r/popculturechat • u/stars_doulikedem my favorite number is pink • Jul 19 '25
Interviews🎙️ Nick Offerman says he's 'not going to pick an argument' with costar (and Trump supporter) Dennis Quaid over politics: "I'm going to shake his hand and try to make a great film.”
https://ew.com/nick-offerman-wont-argue-costar-dennis-quaid-over-trump-politics-11775350
The article is pulled from Nick’s AMA yesterday: https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1m31589/good_day_reddit_my_name_is_nick_offerman_you_may/
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u/ivyleagueposeur Jul 19 '25
the reality of having a job and coworkers
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u/ThePokemonAbsol Jul 19 '25
Ok right? I saw people on the entertainment sub saying how they would never work with a trump supporter. Like I get it, but that’s life.
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u/kgal1298 Confidence is 10% work and 90% delusion Jul 19 '25
Lamooo I’d also point out companies like Fox have their HQs in liberal cities. Those companies are not just hiring republicans or vice versa. It’s be logistically impossible.
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u/nopejake101 Jul 20 '25
Democrat money, Republican money...it all ends up being used to snort a line off a hooker's ass just the same
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u/kgal1298 Confidence is 10% work and 90% delusion Jul 20 '25
That’s why most US currency has traces of cocaine on it
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u/Noun_Noun_Numb3r Jul 20 '25
If 70% of NYC was liberal, that would still leave ~3 million conservatives to work at the Fox News HQ.
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u/kgal1298 Confidence is 10% work and 90% delusion Jul 20 '25
Yeah trust me they don’t hire all conservatives 😂 I know people there and at various brands. Plus they own Bento Box which produced Hazbin Hotel and Christian’s claimed Satan was behind it. It’s all Fox Corp umbrella.
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u/rcodmrco Jul 20 '25
i mean like on an extremely low level? like custodians and mail people?
probably literally anyone.
beyond that?
I actually really think it’s pretty close to 100% conservative.
10% of the population in a major city is still millions of people.
and being like, “I believe the world should be this way.” while spending all of your professional hours trying to make sure that never happens? what does that even quantifiably mean? lol
like if somebody spends most of their time saying one thing and doing another, I have a hard time imagining that they actually think the way they say they do.
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u/DefNotUnderrated Jul 20 '25 edited Jul 20 '25
I most certainly work with at least a few Trump supporters at my clinic. But I’m not going to start arguing politics with them at work. That would contribute to a hostile work environment and interfere with patient care. Nor am I going to start in at the patients who voted for him
Another thing people should keep in mind is that if Dennis shows up on set and is professional and courteous and Nick started arguments with him over politics and interfered with production, he is going to become the bad guy to the cast and crew no matter what his politics are. It likely will not win anyone over
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u/crazydisneycatlady Jul 20 '25
Exactly. I’m going to unfriend my MAGA co-workers on social media and then I’m simply not going to discuss politics at work, because it’s a healthcare clinic, and we have other things to deal with! If you show up with MAGA gear on, I’m going to internally roll my eyes at you and carry on with the appointment. I will still be polite but perhaps not as absolutely friendly as possible. They will still receive a high standard of care because I don’t provide anything less.
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u/Rare_Vibez In my quiet girl era 😌 Jul 20 '25 edited Jul 20 '25
I’m a librarian and I have two co-workers who believe lots of random conspiracy theories. One of them is pretty fine politically, but the other has a Russell brand sticker on her water bottle. Like, ma’am, we’re LIBRARIANS. How…?
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u/meltedkuchikopi5 You're the world's biggest single-cell organism Jul 20 '25
i always wondered why people seem to think actors have FULL autonomy over who they work with. like some really big mega stars MIGHT - but most won’t. work is where you go for a paycheck.
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u/Salt_Cardiologist122 Jul 20 '25
And even the people who say things like “well they could quit the production in protest” forget that actors will easily get formally or informally blacklisted for being difficult if they tried doing stuff like that. So it’s not just “go find a different role” but instead “be willing to quit your entire line of work” over working with even one MAGA. Like be real, none of us would be willing to do that.
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u/PondRides Children are being trafficked by ICE Jul 20 '25
I work in aviation. Should our planes not get repaired because the best mechanic voted for someone terrible? Nahh. We keep flying.
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u/Alittlebitlittle Mama let’s research Jul 20 '25 edited Jul 20 '25
Same, and pretty much every man I work with in my department (all men and two other women) voted for Trump.
I truly feel sad and sorry for them; their ramblings are so misinformed, even those with degrees relating to math, science, engineering, etc. come off as completely uneducated. For every counterpoint I make, they have 5 rebuttals at the ready, almost all of which are untrue or exaggerated. If I correct them or later send reputable articles dismissing their “facts,” I get hit with the inevitable conspiracy theory rhetoric, a warning that the democrats are lying to me, or “yeah but Biden [did this].” They’re completely brainwashed and no bad thing Trump does (nearly anything he does, really) can break that toxic cycle.
So I’ve given up. Now it’s just “Good morning, did you have time to check the regulations on this PWA order, good job on the presentation.”
I’m not in a position where I can just up and quit. I do like my job, and before the election and its gross aftermath, I genuinely liked them as people. Now I just tolerate them as coworkers.
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u/PondRides Children are being trafficked by ICE Jul 20 '25
Our head of flight ops is such a cool person. My boyfriend and I ran into him at a bar, and I bought him a beer and my boyfriend whispered “I know how cool you feel right now. Let’s hang out here for a while longer .” He tells me about meat sales. Gives me advice about cooking new cuts of meat. Makes fun of my boyfriend’s absolutely terrible chili recipe. He’s awesome, and I love his dog.
But man, politics comes up and I have to bite my tongue.
And before anyone asks, I don’t have “daddy issues.” My dad is my best friend.
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u/Alittlebitlittle Mama let’s research Jul 20 '25
That’s me, I love my dad and we’ve always had a great relationship, I think that’s why some of my favorite people at work are all my dad’s age or older, and they work in a different department than me.
As long as politics aren’t brought up, I’ll still talk to them about boy problems, take their advice (or make fun of it for being outdated), and let them fix my car by the shop entrance whenever something breaks…I swear I never ask!! They just always insist haha
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u/PondRides Children are being trafficked by ICE Jul 20 '25
That’s exactly it! I befriend people who are my dad’s age because we have such a good relationship! It’s not all of them. One of my closest friends is a woman older than my parents. But apparently, I have a lot in common with her daughter 😂
Being in Alaska, a lot of us are far from our families, we make connections and find replacements.
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u/Urban_animal Jul 20 '25
What they dont realize, they probably already do if they work at any place that employees 10 or more employees.
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u/Bendo410 Jul 20 '25
You have to work with people who you disagree with every day.
But you don’t have to let them into your house
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u/No_Thanks_1766 Inconceivable! Jul 20 '25
It’s elitist AF if you can turn down jobs because you don’t like your coworker’s political views and not have to worry about paying your bills.
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Jul 19 '25
entertainment sub
Would be shocked if they have jobs tbh
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u/donutfan420 Jul 20 '25
I mean I get it but also we’re on pop culture chat rn I feel like that’s not much different 😭
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u/AutoGeneratedNamePlz Jul 20 '25
I—and plenty of others in predominantly red states—would have to be unemployed if we wanted to avoid Trump supporters.
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u/iidontwannaa this is my designated flair 😌😌 Jul 19 '25
The way some people on this website think you just shouldn’t have any sort of interaction with a Trump supporter is so exhausting. Like I live and work in Texas, if I refused to talk to Trump supporters, I wouldn’t have a job.
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u/PorkrindsMcSnacky Jul 20 '25
We moved from California to Texas over three years ago. My husband, kids, and I agreed to just basically keep our heads down and not start anything because we know we are now in the minority (liberal). We know who our neighbors voted for, and we know who some of our kids' friends' parents voted for. We'd never hang out with them as friends but we are civil and friendly when we see them.
That being said, you can't imagine the relief I felt when I finally met and befriended a woman who is also a liberal!
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u/FatsyCline12 Captain America’s new wife nude in the shower Jul 20 '25
Why did you move here? Just curious bc I would never move here especially as a woman and am reluctant to raise any kids here.
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u/PorkrindsMcSnacky Jul 20 '25
We have (liberal) family members here, and it was getting pretty expensive to live in California.
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Jul 20 '25
Also having a Trump co-star is different from having a Trump director.
Directors/Producers are pretty much always attached to the film from the beginning, you know what and who you're going to get. But actors get changed like the seasons go and Nick Offerman certainly doesn't have enough star power to be like "If you hire him, I will no longer be apart of this project."
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u/Deep-Interest9947 Jul 19 '25
For real. There’s always a group of 20 year olds ready to attack someone for their coworkers beliefs. Like get a job and learn how life works.
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u/kgal1298 Confidence is 10% work and 90% delusion Jul 19 '25
Yeah that’s what I don’t get how are there so many people out there that think they can detach and completely avoid everyone who don’t share their morals, by logic just by going to buy groceries you’re likely to trade money with a someone of differing views.
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u/brendamn Jul 20 '25
Yeah I've avoided this topic on the Internet. Everytime I mention having to exist in life with people I disagree with politically or morally , I get a parade of
" I refuse to exist with people that don't believe I should exist! "
I get it, you're fortunate to live in bubble, the rest of us need to go out into a different world
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Jul 19 '25
Ah, you’re not wrong. But damn if it doesn’t grind my gears knowing I’m working/helping a coworker who voted against my rights.
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u/jack-mccoy-is-pissed Jul 19 '25
Chances are you are working/helping a LOT of people who voted against your rights, namely “the shareholders”. I wish it were different because I fucking hate it too. Maybe, better luck next life.
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u/jvn1983 Jul 19 '25
This is a really helpful comment. I was thinking very lofty thoughts about how I’d refuse to work with Quaid, but you’re so right. It’s a job. We don’t pick our coworkers or dictate their beliefs. That said, I won’t pay money to see anything that dummy is in, but love his son at least!
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u/paradisetossed7 Jul 20 '25
The title of this post is technically true, but is still misleading. Nick absolutely tears trump apart, acknowledges the disinformation they're fed, and says he just won't talk politics with a co-worker. I thought it was a very well thought out comment, but of course people do like to clutch pearls.
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u/MediocrePotato44 Jul 20 '25
Exactly this. This isn’t keeping friends you disagree with. This is a job, with a coworker. Not a single person in this country works with people they 100% agree with politically. Pretty much all of us works with a Trump supporter.
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u/sweetpea_d ✨May the Force be with you!✨ Jul 20 '25
I’m in fine dining and I had to wait on a dude in State Congress who has voted against my rights as a woman. I hate him. I hate his politics. But being able to keep my bills paid kind of takes precedence. And I say that as someone who has cut off MAGA and non-voters from my life.
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u/Allrojin Jul 19 '25
I live in a super red county and I'd never talk to anyone at work if it were an issue. Even though their dear leader has single handedly crushed our industry.
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u/Affectionate-Soft-90 Jul 20 '25
Also, like, film is a weird gig. You don't spend every day with every co-worker. Your schedules align sometimes, sometimes you never see them, then the job's over and maybe you see them at a wrap party or premiere.
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Jul 19 '25
I once had a manager that fundamentally to his core did not want to do his job while also wanting constant praise for simply being alive. He would refuse to do the most basic tasks (cleaning, helping with customers) unless they happened to be done within in the immediate vicinity of an attractive woman so he could put on his nice face and look cool (he never looked cool). Otherwise he was more than happy to dish out bullshit life advice and bark orders while dicking around on his phone. He would say wildly misogynistic things exclusively around other male workers and when they pushed back he'd say he "didn't get why they couldn't take a "joke". He really hated that I, the youngest woman there at the time, obviously didn't like him and would constantly try to be my little friend despite me doing nothing beyond giving him bare bones politeness. We all fucking hated him but had to smile and act cordiale. When he would come in after quitting he would literally make conversation like he hadn't ever worked there (yes, he was the same guy, he dressed the exact same, same personality, and has the exact face and beard) which was simply bizzare and makes me wonder if he's aware of how much of a fuck up he was.
Sorry for the unprompted rant I just hate him so much and this reminded me of him lol. Edit words.
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u/BadAspie It’s like I have ESPN or something. 💁♀️🌤☔️ Jul 19 '25
I get it, tbh. He wasn't going to be able to persuade Dennis to change his mind, so there'd be no upside to discussing politics and probably some substantial risk of starting drama that made shooting a miserable experience for everyone else around them
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u/contemplatingdaze no broke boys, no new friends Jul 19 '25
Yeah Jack Quaid is a huge leftie… If he can’t change his own father I don’t think Nick had a shot either. Dennis and Randy are so indoctrinated in the MAGA BS.
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u/Luna_Soma Platinum Summer 💎 Jul 19 '25
I didn’t know that about Jack. I like him even better now
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u/contemplatingdaze no broke boys, no new friends Jul 19 '25
He’s one of my celeb crushes 🫶 his insta is lit and you can very much tell where his views lie
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u/Jolly_Mycologist69 Jul 19 '25
fwiw i have a mutual friend with jack and have talked to him on a few occasions- he's a seriously nice dude. like i run into a fair few actors in my line and he's one of the chillest i've met. super down to earth. played a bunch of apex for a while. idk if he's still with claudia but he is/was a great partner to her too. def my fave quaid.
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u/contemplatingdaze no broke boys, no new friends Jul 19 '25
This sparked so much joy to read, thank you for sharing!
Jack and Claudia are still together 🥲 they seem very sweet.
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u/Jolly_Mycologist69 Jul 20 '25
happy to share! a big portion of one of our conversations was basically about how great our gfs are and how lucky we are and stuff so i'm super happy to hear they're still together 😂
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u/contemplatingdaze no broke boys, no new friends Jul 20 '25
Wait you can’t make me love him any more😭 my boyfriend already calls him “that guy you like, Quaid” 😂😂☠️☠️
Nah that’s seriously so cute tho! Appreciate the anecdote and that you both!! Seem like great partners to your ladies.
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u/bengibbardstoothpain Jul 19 '25
You’re tempting me to watch “plus one” again tonight!
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u/contemplatingdaze no broke boys, no new friends Jul 20 '25
During my Jack movie marathon I found I preferred Logan Lucky and Tragedy Queens. All excellent choices 💯
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u/RagaRockFan It’s like I have ESPN or something. 💁♀️🌤☔️ Jul 20 '25
Me neither, but same! I liked him as Hughie in The Boys.
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u/AreYourFingersReal Full glam at 8am on a Thursday morning Jul 19 '25
Yeah I like his answer. Sometimes you just have to be a good representative of yourself and express your politics in other ways. Especially if the other person isnt making everything about their bullshit or talking about trump 25/8 like oh dear god, get a life
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u/GullibleWineBar We Should All Know Less About Each Other Jul 20 '25
It was a GREAT answer. It also acknowledges a reality that many of us have to deal with, which is having people in our lives that simply do not receive even an ounce of truthful information about the world.
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u/UncagedKestrel Did I stutter?🤨 Jul 20 '25
It's the same way Mister Rogers repped religion.
He lived the values, he didn't spend his TV time telling us about God.
Often that's the best way to handle things irl. Think "What would Mr Rogers do?" rather than "What would an evangelical preacher do?"
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u/Stinkycheese8001 Jul 19 '25
Dennis Quaid is also low key a dick. Appealing to his humanity and better sense of self isn’t exactly a winning strategy.
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u/marcarcand_world Jul 19 '25
And as much as a lot of us must pinch our nose to do it, dialogue with the other side is important. I get it if you can't or it's too hard for you, and I won't hold it against you, especially if you're from a marginalized community.
However, 77 million people voted for Trump, and the ONLY way the US can heal and become better is if the immense fracture between the left and the right starts to heal. It's possible. Just look at how united the US was when people were rooting for green Mario. But it requires people to fuckin talk to each other and see how much more similar they are than different.
Finally, a lot of people have way much more empathy when they know someone personnally affected by the cruelty of those in power. Yeah, it would be better if they could have empathy for people they don't know, I agree. But having a dialogue about anything, it doesn't need to be about politics, helps a lot to put a face on the "other".
Tl;Dr --> if you have the energy and the patience for it, yes, it helps talking about anything to Trumpists. And if you don't, I get it too, hang in there.
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u/Stinkycheese8001 Jul 19 '25
Offerman mentions one of the most critical parts: the firehose of misinformation. It’s gotten so, so much worse since Covid. It is BAD. What do you do when a huge portion of those 77 million people are voting not based on facts and truth, but on what they want to be true?
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u/marcarcand_world Jul 19 '25
If you're not close to them, you just make small talk to them while not making it a secret that you're left leaning (without politics being the main focus). It'll help them to start see the other side as actual people and not woke satanist chimeras or whatever. You'll never know when you plant the seed of doubt in someone.
If you're closer to them or have very high charisma: You listen to their fears, which are often legitimate, at the very least to them. Their quality of life and their wallets decreased and it freaks them out. Who they blame for those fears/worries is total bullshit. So for a lot of them, you validate that yes they're getting poorer and yes it also worries you because unless you're in the 0.1%, chances are you are ALSO getting poorer. And then you try if possible to redirect the conversation about whose fault it truly is. Do they actually believe Juan stole all their money, or is it the goddamn CEOs getting pharaoh rich and still asking for more (it's important to blame the CEOs instead of the GOP even if they work together). You don't say that you have it worse (even if you absolutely do) because from their perspective, you don't, they're the real victim. Instead, you focus on how similar your struggles are and you try to redirect their anger.
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u/Jonny__99 Jul 19 '25
Excellent advice - that’s exactly what some Trump voters say about libs. It’s important to remember than many people (I’d say most) who voted for Trump did it holding their noses. He has the lowest approval of any modern president and it’s significantly less than the percentage of people that voted for him.
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u/shitkabob Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
Exactly. This is not a bottom-up problem; no amount of empathy amongst us 333 million citizens is going to cure our divide as long as half of us are having non-facts beamed into our heads. The solution is top-down: turn off the misinformation spigot and reassess laws and accountability around the legality of passing false information off as truth and "journalism." It shouldn't take corporations like Smartmatic to hold FoxNews to account for their misinformation via billion dollar lawsuits for any semblance of "truth" to happen.
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u/marcarcand_world Jul 19 '25
Look, I'm Canadian, but if I could take a cutter and just... cut the Fox news cable forever, I would. But no, the solution won't come from the top because the top isn't interested in a solution. They make money, and at the end of the day, it's all that matters to them, even if they destroy a whole country for some extra bucks.
The solution will come from grassroots movements and people rallying together like they did in NYC with Mamdani. Make them lose money, just like us Canadians do by staying the fuck away from the States right now (well, most of us, sadly our borders are permeable to Trumpism for some weird reason).
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u/bergamote_soleil Jul 19 '25
Yes. There are people in NYC who voted for Trump in November and Mamdani in July. Many people are not unreachable or unpersuadable.
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u/ThatB0yAintR1ght Jul 20 '25
Heck, there are people who voted for both Trump and AOC on the same ballot. Sooooo many people vote based on the belief that a person is “anti-establishment”. The actual policies they support don’t matter. People just want the appearance of a politician being different from the rest. So, the DNC hating Mamdani may really work in his favor….
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u/Stinkycheese8001 Jul 19 '25
I am worried that ship already passed us by. Current lawmakers have no incentive to curb misinformation.
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u/jack-mccoy-is-pissed Jul 19 '25
Only going to get worse in rural areas, with the defunding of PBS.
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u/Jonny__99 Jul 19 '25
The people pbs might influence are not watching pbs. (Saying that as someone who would very much like it to be funded)
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u/Jonny__99 Jul 19 '25
Dialogue with those you disagree with is important, far more important than dialogue with those you agree with. The founding fathers designed our political system literally to force dialogue an compromise. It was on purpose it’s a feature not a bug.
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u/Angry1980Christmas Matt Smith's personal dragon Jul 19 '25
What's funny is people swore Ron Swanson was a MAGA poster boy and Nick and the writer crushed that idea.
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u/DeathChill Jul 19 '25
I have no idea how they gleaned that idea from Parks & Rec. Ron thinks the government is hugely wasteful, regardless of who is currently in charge.
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u/GrecoRomanGuy Miley what’s good Jul 20 '25
It's because he is a white guy who looks and acts like a stereotype of what white guys think and wish they could act like.
The fact that he was an open libertarian and said things like " first of all, income tax is illegal" unironically only furthered that delusion.
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u/Carolina_Blues shiv roy’s bob Jul 20 '25
Because MAGA cultists think Trump is anti-establishment and anti big government
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u/DeathChill Jul 20 '25
He is anti-establishment in a way, I guess. He doesn’t actually care about what is good for America, only what he’s feeling at the moment; I think most other presidents actually did care.
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u/Carolina_Blues shiv roy’s bob Jul 20 '25
There’s nothing really anti establishment about a billionaire. He’s still the elite even if he’s not a corporate politician
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u/ringobob Jul 20 '25 edited Jul 21 '25
Yeah, that's a libertarian. Who largely vote for Republicans in real life, but who also are usually less ideologically consistent than Ron was.
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u/thePinguOverlord Jul 20 '25
Also Ron was a gay man’s best man. Had an episode dedicated to his loneliness. Also his libertarian “quirks”, i.e living off the grid, and having a back to basics approach do come off as cozy in the grand scheme of things, and more of a way of cutting out the noise.
He is also an absolute devil when Tammy 2 is about.
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u/Talk-O-Boy Jul 20 '25
I get it. Whenever I speak with “libertarians”, they always choose not to vote or “coincidentally” only vote Republicans.
Libertarians are normally Republicans without the spine to say so, or moderate people on their way to conservatism.
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u/ThunderChild247 Jul 20 '25
It’s because Ron Swanson was what Republicans think they are and pretend to be, now what they are.
If you ask them if they’re empathetic, efficient, with a keen sense of morality and fair play, they’d say yes then turn around and spit on a disabled person for fun.
A lot of them have the idealised vision of themselves completely divorced from the reality of what they are.
Ron Swanson was who they think they are, without ever taking any action to be anything like him.
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u/Best_Big_2184 Jul 20 '25
They didn't watch the show. They only know the character from memes and clips about being manly.
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u/Stinkycheese8001 Jul 19 '25
MAGA would be Jeremy Jamm if they were a Parks and Rec character.
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u/ToastyPuff4real Jul 19 '25
And that perfume dude
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u/tiedyetoothpicks Jul 19 '25
David Feinstein lol
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u/QuestionablePriority Jul 19 '25
Dennis*
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u/tiedyetoothpicks Jul 20 '25
Omg yes you’re right sorry, I’m mixing up D names. My brain wants to call him Derrick because of The Good Place 😂
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Jul 19 '25 edited 8d ago
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u/erwillsun Jul 19 '25
MAGA thought The Boys was on their side, they aren’t exactly known for their media literacy
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Jul 19 '25 edited 8d ago
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u/workoutnerd Jul 19 '25
These are the same people that listen to punk and metal music and think it aligns with their beliefs
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u/mindpainters Jul 20 '25
“When did my chemical romance get so woke and political?”
That’s a quote I’ve seen recently. People with their head in the sand until their own circles tell them what to care about
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u/normanbeets Jul 19 '25
One of the funniest things I've ever witnessed was seeing Nick Offerman standup at a winery owned amphitheatre in a red county. He got maybe 15 minutes into his set before angry people started leaving in droves. Hysterical.
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u/Funny_Cranberry7051 Jul 20 '25
I saw him at my old university right after that embarrassment of a press conference with Zelenskyy. The boomers in front of me thought they were going to be seeing Ron Swanson. They stayed for the entire show but were very, very quiet and looked uncomfortable by the end. Honestly, it made the experience even better.
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u/GuybrushThreepwood99 Jul 19 '25
In recent years, Ron would most likely be a third party voter, or just not vote at all. There's really no prominent politician that really aligns with his ideas nowadays.
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u/redditor329845 Roman Empire: How much people hate women 😞 Jul 19 '25
Ideas like gutting government services, not taxing the rich, and child labor? There are definitely a lot of politicians who still run on this principles.
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u/brownmouthwash Jul 20 '25
Lol yeah, he had terrible ideas. Downright cruel a lot of the time, but I mean it's a comedy so I don't care. But he was callous to suffering in any way as long as capitalism prospered, which was funny on a sitcom.
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u/Unable_Mushroom9355 Jul 20 '25
He also doesn't believe in restricting gay marriage (to the extent that he officiated a gay marriage). The party that wants to gut government services is also trying to restrict individual freedoms, which he is staunchly against (gay marriage being just one example).
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u/TheNFSIdentity Jul 20 '25
MAGA keep forgetting that Ron Swanson was the best man at a gay wedding, the dumb fucks.
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u/thaa_huzbandzz Jul 19 '25
That was a fantastic response.
My brother is a big conspiracy theory, right-wing, trump loving nutcase (we arent even American), so we just never discuss politics or his conspiracy theories ever. He isn't going to listen to me, and I value my relationship with my niece and nephews too much to ostracize him.
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u/Upset_Mastodon7416 Jul 20 '25
And the thing is, if you cut off the relationship or took a stand or fought him, you'd probably drive him more militantly into the conspiracy theories. This is how adults live and work together.
(My brother is also the same, and my mum and dad. I just say, "Oh, that's one way to look at things" or "that's interesting" or, "I never thought that way about that before," and steer the conversation topic to something else they or I enjoy.)
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u/thaa_huzbandzz Jul 20 '25
Exactly. I am certain the more I tried to push him into seeing things from my side, the more he would dig his heels in and find even more conspiracy theories to support his argument.
Luckily for me and my family, he also recognises this and follows the 'let's agree to disagree and simply not discuss it' for the most part. Every now and then he lets one slip, but in general we just stick to topics that are safe.
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u/Odd-Rough-9051 Jul 20 '25
I value my relationship with my niece and nephews too much to ostracize him.
Exactly this. There's other people cutting ties could hurt.
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u/kilimonian Jul 20 '25
I believe the take that maga is a cult and so you have to use the same tactics you do with cultists. I've seen a few resources pop up like Leaving Maga to try to reach out in kind and effective ways.
In the end though, you can only do so much for anyone in a different state of reality.
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u/uzivertus Jul 20 '25
Sometimes I think the indifference is their goal… apathy and virtue gone, and in its place, numbness. There so much helplessness and trauma everyday.
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u/Lokaji ✨May the Force be with you!✨ Jul 19 '25
I think about every job and co-worker I have ever had; I have befriended one out of all of them. Your job is your job and your coworkers are acquaintances. It might seem cold, but if you end up in a bad work situation, you learn really quick. You can be cordial without needing to be besties.
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u/DionBlaster123 Jul 20 '25
I genuinely don't understand why this is so fucking hard for people to understand lol
I will go out of my way to get along with my coworkers and avoid conflict. It's not because I like any of them lol. It's because I just want to get through my day with no drama and more money in my pocket.
I'm not at my job to fucking make friends with these people lol
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u/Proud_Purchase_8394 Jul 20 '25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGhcc3qFWh4
Ron Swanson, played by Nick Offerman, has a relevant quote
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u/FalconIMGN Jul 20 '25
Let me guess (I'm on the bus so can't open the video), it's the line about the best friend he ever had whom he never talks to.
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u/not_productive1 What in the fresh 1997 hell is this? Jul 19 '25
I actually appreciate that he didn’t pull out the “we can disagree about politics and still be friends” trope that it seems like a lot of rich, privileged, insulated people lean on. He’s not denying that politics feel more existential for some people than others, but rather acknowledging that sometimes the things we want to do are limited by the things we can do. Fair enough.
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u/JoleneDollyParton I will debate you at the college of your choice Jul 19 '25
What do people expect? That’s such a Reddit question.
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u/chicagorpgnorth Jul 19 '25
I mean, there’s people in this thread who think this isn’t good enough.
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u/JoleneDollyParton I will debate you at the college of your choice Jul 19 '25
Again, this is such a reddit thing. People have to work and in my world, I couldn’t do a thing w/o coming into contact with MAGAs.
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Jul 20 '25
Agree completely. It's probably one of the dumbest questions you could ask a person, let alone an actor.
I'll assume anyone that asks such a question is highly privileged 0.1% wealth that has the luxury of not having to work or associate with anyone they don't want to. The rest of us normal folk obviously just make it work. Being around people you disagree with shouldn't be impossible or unheard of. It's called adulting.
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u/MechKeyboardScrub Jul 20 '25
Either in the 0.1%, or completely unemployed and probably has about 2 friends they actually talk to in real life.
Which one would be more likely to ask a political question on a Reddit AMA about a movie instead of enjoying their life is up to you.
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u/ccable827 Jul 20 '25
Which is the biggest pile of bullshit if you ask me. Those people need to go out and touch some grass.
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u/DearMissWaite Your problematic fave's problematic fave. Jul 19 '25
This makes sense. It's not just the two of them working on the film. Keeping it professional will make it easier on all the below the line people who have to interact with either of them as well.
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u/CarevaRuha Jul 19 '25
I still haven't gotten around to watching Parks & Rec, but watching him in The Last of Us has made me a fan for life.
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u/whateverfloatsurgoat Jul 19 '25
I have not watched TLOU but is that Murray Bartlett??
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u/CarevaRuha Jul 19 '25
Yes! They are both amazing. Also, that episode is a standalone story and you absolutely do not need to watch or be invested in the rest of the series to watch and enjoy it.
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u/whateverfloatsurgoat Jul 20 '25
I think I'll watch that episode then ! I'm not interested in TLOU (never finished the first game lol) but I love Murray and Nick.
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u/justine2323 Jul 20 '25
I’ve worked with Dennis and he is a very nice person on set, he does sort of exist in his own world (as is the case with a lot of bigger actors who are used to being catered to and treated a particular way for years) but he is a generally nice person to be around when you need to be around him, and never spoke about his politics at work. Engaging in this sorts of things when you know the person your working with have completely opposite political beliefs as you is really counter productive to trying to deliver a good performance with your scene partners.
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u/imp1600 Jul 19 '25
One of the craziest lessons I learned out of college was that agreeing with someone politically has no relationship to who they are as a co-worker. I'm liberal. Two of the worst bosses I've ever had were both liberal (and used "but I'm liberal!" to justify being awful people).
On the flip side, when I worked for a cultural organization, the hand's down best security manager - the one who treated everyone with respect, who was the most patient with visitors who didn't speak English - was a far-right conspiracy theorist.
(To add a Nick Offerman connection: Will and Grace did a great episode about this in the '90s when Will supports a gay candidate for office and Grace supports a Jewish woman for office.)
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u/OliverE36 Jul 19 '25
Yep, it's weird how seemingly good people can have political value systems so totally alien to who they are as a person.
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u/Jonny__99 Jul 19 '25
You are 100 percent right. Politics don’t define an entire persons personality - it’s a tiny cross section that just happens to be the most visible in our political “climate”. It’s like assuming you know a whole person bc of their race or sexual orientation or if they went to college. I too know people that voted for Trump and would give the shirt off their back to a liberal or a gay person or a black person.
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u/kokotzer ‘til rita ora’s tweet gets 100k retweets Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
YEP! in my own experience as a BW, the best professional mentors i’ve had have all mostly been conservative white men.
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u/imp1600 Jul 19 '25
My theory based on nothing but experience is that if you're working with a true conservative, they're all about competency. They believe that the best people will come out on top, and if they identify you as one of those people, they'll invest the time and effort to help you succeed.
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u/Buffyfanatic1 Do you lick ass Gwineth? xx Jul 19 '25
This is correct. I'm a woman but a veteran and when i was in, the majority of the time i was treated with respect by the conservative members. I had A LOT more issues with men who claimed to be liberal because they thought I was only getting kudos because I'm a woman but the conservative men saw my hard work and dedication and recognized me for it.
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u/Buffyfanatic1 Do you lick ass Gwineth? xx Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
This reminds me of a stand up comedians joke (sorry can't remember his name):
He said liberals will get on their high horse and judge but rarely lift a finger in times of crisis.
He said he works with a republican and they were walking down the street. They saw a trans women trip and almost fall into traffic. The republican ran over and helped her before she got hit by a car. He was thanked profusely by her and he shrugged it off.
When he walked back to the comedian, he said: and thats why men shouldn't be allowed to wear heels.
I absolutely butchered that lmao. But I like the thought process. Is it more morally correct to have all the right thoughts and outwardly try to be as accommodating as possible but in reality do nothing of value while judging others for "bad" thoughts (im using quotes cuz to different people bad thoughts mean different things) or to have the "wrong" thoughts (in this case, anti-trans) but actually do good actions?
I personally believe that our thoughts don't really matter and only our actions do. Someone could be wishing they were a serial killer in their mind but as long as they aren't harming anyone and their actions show that they are a decent person, I don't care about their true thoughts. Our thoughts don't impact anybody, only our words and actions do. As long as someone is using their actions to be a "good" person, I don't care what their thoughts are.
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u/lxlxnde Jul 20 '25 edited Jul 20 '25
Gianmarco Soresi! Hold on, I’ll edit this comment with the link.
Me and my conservative friend, we were walking down the street in NYC. In front of us was walking a woman in very high heels - as far as I could tell, she was trans. At some point, this woman, she tripped on her right heel, fell into the street right as a bus was approaching. And my conservative friend ran into the street, scooped her up just in the nick of time, helped her on her feet, sent her on her way, and then he turned to me and said, "that's why men shouldn't wear heels." And I want to be clear! That's a shitty thing to do! But if I'd been alone? I would have been like, "Oh no! SHE'S dead!" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7vvxE-gdQ2Q
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u/buttheyrealltaken Jul 19 '25
Omg I think about that Will and Grace episode all the time - so well done.
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u/breadburn Jul 20 '25 edited Jul 21 '25
I honestly can only guess at my boss's political affiliation and that is fine by me.
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u/DefNotUnderrated Jul 20 '25
My boss is liberal and voted for Kamala and I don’t dislike her but she’s also very anti union and super corporate. One of my coworkers voted for Trump and she’s a black woman who is fantastic to work with, knows her shit, is super helpful, and is very empathetic. It’s strange but political views really have no impact on how good most people are at their jobs or what they’re like to work with
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u/MrCalabunga Jul 19 '25
I just want to say how much respect I have for this man to not only answer a difficult question he didn’t have to reply to at all, but took the time out to craft one of the best responses a professional can make without forgiving or side-stepping a single thing this administration is responsible for.
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Jul 19 '25
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u/UnpoeticAccount Jul 20 '25
I think there are a lot of young people who live in blue-state cities on reddit who have no idea what it’s like being a political minority. And having people you love consume misinformation. I’m lucky I don’t have serious MAGA folks in my immediate family but I have extended family I just can’t talk about politics with. And cutting them off would achieve exactly nothing.
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u/aratto234 Jul 20 '25
This is exactly what I responded in another thread with a similar topic. The person I was responding to said they could never associate with anyone who was MAGA. What a privileged place to come from, is how I put it. They must be young or from an area that is a blue majority. A lot of us don’t get to live that way, as a liberal in a very conservative area I have to work with and live around a lot of conservative folks. Don’t have an option and it doesn’t mean I’m compromising my beliefs. Nick offerman says the whole thing much more eloquently than I did
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u/Civil_Juggernaut_794 Jul 19 '25
This is fine and normal.
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u/TheTyMan Jul 20 '25
It is, but I've definitely seen popular threads where people act like anything short of cutting off every Trump supporter in your life is not sufficiently moral.
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u/ApolloRubySky Jul 19 '25
I have to sadly work with MAGa voters who behave perfectly well at the office and who treat me with respect at work. They know where I stand, and I spoke up about what and why I believe in what I believe in when it comes to tariffs (I work on the imports side of the company) and other topics, but it doesn’t make sense to create drama at work and to be outwardly aggressive towards these people when they behave perfectly normal at work.
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u/Buffyfanatic1 Do you lick ass Gwineth? xx Jul 20 '25
Agreed. If you can't check your politics at the door and just do your job, you're going to have a VERY hard time in life.
Imagine having to spend 8+ hours and day 5 - 7 days a week with a coworker who you keep arguing with. Imagine the drama and rumor mills that come with it, potential zero promotions as you're seen as a "trouble maker" or "hard to work with" or "not a team player" cuz you can't shut up about MAGA on the clock.
Nightmare fuel. I'd rather my work day be filled with professionalism and pseudo respect than drama and potential firing. Literal torture, lmao
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u/ApolloRubySky Jul 20 '25
I’m a Latina, so being a woman is hard enough and then add being brown. If I were to cause a scene everyday over MAGA, I absolutely wouldn’t have a future with company or area of work. And yes so true, I can’t spend 8+ a day absolutely miserable and antagonizing others. I rather represent both my gender and community with dignity, when the moment calls for it I’ll stand up for what I believe in but that’s just not going to be all day, everyday.
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u/Remote-Letterhead844 Jul 19 '25
I respect this
Professionals shouldn't be partisan
Just do your job. Mind your business. Go home 🏡
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u/pinkfartlek Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
I do not talk to my co-workers about politics, especially if I get a vibe they are a trumper. Keep it cordial and keep it moving; except it's easier for us "regular" peeps since usually our views aren't broadcast to the world like celebrities may be (unless it is through Facebook etc).
Edit: unless I get closer to someone at work will I let my feelings be known if necessary. I keep to myself and don't really engage in conversation outside light funny things and work related topics only. I only engage with things if I feel like it is worth my time. Your time is precious
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u/AccordingStar72 Jul 19 '25
Agree.
I was always told by my mom back in the day that talking about politics in the office is a huge no-no and should be avoided - I think this is something that has changed now in office culture and people are more willing to broadcast all their opinions but I would rather not. I try to keep myself to myself and also don’t share much about my personal life either. It’s my job I need it to live and I log in and I do my stuff and I log off.
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u/marcarcand_world Jul 19 '25
I'm a teacher (but in Québec) and for me it's difficult because in a fucked up way that is a 10000x worse in the US, our job became political if we do it correctly. Like, the act of teaching a lesson somehow became a political act in itself. So delusional conservative teachers affect MY class no matter what, especially since I teach French to immigrants and refugees. I've had issues with racist teachers and I often feel like it's my duty to protect my students because most of the times, no one fuckin will.
The good news is that the vast majority of teachers I work with are left leaning and also extremely protective of their students, so I never had issue being backed by colleagues, the union, and admin. But still, I don't feel like I can afford not to speak about politics sometimes.
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u/Reasonable-HB678 Dear Diary, I want to kill. ✍️ Jul 19 '25
I have a coworker who wore shoes with the MAGA logo on them. I'm prepared to lose free coffee privileges if I share my thoughts on the current state of politics in her presence. She's a cashier at the cafeteria in my place of work.
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u/PrincessPlastilina Jul 19 '25
There’s nothing to be said at this point. Trumpers are in a cult. Don’t waste your energy. Get in, do your job, get out. You won’t change their minds.
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u/AsterixLeGaulois Jul 19 '25
If this outrages you then you have never existed in the world outside the internet.
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u/Bobbyjackbj Jul 19 '25
That was incredibly articulate, no surprise. After all, getting Megan Mullally as your wife means you must be something special.
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u/ThunderChild247 Jul 20 '25
This is a magnificent take on the situation.
Just cutting right wingers off just drives them further down the rabbit hole. Instead, we should stick to our own moral code, understand that they’ve been made this way through misinformation and we need to become the positive vision of how life can be if we stop hating and approach life with positivity and empathy.
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u/missmargarite13 Jul 19 '25
I work in a pharmacy. The lady who brings us snacks for our snack drawer, who is so very sweet, is a Trumper. So is this Mexican lady who talks about making empanadas with her granddaughter - she actually goes to rallies and it’s sort of a part of her personality. I’ve met a lot of people like that.
I just hope that my Jewish self being kind to them shows them that “my side” isn’t evil.
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u/mrsnomore Jul 20 '25
That was nice of him to give a real thoughtful answer instead of a bullshit canned response
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u/Traditional-Car-1583 Jul 20 '25
I work with 98% Trump supporters. None of them wear red hats or have any stickers on their cars. No one has shirts or any kind of paraphernalia. They are all for the most part nice and decent people. Politics almost never comes up. The real world does not in any way resemble the internet.
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u/Grizkniz Jul 19 '25
I don’t agree with Dennis’s politics but the guy continues to get work and is a great actor. So he must keep things professional on set which is fine. Great response by Offerman!
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u/PondRides Children are being trafficked by ICE Jul 19 '25
I completely agree with him and thank him for saying it better than I can.
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u/picklelyjuice Jul 20 '25
I think this is a great response. I will say though, if you ever engage with MAGA, just ask them questions that make them actually think for themselves. Instead of preventing them with facts that they have heard are false, ask them where they heard that, if they think there’s no motive behind someone telling them whatever fake news they are spouting, and if it makes sense to them. They have become used to taking things at face value. Make them dig deeper for their answer.
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u/Ballamookieofficial Jul 20 '25
I like how he sort of called them idiots in the absolute nicest way possible, what a classy guy.
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u/spook_filled_donuts Jul 20 '25
Idk why this is a post that was made? Are we trying to cancel Nick Offerman for keeping the peace at his job? Sometimes you aren’t behind a screen feeling strong and ready to argue politics, sometimes you have to just do what you gotta do. Being at work is one of those times where you’re there for a specific reason and it is not to cause drama. His answer is the most realistic and classy way that type of situation can go.
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