When Silence isn’t Golden

Communication is our biggest problem

Photo by Kelly Lacy from Pexels

I’m sitting at my desk wondering how to explain — no, how to beg my relatives to have a real conversation about what’s happening in this country. A conversation that does not begin and end in hostility and discomfort. A conversation that is not cut short by trite accusations, racist conspiracies, or hollow claims that all of the media is fake unless it’s in favor of their argument. A conversation where we can try to understand why we think the things we do, where I can explain why I’m afraid of what’s happening in this country, and where I can get a hint as to what makes them believe it is okay, even for the best.

I sit here contemplating all of the times I tried to talk politics at the family table growing up. When I was in high school, I was “too young to understand.” When I was in college, I “hadn’t had a taste of the real world.” Now that I’m an adult, years out of college and established in the world, suddenly I’m “jaded by radical brainwashing.”

So, when was I supposed to be having this conversation?

Quite honestly, I don’t know how to have that conversation. I have tried, and it feels impossible. I have tried over social media. I have tried over otherwise merry outings and dinners. I have tried in passing. I have tried on vacation. Over the years, I have…