Everyone knows that the two off-limits dinner table topics are religion and politics, but that certainly doesn’t mean that everyone abides by this “rule.” I, for one, do not. In fact, one of my favorite things to do is discuss— note that I said, "discuss," not "attack"— beliefs, ideologies, and philosophies with others, especially if I trust them or admire their intellects.
If we don’t openly discuss what we believe, or what ideas we’ve been internally debating, how can we really say that the idea or belief is valid? By this, I don’t mean discussing with those that tend to share the same views as you; rather, I encourage the opposite. Talking with others, who only affirm the social, economic, political or religious stances you hold, does not force you to question your own ideologies, which is a dangerous, slippery slope toward bigotry and unwarranted hubris (go watch anything of Tomi Lahren’s for a nice example). Some of the best discussions I’ve ever participated in have been between friends with whom I’ve disagreed. It’s beautiful, actually. To have an intellectual conversation that does not revolve around heatedly delivered, back-and-forth retorts and inadvertent ad hominem attacks is one of my main qualifications for friendship.
With the advent of sharing articles to Facebook, retweeting posts on Twitter and obnoxiously ill-informed “debates” that ensue in response to those posts, I’ve found that not everyone shares my all-accepting philosophy on communicating beliefs. So, to save yourself the embarrassment of being that kid no one wants to talk politics with, I’ve compiled a few tried and true ways to go about not being super annoying during election season. Enjoy.
1. Don’t mention Donald Trump.
While I’m all about discussing the presidential candidates, weighing out pros and cons and discussing their stances on certain issues, I suggest that you choose your battles wisely and steer clear of anything having to do with this man. Why, you ask?
There are two basic schools of thought concerning Trump. On one side, you have the (hopefully, really, really huuuge) population of Americans, who have put all of their differences aside to wholeheartedly agree with one another that Trump is an imbecile, unfit for the highest political office in the United States. Those sharing this view are already in agreement, so bringing up Donald Trump in a political discussion is going to tag you as the annoying kid who doesn’t have anything else to contribute and/or the kid held solely responsible for causing your anxious friends to have another freak out. Let’s face it. It is pretty terrifying that he’s even an option this late in the game. I try to avoid the subject. You should, too.
On the other side of things, you have those that support Donald Trump so adamantly that they have “Make America Great Again” bumper stickers on their gas-guzzling Hummers (because they don’t believe in global warming), alarmingly-poor understandings of economics, and inabilities to discuss anything political without loudly yelling mean things about President Obama or the poverty-stricken. Once again, in the presence of this (hopefully shrinking) portion of the population, choose your battles wisely. Under this specific circumstance, disregard everything I mentioned earlier. It is not worth it to try having a politics-based discussion here. If you feel it creeping up like word vomit, just pretend to be sick and get the hell out of there. Okay, you caught me. This tip has nothing to do with saving you from being annoying and everything to do with saving you from wasting your breath. You’re welcome, in advance.
2. Educate yo’ self.
The next practice of not being annoying this election season is centered around three simple words: think for yourself. Jeez. I feel like this should go without saying, but, if you can’t list and discuss (at least) three issues that your candidate of choice supports and has taken a stance on, then why were you so vocal about him or her being your top pick for president on social media last week? You know the kid I’m talking about. Yeah, it’s the one who scrolls through Twitter while his parents talk about politics over dinner and, then, regurgitates whatever points he can remember overhearing when anything election-related is brought up. It’s also the kid that gets all of his information from meme-based social media accounts and never fact checks. Don’t be that kid.
3. Get your facts from multiple news outlets.
I might be alone here, but I genuinely enjoy watching the political debates and, even more so, the debate wrap-ups from multiple news outlets to see the different topics that each one focuses on. It’s fun to see how two or three channels take the same debate or other event in the political arena and report it to the public in their own ways and with their own underlying ideologies peeping through. Like I said earlier, if your opinion on something has never been challenged by someone who sees it differently, then how can you truly say that it is valid? To save yourself from being the annoying kid that only watches the biased response from one news source and, then, repeats whatever was said— adopting the stances as true and valid without questioning them— open your mind and explore what else is out there. See if the alternative stance raises good points that you hadn’t thought of. See if hearing someone else’s perspective brings any enlightenment to you or causes you to question your own beliefs. Just remember to stay open-minded when you do it. No one likes the kid who watches the news from an alternative source and loudly attacks the reporters, complaining that they don’t know what they are talking about.
There are so many other tips I could give you, but I’ll just stick with these three for now— the other examples would be far too specific and I don’t want to call anyone out. So, if you find yourself in politics-based conversations and notice that your statements are met with subtle eye rolls or silence, this article is for you. I hope you can find some use out of these tips and apply them as quickly as possible, so that you can save yourself from being the annoying kid this election season.
