Thought Police

This is my first blog so bear with me. Yesterday I unfriended someone who was in my wedding and I have been friends with for almost two decades. He made a stupid post about how he doesn't want to see my politcal opinions on Facebook and I am stupid for believing what I do and don't know whats going on. I am pretty libertarian minded with a splash of conservatism. My best friend and her husband are die hard Bernie supporters. We have these all night debates on everything from the border wall to healthcare. I am a very analytical person and do not base my thoughts and decisions on feelings and many of my millenial peers do. To get back to the purpose, I post things or bring them up because I think they are important and want to talk about them. If I truly say what I think with my many acquaintances this leads to attacks that make no sense. These people have known me for two decades but I am only now realizing that we are still acquantances after all these years as they do not know me and only accept me when I think like them. Why is it okay for the vast majority of the people around me my age and older to berate and belittle my ideas if I do express them instead of simply positing out the merits of all ideas and figuring out common ground? Is this not how our great republic was built and the basis of civil society? What is the point of interacting with people on opposing sides if you are not willing to see the other has merit as well?