Viscerals

One interesting section from Herb Cohen's 'You Can Negotiate Anything' book is the distinction between Idea Opponents and Visceral Opponents:

"An idea opponent is one who disagrees with you on a particular issue or alternative. The disparity of misunderstanding is theoretical.... A visceral opponent is an emotional adversary, who not only disagrees with your point of view, but disagrees with you as a human being. He may even attribute sinister or nefarious motives to the position you espouse."

Generally, I'm a big believer in making as many friends as possible. Not only do I owe a lot to my friends, but I just can't live without 'em. I tend to regard most of my opponents as 'idea opponents' - those who only disagree with me temporarily and that can be persuaded or brought back to the light side, with the right persistence. However I grudgingly have to admit that not all can be converted, there are a select few of those 'visceral opponents' who I just have to face the fact that I will never convert. It could have been due to a failure on my part, or a lack of sensitivity, but the viscerals remain nevertheless.

The important thing to learn is how to separate the idea opponents from the visceral opponents. Of course I'd rather not have any viscerals, but I'm guessing they are a mutant by-product of forming much of my close and loyal relationships which I can't live without anyway. Who are the viscerals in your life?