Trumpsgiving

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.