Let's Talk

     A piece was written recently about communication.  The author concluded that people are losing the art of conversation because conversationalists are constantly being told that they must avoid the topics of politics and religion.  What other topics can garner a good chat?  These days, these two topics, especially politics, can raise the ire among people of opposing views.  People cannot reasonably discuss these topics because everyone refuses to listen to an opinion other than their own.  Society has drawn red lines, and for some inexplicable reason, anyone who speaks about a position which crosses their line is an immediate enemy. Disagreements boil to anger and sometimes violence. For example, the issue of gun control will always start an argument between the alt left and the alt right.  The left accuses the actual “gun” for school shootings while the alt right accuses the actual gun owner. Reasonable people can’t have a rational conversation about this topic without shouting, particularly if they are on the opposite ends of the spectrum on the gun control issue. So people avoid the topics altogether to keep peace, and, in the process, lose the ability to converse at all.  Society loses its ability to solve its problems when conversationalists lose the ability to converse.  Instead, they make small talk about the kids or their golf game. (Remember the tarmac meeting of Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch.) Let's start talking again.