Robert Reich - Most of us have an “Uncle Bob.” They’re a Trumper, or a Republican, or conservative. They disagree with us on most of the fundamental issues of our time and refuse to listen to us when we try to reason with them. But, hey, they’re a member of our family.
We’re about to have Thanksgiving dinner with them, and we don’t want it to be a disaster (as it’s sometimes been). So what do we do?
1. Try to reason with them. We’re not going to sacrifice our integrity by allowing them to spout nonsense, so we’ll take on their arguments with thoughtful (and, to the extent possible, good-natured) responses even if we don’t get anywhere.
2. If they bring up politics, humor them but don’t engage. We’ll let them express their political views if they must but not try to argue. It won’t get anywhere and will only escalate conflict and make Thanksgiving miserable.
3. Avoid all political discussion. We’ll make it clear from the start that politics is off-limits. If they say anything even slightly political, we’ll gently remind them that we’re not going there.
4. Don’t invite them (or disinvite them). We’ve decided, sadly, that there’s just no point in having them by. They’ll wreck Thanksgiving for us. We have not invited them (or we’ve decided to disinvite them).
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