G&STC Director Jesse Kahn talks with Huffpost about Talking To Family Members With Different Political Views

CHECK OUT G&STC’S DIRECTOR JESSE KAHN TALKING WITH BRITTANY WONG AT HUFFINGTON POST ABOUT TALKING WITH FAMILY MEMBERS WITH DIFFERENT POLITICAL VIEWS.

Here are some highlights, published and unpublished:

Remember where you started: If you were raised in a highly conservative family, it’s likely you didn’t start out as liberal or left as you are now. Remembering this when talking to family members can help you offer some compassion and empathy for those who are actively listening, and wanting to learn.
Manage expectations: If your family members are open to having a conversation, ask yourself what is realistic to hope for during and at the end of that conversation. You may not radically change or impact anyone in a single conversation, so are you okay with just laying the groundwork? Are you okay with having multiple conversations? Can you provide some insight or resources that helped you grow as your politics were changing, and allow your family the time to explore them as you did?
Ask yourself what your role is: You don’t have to lecture until you change everybody’s mind. Knowing what your role is and your capacity can help inform how engaged you are in a political conversation with your family, and what type of self care and support systems you need to set up.
Remember that you’re allowed to sit some conversations out: If your relatives are engaging in topics that are too activating or triggering, you do not have to risk your safety or emotional health trying to engage. It can be helpful to take the time with your support systems, including a therapist, to make a plan, know what activates or triggers you, know what calms and soothes you and have self care practices set up. You get to decide what topics you want to or are willing to engage with, and which ones are hard boundaries for you.