My uncle left Thanksgiving dinner over a vaccine talk, now we eat in quiet

I mentioned my thoughts on personal health choices at the table. He got up, called it lies, and hasn't spoken to me since. Now every family meal avoids any topic that might spark debate. How do we keep free speech alive if we silence each other at home?

3 comments

3 Comments

josephmurray2mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, that bit about silencing each other at home reminds me of how we avoid politics now after a huge argument. It just made things easier to never bring it up again.

hannah_henderson292mo ago

@josephmurray's point about avoiding politics hits home. I'm so bad at staying quiet that I once sparked a debate on microwave etiquette. Now we just eat in peace too.

black.beth2mo ago

But does that peace come at a cost? It feels like avoiding the hard talks just builds a quiet wall. I wonder what gets lost when we stop debating small stuff too.