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We’ve all heard people say it\u2014”no politics at the dinner table.” Whether you are celebrating a holiday or enjoying a family dinner, it is universally accepted that meals are a time to keep the peace. One of the primary reasons that people refrain from discussing politics is to prevent the uncomfortable, tense conversations that often arise.<\/p>\n
Given the divided nature of American politics, it has become increasingly difficult to keep conversations civil and productive. But although it can be uncomfortable, political discourse is a vital tool for exacting positive change\u2014and we shouldn’t shy away from these important conversations.<\/p>\n
Politics are the basis of the decisions that impact our everyday lives. Because *everything* we do is now political\u2014from shopping to consuming media\u2014it is nearly impossible to be apolitical in 2025.<\/p>\n
It’s common to disagree with friends and family on matters of political ideology. Although it may be uncomfortable, engaging loved ones in political dialogue forces each party to consider new perspectives and aids them in understanding the thought processes of those with whom they disagree. People are more likely to listen to the opinions of individuals they respect than those of a stranger or a political ad\u2014meaning you could be the person who changes their perspective on a candidate or policy issue.<\/p>\n
Initiating\u00a0political conversations over a meal is especially beneficial\u00a0as it forces people to engage with another individual face-to-face, which often leads to more productive, meaningful conversations than those that occur online. By normalizing political discussions with your family and friends, your understanding of one another\u00a0will drastically improve.<\/p>\n
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Holding friends and family accountable for their political beliefs is also an integral aspect of initiating these conversations. While it is important to respect other people’s ideologies,\u00a0there is never an excuse for people to use bigoted or harmful language to advance their political goals. Although diversity of thought has been instrumental in shaping our society,\u00a0it is important to understand where to draw the line between differing opinions and bigotry.<\/p>\n
In political conversations, it\u00a0is often easier to remain neutral than to speak your mind.\u00a0By staying silent, however, we are complicit in maintaining a\u00a0status quo that is not equally sustainable for all people in our country.\u00a0Historically, large portions of the population have been excluded from\u00a0the political process due to\u00a0race, gender, age, religion,\u00a0sexual orientation\u00a0or other discriminatory factors. Many of these\u00a0groups are still underrepresented in our\u00a0political system, leading to inequities that contribute to continued marginalization today.<\/p>\n
In\u00a0an age where people’s basic\u00a0human rights have been\u00a0reduced to political talking points, it is important to remain informed<\/span>. Policies implemented by Congress, supported by the President\u00a0or debated by the Supreme Court all have tangible impacts on people’s lives.\u00a0<\/span>To be able to refrain from political discussions comes from a place of privilege, as some people don’t have the luxury to remain disengaged. As human rights activist Desmond Tutu once said, “If you\u00a0are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”<\/p>\n Politics\u00a0should not be a taboo subject.\u00a0While there are certainly instances where it is better\u00a0to discuss more lighthearted subjects, political discussions are necessary for gaining perspective and for holding your loved ones accountable.\u00a0So next time politics get brought up at the dinner table, don’t shy away from standing your ground\u2014even if it means disrupting the dinnertime peace.<\/p>\n We’ve all heard people say it\u2014”no politics at the dinner table.” Whether you are celebrating a holiday or enjoying a family dinner, it is universally<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":898,"featured_media":311654,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1032,283,313],"tags":[1033,285,6233],"class_list":["post-181286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","category-life","category-tough-stuff","tag-family","tag-life","tag-politics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/898"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/311654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/content\/famoutline700.png\")
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