I feel like, after these hard days of after-election PTSD, some people forgot how to interact with each other and act like human beings. Here is the list of topics that you can talk about with people around you, because, let me be honest, it’s a shock for me how many people around me are still discussing the election. Come on, you've had your weekends to calm down, and now my list will help you start a new week fresh.
1. Weather.
The easiest topic ever. Especially when the weather is constantly changing from day to day and, sometimes, every single hour. Your small talk will be harmless for you and your interlocutor, because this is one is on the “about-nothing” topics list.
2. Sports.
This topic is a little harder. You need to use this option only if you know something about sports. If you cannot tell the difference between football and basketball, this option is not for you.
P.S. Just using my power of being the author of the article, I mentioned here football meaning human football, aka this beautiful game Americans suddenly decided to call soccer.
3. Culture.
The widest topic ever: music, movies, painting, photography, literature, etc. Again, find anything you like and start talking about it. Maybe you will tell your friends something they didn’t know and your small talk will not be useless.
4. Thanksgiving break.
Let's face this amazing truth – Thanksgiving break is coming! Aren’t you interested in how your friends will spend it? Ask them about it. If you suddenly don’t know what to do on Thanksgiving, this small talk will possibly solve your trouble.
5. Events.
Concerts, exhibitions, festivals, lectures – anything that is going on around you. The world is full of interesting things; every day something's happening. If you know something is going on, tell your friends about it. If you don’t know about anything, ask your friends, maybe they know!
6. Classes.
During the week it’s hard to distract yourself from thoughts about classes, deadlines, essays, presentations, etc. But you don’t have to distract yourself for small talk, just use what’s on your mind for the topic.
7. Weekends.
What are you going to do during the coming weekends? If you still didn’t understand what I want from you here, go to the Thanksgiving point and read it again. The same strategy works for weekends.
8. Gossips.
This is an amateur strategy. Nevertheless – this is an option.
9. Food.
The best thing ever in this world – food. It unites people, it gives us a feeling that we all are brothers and sisters. So speak about food. Before eating, during, after – anytime.
10. Not to talk at all? Just spend time together.
Actually, who said that it’s important to talk? You can ask your friend to walk around with you. By watching the nature and people around you the topic can suddenly appear by itself. Just don’t spoil the beauty of the walk with elections. Choose something else.
You can consider my article to be too aggressive and unjust. But here is the thing: it is still very far until the end of the world. Let me now be serious for couple of paragraphs, just this once.
To all of those who lost in their first elections: you’re young and smart. You’re the future of this country. And you have your usual human rights. But you don’t have one, which you desperately want now possibly - you have no right to stop fighting for your ideas.
The United States voted for Trump. People came out for elections and voted for who they thought was the best candidate. And you have to accept this, one way or another – through depression and anger, or embarrassment and sadness. But what you don’t have to do is to give up. You will use any chance to show your government that you disagree, that you will stand for your united country until the end of the world. But now you have to get back to your normal life.
And let me remind you – it’s still very far from the end of the world.
