The advice has always been to avoid discussions of politics and religion at the dinner table. University of Iowa professor Michelle Williams says that may be easier said than done this Thanksgiving.

“If you think about everything that’s going on in the world today, it’s hard for some of these topics not to come up, even if you’re just talking about the price of eggs, right, that can turn into a political discussion,” she says. Williams says things are different with your family. “The most important thing I think people need to remember is these are people you love, right? And one of the things we can think about is having a dialog with them instead of a debate,” she says. “We are so used to being trained in school to debate, right? I’m right. You’re wrong. I’m going to show the weaknesses in your argument.”

She says the discussion doesn’t need to have a winner or loser. )”Dialog is totally different. That’s an idea of, geez, I want to know. I want to understand your perspective. I want to understand the assumptions you’re making. And we’re not necessarily going to come to a resolution. What we’re going to end up with is I will understand you better, and when you think about your family members, that’s really what you want,” Williams says.

Williams says if don’t think the dialog approach will work, it may be best to avoid the subject. “I wouldn’t bring it up, but if it comes up, you can approach that conversation in a way that allows people to have a better understanding. Williams is an associate professor of management and entrepreneurship in the UI College of Business.

(By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)

Share this:
Radio Iowa