As Thanksgiving approaches, friends and family unite to celebrate a feast once a year. Coincidentally around the same time, the 2024 election has made history as President-Elect Donald J. Trump takes office for a second term.
As families come together to engage in casual conversation, the conversation may lead to politics, where people do not meet eye to eye on political matters.
Nearly one in six Americans have or considered ending relationships due to political discourse between both parties, this extends to family and friend relationships as well. “I know several of my family members that are no longer talking to one another or even relationships that have ended due to differences in political views,” shared PVHS graduate Aedan Burkhart.
With Thanksgiving approaching, political talk will most-likely be on the table this year due to the recent election, which can cause worry for many students. “I know that my family is very Republican and I am very vocal about my own political views. As I’ll be visiting for Thanksgiving this year, I’m worried about what the conversation may lead to and how our relationships may be in trouble,” said college student Emma Valentin-Shambo.
77% of Americans agree that political conversations do not belong at the dinner table. However despite this, 59% of Americans are worried about the family stress political related conversations may bring and nearly a quarter are considering skipping Thanksgiving all together.
To avoid political discourse it’s easier to avoid political conversations or compromise and come to a mutual agreement, “I believe that family members go to vent to their loved ones about frustrations with world events and Thanksgiving is the opportune time to do that. However, we must agree to disagree and strengthen our family bonds instead of breaking them down over political issues that we cannot control. We only get one family after all and we mustn’t take it for granted,” added Burkhart.
Furthermore, mutually agreeing with opposite point of views leaves little room for arguments and family discourse, “The ultimate goal of effective communication is to share ideas and information in order to reach a consensus” wrote senior Riley Rashka.
Americans across the country must prepare for the political conversations that may occur at the dinner table and how to safely navigate these conversations to avoid family conflict that could tear loved ones apart.
