s definitely a shift in what’s important to today’s singles when searching for a potential mate, and the direction is definitely towards politics. Is it a right choice? Perhaps not, but do we fault singles with a strict age-range qualification? Do we question singles who only date Bears, Twinks or Bankers? If political affiliation and common mindsets are non-negotiables to a prospective date and you don’t fit the bill, you keep swiping without giving up on finding one who’s non-negotiables you fit.

It’s frustrating to be denied because of any reason- be it your politics or your height. Rejection is part of the dating world reality. Keep going until you win the popular vote.

I’ve been dating a great guy for almost a year and as we get closer to the Presidential Election I’m discovering how different we are politically. Can relationships last with such differences?

There’s no requirement in relationships for the participants to be 100% identical in political beliefs. In the past year, how many commonalities have you discovered? Would you say those similarities are important enough not to discount just because of one difference? Take advantage of the differences; listening and learning something from a different point of view can be quite sexy.

Some of my friends have different political beliefs than I do and I’ve noticed that they’ve stopped inviting me to hang out. What should I do about it?

Invitations go both ways- ask them to hang out and see if they take the offer. If not, then it might be time to evaluate the difference between friends and acquaintances.