First rule of Thanksgiving: Don’t talk about politics. Second rule of Thanksgiving: Your crazy uncle will talk about politics.
Our nation is divided and for many of us, that includes our families, too. The Internet is populated with suggestions for making sure that division doesn’t totally ruin your Thanksgiving meal.
Instead of coming up with one more list, I’ve instead scoured the Internet for some of the more clever approaches to making this year’s Thanksgiving one of the most pleasant. Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving.
- Slate’s chief political correspondent John Dickerson recommends replacing political argument with philosophical conundrums like: “If all music were replaced by the works of one of the following artists, which would be better: Billy Joel or Beethoven?”
- If you can’t avoid political discussion, then at least help your crazy uncle get the facts straight with one of these useful images from Media Matters:
- Distract your family with these funny Thanksgiving statistics from the satirists at The Onion: “The typical bowl of mashed potatoes contains 8,203 lumps.”
- Use this handy tool from the folks at Vox to prep for any argument that comes your way. Including, but not limited to, august discussions of the newest Hunger Games release: “There will be no bigger cultural event Thanksgiving weekend than the release of Mockingjay.”
- If all else fails, calmly listen to Johnny Cash sing the Thanksgiving Prayer on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.
