Do people really have these kinds of conversations?

[Harold Jones]

Do families really waste their time together talking about politics?  I've seen this kind of thing around the holidays for as long as I can remember, but have never had a political discussion at a family gathering.

 

[Skywalkre]

Family gatherings?  No. 

One of my friends throws a communal Thanksgiving every year (this is the one I usually go to) where he and his wife invite friends (neither has much family left) and even folks they barely know that they've met through mutual interests (like charities she's worked with).  These tend to be pretty large and diverse affairs... and I've seen political discussions at those.  The discussions have always been cordial though I don't recall anyone ever being on polar opposite sides of an issue.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Yes, ive a family like this.

When we went around my Aunts house (or conversely they visited my father) they ALWAYS talked about politics. Virtually nothing else of any significance. So when Brexit came along, something my father was not in favour of, and she came around the house crowing about it the glorious vote to leave,  we pointed out the flaws in the thinking of it and why it was not going to instantly translate into economic success, and she left in a huff. When my father got cancer, yes she came back. But what could we reallly talk about?

My father passed away about 5 years ago. Ive not seen her in about 3 or 4 now. Seems unlikely we will get back in touch. When you have such opposing views, what else is there left to talk about? Particularly when time has proven my father and myself right. Nobody likes realising they were completely wrong about something after all, and Id hate to put her in that position.

 

[Ivanhoe]