Thanksgiving is a time to connect with family members you likely have nothing to do with on a daily basis. These may be the same family members you unfollowed on social media after flooding your news feed with an assortment of memes:
But now, here you are. Face-to-face. For a long dinner that will include lots of alcohol.
Should you discuss politics?
Well….
Remember Thanksgiving was officially designated a federal holiday in 1863 in the midst of the Civil War. Relatives fought on opposite sides, firing cannons into each other’s faces. Imagine how awkward those Thanksgiving gatherings might have been?
But this was also the time when the telegraph was the Twitter of the day. News moved more slowly and there was no such thing as “news of the day” or “24-hours news cycle” or Dr. Phil’s giant screaming head.
Ahh. . . the good ole days. Of course penicillin was not discovered yet, but still at least Americans, for the most part, agreed on the same set of facts.
That’s what makes it so difficult to discuss politics at a Trumpsgiving dinner. You are approaching the conversation with a different set of facts fed to you by your local Google algorithm then your uncle who eagerly shared the pope’s endorsement of Trump.
Best to avoid the topic all together. Stick to neutral topics like:
- Mannequin Challenge – Now that the olds, like me, know about it, is it time to discontinue? (Answer: yes)
- Cereal aisle in supermarkets – Too much choice or not enough choice? Possible side topic: Were Sugar Smacks the grossest cereal? (Answer: yes)
- Other relatives – As in, do we have any relatives who live outside the states that I can possibly bunk with?
Now pass the carving knife.
The cereal aisle in the supermarket is a neutral topic? Clearly you have not met my family.
Maybe just stick to the subtopic of Sugar Smacks then.
But which are they? Sugar or smack? Discuss.
I loved Sugar Smacks and I will proudly proclaim that to anyone while simultaneously not mentioning my weight.
We will have to agree to disagree. I hope this doesn’t damage our relationship. We can discuss Trump instead.
Love this. I suppose if things get too heated you can just stop everything and do the mannequin challenge. Happy Thanksgiving to you.
That’s a pretty good solution.
I also recommend avoid serving a turkey. Just the very word “turkey” could lead to the subject of Donald Trump having yet another conflict of interest in Turkey and his pick for national security adviser being on Turkey’s payroll.
Oh Donald said the president can’t have a conflict of interest so everything is really cool.
Nothing makes my blood boil more than the ridiculous mannequin challenge. Please for the love of gravy make it stop!
I would much prefer a gravy challenge where I just eat lots of gravy.
Any visit with my American relatives seems very awkward now. I have read my husband the riot act to not mention politics around my brother-in-law.
I have friends who have put up signs in their house before party saying that politics is strictly off limits.
That actually sounds like a good idea.
LMAO! And we don’t even have Thanksgiving! So funny. 😀
Fortunately I got to avoid my in-laws at Thanksgiving (all rabid alt-rights) and thus they are all still alive.
It’s a Christmas miracle. We have to say Christmas now, right according to the decomposing pumpkin?