By Suzanne Harrison, Staff Writer
The turkey may be out of the oven, but the heat is still running high.
Thanksgiving is here and the nation is more split than ever when it comes to politics. On Nov. 8, an elephant in the room appeared too massive to ignore. As we all know, Republican Donald Trump is the President-elect. While I personally lean more toward the liberal side, a majority of my family is Republican.
Politics has been and always will be a tricky subject with families. One minute you’re all enjoying mashed potatoes, and the next thing you know you’re in a heated debate with your uncle you haven’t seen in a year. So why does something like disagreeing on gun rights bring an awkward end to dinner? Can we just avoid our family? Should we? Is politics worth it?
I don’t think so.
Even though I know that a few of my family members voted for Trump, that does not mean I want to spend the whole Thanksgiving glaring at them for not agreeing with my views. An amazing part about our country is that we have the freedom of speech, so that uncle I haven’t seen in a year has just as much a right to yell about taxes as I do.
At times it may be hard to keep your voice quiet if an older member of your family says something slightly controversial across the table. But try to keep it respectful, or else you will go to bed under the same roof angry and full of pie — not a good combination.
In 2012, the Thanksgiving after Obama’s re-election into office, my grandfather told a joke about my left-winged aunt. It got very silent fast and I just remember looking behind me from the kids table and seeing the anger spread across my aunt’s face. She did not speak the rest of dinner.
The next morning, everything returned to normal. That’s the thing about families and politics. Know when to let your voice be heard and know when to keep quiet. Life is too short to argue about things that most of the time we don’t have a say in. So this Thanksgiving, before you go to argue, ask yourself: Is it worth it? Do I really want this to be the last thing I say to this family member till I see them again next year?
So this Thanksgiving, instead of shoving your opinions down your family’s throat, shove some turkey in your mouth instead.
Junior Suzanne Harrison can be reached at harrisonsu0716@daretolearn.org.
