Politics
How to talk about politics with family this Thanksgiving
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Story at a glance
- A new Quinnipiac poll found that 65 percent of Americans hope they can avoid talking about politics with family and friends this Thanksgiving.
- Inflation, recent mass shootings, climate change, and the results of the midterm elections will most likely be on people’s minds this holiday.
- When discussing politics with family this year, one clinical psychologist recommends staying curious and taking breaks if needed.
The holidays are a stressful time for most Americans.
But the demands of Thanksgiving holiday this year are compounded by the stress of high inflation, worsening impacts of climate change, the tragedy of multiple mass shootings and the outcomes of the 2022 midterm elections.
And while many Americans will, inevitably, spend time during the holidays talking about current events, the bulk of people want to avoid talking about the subject of politics entirely.
A new Quinnipiac poll found that almost two-thirds of Americans, 65 percent, hope to avoid talking about politics altogether during the Thanksgiving holiday this year.
Here are a few tips on how to have less stressful conversations about politics with family and friends this holiday:
(Really) try to listen
Los Angeles-based clinical psychologist Dr. Lauren Cook told Changing America that when talking about potentially divisive topics, it’s important to actively listen to what the other person is saying and not focus on defending our own point of view.
“When we get defensive or feel like someone is misunderstanding us, our walls can quickly go up,” said Cook. “Rather than jump to what your next response will be, practice responding rather than reacting.”
Cook recommended taking deep, belly breaths while listening to the person with an opposing viewpoint. Another technique Cook suggests is repeating back what the other person is saying to “ensure that you understand what it is they’re trying to express.”
Be curious
Cook also recommends going into a conversation about politics with a sense of curiosity to figure out the other person’s point of view.
“If you go in with presumptions or a belief that you need to show that you’re right, it’s a lost opportunity to try and understand where the other person is coming from,” Cook said. “Having a goal of really try understanding the other person’s perspective can help keep things calm when it might start to become challenging,” she added.
It’s okay to disagree
A difference in belief or viewpoint does not always have to be divisive.
When it comes to politics it’s easy to get stuck in “all-or-nothing thinking” where people feel like they can’t or don’t want to have relationships with people that have different opinions, Cook said. “First, ask yourself if you want to maintain a relationship with this person,” she said.
“If the answer is yes, then you can practice holding that it’s okay to love someone deeply and still deeply agree with them. Both can be true at the same time.”
Take some space
Take breaks from heated conversations in order to protect your well-being and prevent saying something you might regret.
“If you find you’re getting so activated that you may lash out or feel deeply wounded, then create some space for yourself,” Cook suggested. “Whether it’s changing the subject, walking into another room, or leaving altogether.”
Politics
Former PQ minister turns back on politics, records jazz album – CTV News Montreal
A former minister with the Parti Québécois (PQ) says his time in politics is over, and he’s ready to focus on his first love: the arts.
“People have to remember that I was dealing with the arts for 30 years before I went into politics,” Maka Kotto tells CTV News a day before boarding a flight to his native Cameroon for a music festival. “After 14 years in politics, I felt that I did what I had to do. And so, I decided to get back to my old practices.”
Kotto represented the PQ in the riding of Bourget from 2008 to 2018 and was also the culture minister in Pauline Marois’ short-lived government.
In addition to his time in provincial politics, Kotto represented the Bloc Québécois from 2004 to 2008 in the Canadian House of Commons — the party’s first Black member of Parliament.
“It drained my energy and I lost contact with my family, with my friends. When I was inside, I didn’t realize that,” he said. “My mother went to the other side in 2018 and I couldn’t say good-bye… I wrote a song about that.”
Kotto says his mother’s death was a moment that notably marked him.
“This was very awful. Until now, I still suffer for that,” he said. “You see, when you’re investing in politics, you have many, many sacrifices that you’re facing.”
Closing the political door and turning his attention back to music and acting was an effortless decision for the 62-year-old.
“This was much, much more, easier than politics,” he said.
Kotto says he remembers his father not liking the idea of him getting involved in the arts as a child — he wanted him to “be a good student.”
“The last time I sang, I was between 16 or 17 years old,” he recalls. “That was in college, at the boarding school church. It was a French Jesuit boarding school in Cameroon.”
When asked what’s scarier: putting out a jazz album or working in politics, Kotto doesn’t miss a beat.
“Oh, politics is scary because you don’t have fun in politics. You have problems every day, every night, every morning and you have to solve real problems,” he said. “When you’re singing, it’s a passion…The only goal you have to reach is to share what you feel.”
Kotto says he worked for about six months on his album, collaborating with the likes of Antoine Gratton, Taurey Butler and the Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal (ONJ).
“We have a lot of fun. That was the goal, and I hope that everybody listening to this album will have the same fun as the one we had in studio,” he said.
A few words he uses to describe his music: fun, love and friendship.
The release of Kotto’s first album is scheduled for the winter of 2024.
Politics
Trump campaign defends his ‘bloodbath’ warning. Hear what political strategists think
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Trump campaign defends his ‘bloodbath’ warning. Hear what political strategists think
The Trump campaign is saying that presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump was referring only to the US auto industry when he warned of a “bloodbath” if he wasn’t elected. Republican strategist Alice Stewart and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona debate what he meant.
Politics
Trump campaign defends his ‘bloodbath’ warning. Hear what political strategists think
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Trump campaign defends his ‘bloodbath’ warning. Hear what political strategists think
The Trump campaign is saying that presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump was referring only to the US auto industry when he warned of a “bloodbath” if he wasn’t elected. Republican strategist Alice Stewart and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona debate what he meant.
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