In a few weeks Thanksgiving will be here followed closely by Christmas, which means gathering with family around the dinner table. Fun, happy times. Except for the fact that my family (which is wonderful and I love them all) cannot manage to avoid controversial topics of conversation. My parents and my grandparents are really conservative. So are a few of my aunts, uncles and cousins. A few aunts and uncles, a few cousins, my brother and myself are all really liberal. I came to terms with the fact that none of us are ever going to convert the other side of the family long ago and to be honest I like that we are all so different. It would be really boring and kind of weird if we all believed the exact same things.
All I want is to get all the way through Thanksgiving dinner without someone saying someting like, “Did you hear that such-and-such state sanctioned gay marriage? I can’t believe someone could vote for something so sinful.” Followed by an outburst of, “You really think that? I can’t believe my grandpa is so predjudiced! How would you feel if someone told you that you can’t be married to grandma?”
So dopers, how do you manage to spend time with the family you love without wanting to stab them with your salad fork? How would you recommend turning the conversation away from such topics without making the person who brought it up feel like an ass?