Defending Tesla has ended a Friendship of mine

[Brett]

I would have done the same thing--not because he doesn't like Tesla, but because I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who has so little integrity that he would use the internet to knowingly spread misleading or false information about anything. I wouldn't get along with a FUD-meister anyway.

Yeah, this is probably the main reason. I just lost respect for him because of that. It's not so much that he dislikes something that I'm passionate about, or expresses an educated opinion of why he likes the roar of ICE and the availability of fuel stations, or some other argument against EVs, it's just the way he does it. If I was passionate about Baseball and he said something like "Bring your pillow to the game when you fall asleep", or something like that, it wouldn't bother me. It's the FUD and his going out of his way to spread it - that I just cannot see room for a friendship.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Brett, I wouldn't be surprised if he'll continue with his vitriol and mock your act of breaking the friendship. Particularly in front of any mutual friends that you both may have. Keep your cool.

 

[Canuck]

Jimmy Stewart was a staunch republican. Henry Fonda was a committed anti-war Liberal, who opposed the Vietnam war. While they were political opposites, the remained best friends throughout their lives. When Jimmy's son was killed in the Vietnam War, Henry gave the eulogy.

I am pissing off many of friends with my Tesla obsession. My hope is, that despite our differences we remain friends. It's an American thing.

The reasons for being pro-war and anti-war are complex and often good intentioned. That's why Stewart and Fonda remained friends. I would never leave a friend over a good intentioned difference of opinion. In fact, I don't know any friends that I don't have a good intentioned difference of opinion with, whether it be religious, political, sports (!) or whatever else. That's not the case here.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Sometimes a "friend's" true colors come out on Facebook and nowhere else.

I ended a friendship during the 2012 presidential election. My so-called "friend", who I met through various social circles and who seemed pretty intelligent in person, spent the majority of her time on Facebook spreading horrible, racially charged lies about President Obama. The kind of stuff you see in those ridiculous chain mails. Now I'm the first to stand up for free speech, but I also feel there are limits to that speech when it turns hateful. I asked her repeatedly to stop posting those things, then I had to filter her out. Then the emails started... so I just ended the friendship entirely.

I cannot be friends with someone for whom I have no respect.

 

[Merrill]

My wife and I were discussing this exact issue yesterday, and most everyone I know and have met are excited about Tesla and the electric car market in general. Many have only the basic knowledge of Tesla, do not know very much and when you give them the quick Tesla info they are amazed. Now on the opposite side of the coin, there are many out there that are stuck in a time warp and just do not like any change in the status quo. Not everyone is forward thinking and they are uncomfortable deviating from what they have been use to their whole life. Some of this gets down to the financial issues of how this change may affect them in their pocket book. You will always have a small amount of people who do not get it and I do not worry about them, if it was a friend it would be unfortunate to lose that relationship over differences of opinion. As long as my friends do not go over the edge with the negative feed back I will be fine with them expressing there side. Anything that happens in this world that is new and exciting and good for the planet is worth fighting for and of you look back at history those who took up that fight made our lives better.

 

[Velo1]

RE: Fires - isn't the average rate of ICE cars in U.S. Catching fire 1 car per 30 seconds? Maybe ask your ex-friend if his car comes with both fire extinguishers and escape respirators.

Sorry it came to this, but for your sake I think it is best. His loss.

 

[gene]

Whether on Facebook or in real life you cross paths and have a common bond that forms the basis of a friendship. Then each person changes, you learn more about each other, circumstances change and then you may drift apart or one of you end the friendship. And that's just life.

+1. Being on the planet 58 years, I have some friends from middle school that I never speak to anymore. I ask myself, "If I met this person right now, for the first time, would I be interested in being his friend?" If the answer is "no", then what is the sense hanging on?

 

[Cestevenson]

The point is we don't need to be around negative, toxic people. The subject doesn't need to be Tesla, politics, religion, just anything you care about. Tearing down something you are passionate about to build himself up is something that only brings you into his negative realm. A true friend would not do this so take a deep breath, rid yourself of any doubts, and move on.

 

[Nubo]

"...burning to the ground across America..."

Yea, I don't think I'd find compatibility with someone like this. Sounds like he knows the facts, and so it becomes a matter of "the heck with the truth, I'm trying to win an argument here!"

And that reflects a prevalent and worsening sickness in American discourse.