With the holidays rapidly approaching, families are beginning to come together to bond, make memories, and spend time together. A lot of people consider this time to be a way to recharge while having breaks from work or school. However, with our heated political climate, different members of our families may have differing political opinions from us. Because of this, it’s easy to slip into conversation about politics or even arguments with our families about differing political opinions. These discussions can cause tension, disagreements, or even relationships based on your or others’ beliefs. Gen-Z is historically outspoken when it comes to discussing our political beliefs. How does Gen-Z navigate their political beliefs and opinions when discussing them with our families that have vastly different opinions?
Gen-Z Opinions on Discussing Politics During the Holidays
Left-Leaning Opinions
Ruby R. is a 23-year-old democrat who has recently graduated and spends the holidays with her family. Despite having different political beliefs from theirs, she and her family have adapted to having conversations about differing beliefs.
“I think I have lucked out with my family because we can have different views and political beliefs. We acknowledge them, and we don’t judge each other for our different beliefs, but we do have conversations about them. We talk about the different viewpoints, and it is completely judgment-free. The discussion is more of an attempt to understand and empathize rather than yelling and screaming. We don’t fight over politics, and we don’t fight over differing views, and there’s no judgment.”
Right-Leaning Opinions
Trey H. is a college student, more on the conservative side of the political spectrum. According to him, his beliefs do not align with those of his family. He stands strong in what he believes and doesn’t let his family’s opinions sway his own. Despite this, he’s still open to discussing his beliefs with his family,
“I think that my beliefs are too important to be silenced. Just because my family has different beliefs than I do doesn’t mean that we can’t have a conversation about why we think either oopinionarisorrect. Even though my beliefs will most likely not change, I feel that it’s an opportunity to educate each other and share different perspectives on political topics that we might not be as knowledgeable about.”
Independent Opinions
Kiara P. is a college student who does not label her political affiliation but is in the middle of the political spectrum. When she comes for the holidays, she tries her best to choose peace over politics.
“I try to avoid speaking on political topics during the holidays, and a majority of my family does too. While I believe that politics are important to speak about, during the holidays, I just want to spend time with my family without stress, drama, or being concerned about what’s going on in politics. I do for the rest of the year. I don’t get many opportunities to see them throughout the year because of college, so I would rather take this time to catch up and spend time with them over arguing about politics.”
Louis C. is a college student who has never thought about having political conversations with his family. It’s not something they talk about or have ever talked about regularly.
“My family and I don’t discuss our political beliefs, and we never really have. As far as we know, we are all on the same page when it comes to our beliefs. It doesn’t really feel like there’s anything to talk about or debate. If we weren’t on the same page, we probably still wouldn’t talk about it, because it’s just not really something that ever comes up in our conversations.”
Author’s Opinion
As a Gen-Z college student majoring in political science, I feel that my own opinion should be included as well. I personally believe that because of the political climate we are in currently, there is no better time to speak up about our political beliefs. There are so many vital, possibly life-changing issues that need to be discussed. Talking to our multi-generational families, educating and being educated, and hearing different perspectives on issues we may only hear one side of, is something I think can benefit everyone involved in the conversation. I acknowledge that tension and relationships being altered over politics is not something that everyone is comfortable with, but I believe that it might be something we need. Dealing with being uncomfortable during these conversations is necessary if it means we can make progress politically.
Should We Speak Up or Stay Silent?
Choosing to stay quiet or speak up about your political beliefs is a deeply personal decision. Especially with your family around, it’s a choice that can affect not just ourselves in the moment but members of our family as well. Depending on the person, how passionate they are about their beliefs, and how comfortable they feel expressing those beliefs around their families, answers can vary on whether they want to share or debate their families politically.
Gen-Z is a historically outspoken generation that is steadfast in its beliefs. Because of this, some do choose to speak out about them rather than stay silent. Others feel that protecting their peace or preserving family relationships means stepping back from political discussions, at least temporarily. In fact, a poll found on an article on political avoidance states that “The Harris Poll recently surveyed over 2,000 Americans and found that around half of Gen-Zers would rather skip holiday family gatherings than be confronted with a political debate. And 38% said they dreaded such gatherings. The Harris Poll called this political avoidance.”
Neither approach is right nor wrong. The approach a person chooses to take should be based on the opinions and comfort levels of the person.
Is There A Solution?
There isn’t a singular solution that will help with this dilemma. However, there are options when it comes to dealing with family members with differing opinions. If you feel the need to speak out on your political beliefs around your family, doing it in a way where you are getting your opinions and points across effectively and calmly may cause less stress for everyone involved while still standing behind your beliefs wholeheartedly. You could instead choose to be loud and proud about political topics that you feel are important. You could also take another route, such as choosing not to engage in the conversation or even skipping holiday events where you know there might be tension entirely.
No matter what you choose to do, remember that the holidays are a time to recharge before the beginning of the new year. However you choose to recharge, whether that be spending time with family and friends, discussing politics or not, spending it alone to preserve your peace, or anything else that feels right, is up to you.
