Can I be discriminated against for political beliefs?

Nurses General Nursing

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On facebook I have a habit of getting into discussions about the social aspects of politics. Im a conservative, I never use any racial epithets, never threaten violence and I use statistics to substantiate any claims I make. With that being said, conservative opinions are frowned upon today. With colleges and i'm assuming places of work being very liberal is there any way I could not be able to become a nurse because of me using my first amendment rights and expressing my beliefs?

Specializes in Transitional Nursing.
I don't know if you are racist, but if you are supporting Trump, you are supporting a racist/neo-nazi sympathizer.

I've been called a "commie" and been told numerous times to "go back to your country" whenever I voiced support for things like universal health care. Couple guys I knew called me that years ago, and they are now fervent Trump supporters.

I was working down south when he was elected. During the actual tally of the votes, I'm sitting at the nurses desk ready to spew and surrounded by sweet lil old peeps with their TVs on FAUX news. OMG it was a nightmare!

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Supporters of Trump being called racist just because of their vote.

Well yes, but the people who say this are radicals. I would not engage in conversation with those people and most non mentally ill people don't believe that. Stay strong in your beliefs but stay off Facebook!

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Joey-

Where are you?

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A CBS VP just got fired for a post she made on Facebook about the Las Vegas shooting. CBS fires VP for writing ‘Republican gun toters' killed in Las Vegas don't deserve sympathy - The Washington Post

Here's some posts about being fired because of Facebook, although they are mostly stupid, not political. Employees Who Were Fired Because of Social Media Posts

Speaking Freely About Politics Can Cost You Your Job - The New York Times

My favorite tidbit was about the sheriff who fired his deputies for not contributing to his campaign, and the court that said that was not illegal.

Well the CBS VP should have been fired. That was just mean and nasty. The sheriff is wrong what he did.

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Specializes in L&D, OBED, NICU, Lactation.

I've kept people offguard about my politics at work and in life, here's one of my posts:

Here's what I've learned in the past two months: As a 35-year old (yay I'm the future) millennial (hrmph entitled and thinks he knows everything), white male (I'm part of the problem and I don't even realize it), child of a single mother (she must have made terrible choices) who studied and worked her family off the welfare system (take take take that's all the people on the system are good for), born, raised, educated in public schools in Massachusetts (damn Yankee liberal), graduate education from DC and Atlanta (think you're so smart with your fancy degrees, eh?), living in Texas (did I buy a gun yet and do I bring it to church on Sundays?), with 10+ years of nursing experience (nurses are amazing, you are the real heroes of healthcare | anyone could do your job, just listen to what the doctors tell you, you are wayyyyy overpaid), and now working Healthcare IT (watch out for the H1B visa, you might lose your job and have to train your foreign replacement). I must be a libtard, a dimocrat, a socialist, and a commie. I also must be a bible-thumper, LBGTQ & women's rights hater, environment destroyer, climate change denier, republicon, repuke, and republicriminal. Every day these words are used rather than having conversations with another human being for a little bit of understanding. It's easier to place someone in a category of things you don't like rather than trying to gain some insight into another person's thoughts and risking some cognitive dissonance, or the situation where you are trying to hold two conflicting thoughts/beliefs at the same time. Surprisingly, most people including myself don't fit neatly into a box. I have talked with people who can't fathom that people can have both 'left' and 'right' side political beliefs regardless of their age, birthplace, education, religion, etc. The biggest issue with political party affiliation and designation is that it keeps us segregated and continues the 'us vs. them' mentality. Those who are quick to reply with slang or insults do nothing to work on bridging the artificial divide we have created. One of the greatest gifts I've been given was being taught HOW to think and not WHAT to think. It is because of this ability that myself and so many others do not fit neatly into a little package. We thoughtfully consider any and all evidence presented to us along multiple factors before making a decision we believe is in the best interest of whatever and whoever we hold most important. The sooner this becomes the majority, the better off we will be. As for the whole liberal democrat v. conservative republican thing...I've voted in a total of 6 elections (counting federal and state). 3 times Republican and 3 times Democrat. How's do I fit into your neat little box now?

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Specializes in M/S, Pulmonary, Travel, Homecare, Psych..
On facebook I have a habit of getting into discussions about the social aspects of politics. Im a conservative, I never use any racial epithets, never threaten violence and I use statistics to substantiate any claims I make. With that being said, conservative opinions are frowned upon today. With colleges and i'm assuming places of work being very liberal is there any way I could not be able to become a nurse because of me using my first amendment rights and expressing my beliefs?

That's your first mistake. The part I highlighted.

Facebook has become a place with a culture that I find insufferable and hence I am a light user of the site. By light I mean, literally, I log in about three times a year and half the time I log in I don't post.

Facebook intentionally takes all the qualities of online interaction, both good and bad, and lights a fire under them. They create an atmosphere where people will rage on political issues (that in truth really don't matter to them), claim support for every and any post that suits their fancy at the moment (not a single thought given to any of it once they log off) and everyone operates under this (false) assumption that the world is logging in to get their views on "whatever". Facebook needs to do this for ratings, so I understand their behavior. What I don't understand is how so many fall for it.

Funniest part is, on Facebook everyone is talking as if they are dropping some rare pearl of wisdom on everyone else yet, no one is listening (not actively listening anyway). It's like being in a room full of a hundred people, all of which are having a private conversation with....themselves.

Anyway, I didn't come here to put facebook fans under my boot, believe it or not.

I wanted to address your assertion that conservative viewpoints are frowned upon. Let me be very clear on this: That belief you have is born of being in places like facebook a bit too much. Places where every topic requires a polarized viewpoint and all those who comment on said topic feel they must "dig in their heels" to make the most profound point in the discussion.

In reality, things have not changed so much. We conservatives are more than capable of being in the room with liberals. We can even (gasp) converse with them. Might become friends too. Same goes for liberals in the room with the conservatives.

Truth of the matter is, we're not so damning of one another when we're not trying to impress the invisible social media audience.

I'm conservative. Always have been. Most likely always will be, I've never put any thought into changing it. I've never had anyone "frown upon" me for that.

But then again, I don't spend much time around people who constantly think their friends on social media "might be watching" either so.........there is no race to be more profound than one another.

Facebook was your first mistake. Thinking anyone at work cares about your political views was the second. I wish I could link you to the story I told in here about a manager's response to an interviewee who asked about whether the hospital really looks in on the worker's social media or not. It was comical.

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On facebook I have a habit of getting into discussions about the social aspects of politics. Im a conservative, I never use any racial epithets, never threaten violence and I use statistics to substantiate any claims I make. With that being said, conservative opinions are frowned upon today. With colleges and i'm assuming places of work being very liberal is there any way I could not be able to become a nurse because of me using my first amendment rights and expressing my beliefs?

Yes, it can probably happen. Don't take a chance.

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Specializes in Neuro.

All it takes is for your political opinion to offend or make one of your coworkers or patients feel uncomfortable and you are in your manager or administrators office back pedaling. Learn to keep your opinions/beliefs to yourself at work or on any form of social media they could have access to.

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Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

The only time this would be a problem is if I saw you make a disparaging remark about my religion, race or sexuality or if you tried to force the god thing on me during work hours. Then we'd have a problem. Until then I'd just feel sad that you'd been duped into voting for someone who is completely ill-equipped to be president, but that's your right I suppose. Free speech is plenty free but does not come without consequences.

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Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.
I'm very left-wing and I don't discuss politics at work because I feel as if it's not the place. I don't think most of my coworkers know my political opinions and that's fine with me because I don't know theirs, either. So they could be a bunch of Perot supporters for all I know!

Wow! If they WERE Perot supporters, they must be pretty old!

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
Wow! If they WERE Perot supporters, they must be pretty old!

I hope you were joking. He ran in the '90s. That wasn't THAT long ago.

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