Thanksgiving is about bringing family and friends together to enjoy eachother’s company.  When you sit down to eat, make sure you keep the conversation away from topics that could annoy others or start a fight.  Here’s my list of the top 8 Thanksgiving dinner topics to avoid:

Employment- Statistically speaking, there probably won’t be someone at your dinner table that is unemployed, however it is likely you’ll find people that are underemployed, or worried about their job situation.  This isn’t a happy topic.  There is more to people’s lives than their jobs, so talk about that.  The exception is if someone has done something cool at their job.  For example, my dad got to travel to Europe for his work recently, that’s cool to talk about.  If your aunt just got laid off, that isn’t cool to talk about.  If your sister has been looking for a job for 8 months and found nothing, that also is not cool.

How good the food was last year – This one is ok if and only if you are eating the same food prepared by the same person again this year.  You certainly don’t want to talk about how juicy your mom’s turkey was while you’re eating your mother-in-law’s turkey.  You aren’t stupid, so there is no way you’ll do this, but I just wanted to make sure.

Family drama - One side of my family is as functional as the Brady Bunch, but the other side is as functional as a normal family.  The drama you’ve got won’t be solved in the couple of hours you eat, so save it for later.  This is even more true if all interested parties aren’t present and you’re just talking trash.

Finances – This is a topic you should always avoid.  You’re either doing well or you’re doing bad.  You probably know a thing or two, but don’t offer your advice, only chime in if your advice is solicited.

Jon and Kate – Despite what you may think, most people don’t know who these people are.  Those of us that do know, don’t care.  Those few of you that actually watched the show like some kind of religious cult, no doubt have feelings about how the family fell apart.  Save it for the after dinner conversations.

The economy – You probably read this blog regularly and so you’re likely pretty up to speed on the happenings of the economy.  MOST PEOPLE AREN’T.  You and I both know the economy grew in the 3rd quarter, you know unemployment is over 10%, and you know Detroit is a steeping pile of crap, economically.  MOST PEOPLE DON’T.  They don’t know and they don’t care.  They either have a job and are happy for it or don’t have a job and aren’t happy about it.  Either way you aren’t going to entertain people by talking about the economy.  This will be a hard one for me to avoid, but seeing how The Sheconomist gets attacks of narcolepsy when I talk about the economy should remind me.

Sarah Palin – 10% of this country thinks Sarah Palin is the most amazing thing to happen for women since they burned their bras for the right to vote.  They are so stupid they don’t even care what her political opinions are, or if she’d even make a good chief executive.  If she runs, they will vote.  The rest of us know better, don’t risk calling out a friend or relative because they’re a member of the Palinati (just made that up).

Obamacare - This is perhaps the most important topic to avoid at the dinner table.  Even people that are not normally politically motivated have some kind of opinion on the healthcare bills.  If you have more than 4 people at the dinner table, I can 100% guarantee that at least one of you will have a differing opinion from the rest.  Not worth the conversation.  You won’t sway anyone, and you gain nothing if you actually did.  Stay away from this at all costs!

Remember, Thanksgiving is about getting together with the people you love.  Many of them you haven’t seen in a while.  You don’t need to talk about the current news, or anything that has to do with reality shows.  These people should have stories to share about themselves.  You should too!  Catch up, don’t end up in a debate.

Photo: iwona kellie

By The Weakonomist

The Weakonomist is the founder of Weakonomics. Clicking the picture of the puppy will tell you more about him. If you like what you're reading consider subscribing to the blog, following him on Twitter, and checking out the related posts below. Please consider a donation if you really enjoy Weakonomics.

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