How to Discuss Politics Calmly
We would probably all agree that this has been a volatile political season with many moving parts. I don’t think I am the only one who has questions about many of the situations we have seen unfold. I love listening to people’s perceptions and opinions. I always think it is healthy to hear a variety of points of view, but unfortunately, it is not always easy to have a discussion with someone who has a different point of view. Why is that? Why can we not discuss a political topic like we would talk about what type of music we like. I did some research on the reason why you often hear the phrase, “Don’t talk about religion or politics at the dinner table.” Here are a few of the reasons we see tempers flare when politics are discussed.
· Our political party is part of our identity. We probably put some thought into which party supported our values and beliefs. When our allegiance is questioned it feels personal.
· We allow our emotions to take over when the candidate we support is criticized.
· We might be feeling some insecurities about how things are going, and those feelings are expressed with anger.
So, what can you do to have a good discussion about the issues? Here are a few ideas.
· Create some guidelines for your discussion. Start off with something like this, “I’m very interested in…
