Family, Turkey, and Politics DON'T MIX: Recipe for Pepto
Photo Credit: Halloween-art.com
We are about T-minus 1 day and 12 hours from a gluttonous feast and beautiful family induced headaches. If your Thanksgiving is anything like mine, you will have Jollof rice, dodo gizzard, moi moi, oh and stuff like turkey, ham, and some sides..sound familiar? Probably not for most. I am Nigerian, so WE BE EATIN'. We love any reason to cook too much, eat too much, and have a take home plate. :) But that's my point. Everyone does something different for the Thanksgiving. Some folk celebrate with a sumptuous Nigerian feast, some with a slightly less appetizing American feast, and some don't celebrate at all....after all, it does seem like we are celebrating the decimation of a people..IJS.
Anyway, while we all have our traditions, and we may silently (not so silently) roast family members and friends who show up to our tables, you have to admit one thing, while you are eating that stuffing, it would be best to leave out the taste of politics. Doesn't matter if you agree or disagree on the subject, to include politics on the table, is to make the meal go sour. Lots of families already spend time going on each other because of religion, hairstyles, marriage, education, etc. Don't know what I am talking about? Try looking up #ThanksgivingwithBlackFamilies or #ThankgsgivingClapBack on Twitter. It's the shade olympics! Now imagine that shade, which can already sting, added to with talks about politics!
Here are a few reasons why I recommend having that cranberry sauce sans Trump:
1. If you identify as LGBTQIAAP, then you can open yourself up to a political conversation hat goes religious. Nobody needs family members to denounce their existence at the table. Before you know it, you are mad, and throwing stuff.
2. If you are a beautiful chocolate drop, and you are spending time at your non-POC boo-thang's home this holiday, you may find that some folk are not going to understand your world post-Trump as prez-elect. You may still be grieving and scared, and some of them could be at acceptance and "it won't really be that bad". If the invalidation of your experience is not enough, you can always encounter the folk who are in love with D.T. #SCARY
3. Last, but not least, even if you are a family of folk who agree about life post-election, bringing it up can just cause emotional fatigue. The constant worrying, fretting, speculations, and sharing your stage of grief with others who share theirs with you... It's EXHAUSTING!
This is by no means an exhaustive list. We can add being a woman, being a black woman, having locs, being an immigrant, etc. If you aren't a white, cis-gendered, straight, rich man, we could add you to this list and discuss ALL the reasons your meal and politics shouldn't mix. Let's just try to evoke the spirit of the holiday...THANKFULNESS. Let's be thankful for what we have, and then crush each other on Friday for what we don't.
Any subjects off limits at your dinner table? Comment below
