AVOIDING POLITICS AT

THE HOLIDAY TABLE

A Guide by Nelson Lewis

DURING THE HOLIDAYS, LEAVE THE POLITICS AT THE DOOR!

During the holidays, we often find ourselves spending quality time

with those aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents whose political

opinions vastly differ from our own.  When your cousin posts a Bernie

Sanders article on Facebook, you can easily scroll past it on your

newsfeed without commenting.  But when sitting at the Christmas

table, where the eggnog and ham flow freely, that might not be as

easy - particularly with our current political divisions. Before you say

or do anything rash this season, listen!

SET BOUNDARIES

Decide upfront what you’re comfortable about talking about with your family.  By this point, you probably know the political leanings of your various family members,and more importantly that trying to change their minds is like shearing a pig: there’s a whole lot of squealing and you don’t get any wool out of it. In your head, think of some off-limit topics, and avoid them at all cost.  If you’ve got family members who are particularly opinionated and argumentative, you can also agree on a “no politics at the table” rule.   

AVOID POLITICAL

TRIGGERS: 

Even if you aren’t trying to start a political discussion, there are certain topics that are going to trigger that.  Perfectly innocent questions can trigger an argument.  Often- times, politics will come up naturally; if you talk about your friend getting laid off, then that could start a debate about the economy, which could trigger a discussion about Obama’s role in pushing it down the drain...and then your sister and your grandfather are in a shouting match.  

DON’T JUMP TO

CONCLUSIONS

A political rant might be a side story in the bigger picture.  Let’s say your uncle is frustrated that he can’t get a job, and vents by complaining about immigrants taking our jobs.  Even if you disagree, this doesn’t have to necessarily turn into an argument about politics.

DON’T INTERRUPT

Even if you want to change the topic quickly, and your uncle’s lecture on income inequality seems to be going on forever, cutting somebody off is rude and could provoke a fight.  Wait until somebody finishes their statement or asks you for your opinion before you comment or change the topic.

CHANGE THE

SUBJECT

If a political argument is on the horizon, you can always change the subject, and do it in a way that’s more tactful than a stray comment about the weather.  Let’s say that your sister and grandfather are about to get into an argument about the prison system.  Start talking about “Orange is the New Black” and how TV has been doing so many exciting new things.  That way you can divert the discussion from prison reform to Netflix.

HAVE AN ESCAPE

ROUTE PLANNED

Political arguments are inevitable sometimes, even if you can skillfully navigate around triggers, stay away from off-limit topics, have a “no politics” rule and artfully segue from the latest scandal to a recent television episode.  Think of a respectful way to derail the conversation; say something like “I appreciate your opinion, but we’ll have to agree to disagree,” or, “Interesting, I’ll have to think about that.”  When in doubt, continue reiterating yourself and say, “It’s okay that we don’t feel the same way.”  

THANK YOU!

For more  political advice and content, please visit Nelson Lewis at : NelsonLewisPolitics.com