you're right - friends may share differing viewpoints and remain friends, I don't expect that all of my friends will view everything I do the same way. I expect it, I support it, and I celebrate it. But friendships must have their basis in some point of commonality some unspoken agreed upon common core moral ethical centre.

HOWEVER, there do come times, when a person's viewpoint is so far outside of our own, as to exclude friendship. As I said to my ex husband during our divorce proceedings - it's not that I hate you, or that I can't let go of the pain of certain actions, it's just that that behavior changed forever my view of you and my feelings for you.

For me ... abuse is one of those issues. For me this is abuse, that you go beyond condoning it, to celebrating it, making light and making fun of it.... changes forever my viewpoint of our relationship. This one is too far outside my viewpoint of acceptable to condone it by calling it friendship. I'm sorry if that seems extreme or petty or mean spirited of me - to use an oft ill used phrase "this hurts me more than it'll hurt you".

I respect that your viewpoint is different than mine, and you are fully entitled and empowered to hold it, but I cannot subject myself to it - even in quiet acquiescence.

Go well.