Robert ReichDo you have any “Uncle Bobs” — opinionated rightwing relatives whose belligerence will almost certainly wreck your family get-together? How do you plan to deal with them this year? https://robertreich.substack.com/p/office-hours-how-will-you-deal-with
Bc Clarity Carlton-Martin@rbreich My dead uncle farted yesterday. You'd think as big as his tombstone is, he'd stay underground. #GideonsBuyBull
Nicklas Johnson 🏳️🌈@rbreich Basically my entire family. I deal with it by minimizing my interaction with them, unfortunately. The way I see it, I have a *choice* about what craziness I participate in, and I choose not to participate in that particular variety of crazy.
Sorchathecelt@rbreich We are lucky. Those few relatives don't live near enough to come to dinner.
mattg@rbreich yo fake news. my grandpa goes by "Uncle Bob". He grew up during the depression, paid his union dues and is as left wing as any 102 year-old in this country
Nia Molinari@rbreich What if you ARE the Uncle Bob, one of the only liberal ones in the group? I haven't been invited to family holiday gatherings since 2018. Ha.
Brian C. Martinson, PhD@rbreich Yes. I blocked him on FB and wouldn't invite him to my house for this or any other holiday.
Jacquie Flynn@rbreich I do, but we kicked him to the curb years ago
Tammy Burages@rbreich Oh yes, there are several Uncle Bobs in the extended family. The only way to deal with them is to refuse to engage in any political discussion whatsoever, leaving the room when absolutely necessary.
Polly@tburages @rbreich I will be searching for safe conversation fuel. So many mundane topics are off limits in an attempt to withhold babble-ammo from those who feel entitled to get on a soapbox at family gatherings. They agree to a ceasefire but they're so used to getting in their 2¢ in that they reflexively violate it repeatedly.
@polisci Oh no, Polly. That's awful. Maybe you can have a jar or something that people have to throw $5 in every time they cross the line?
Jonathan R
@rbreich yup, we got 'em. A combo ignoring and making sure they're in front of the TV helps.
jazz6stringfan@rbreich fortunately not.
🧡Karen a woke Karen 🧡@rbreich Be polite, but take no shit and make clear you disagree and what is offensive. These bullies in the family expect relatives to submit to their behaviour. Don't. And sit on the opposite end of the table to 'Bob'!
Pete Prodoehl 🍕@rbreich My wife has an Uncle Bob but he is awesome! Personally I am the progressive radical democratic socialist uncle who tries to drag every further left.
Robino@rbreich we have greatly reduced our guest list. Immediate family only.
DeeCosteez@rbreich not invite them. Easy.
Canucanoe@rbreich My brother Robert, actual “Uncle Bob” to my kids. Keeps photos in his study of Reagan, Bush and most likely Trump now. I would call him a mix of an Uncle Bob and Drunk Uncle.
Earl Begley@rbreich yes, and they may be married to “Aunt Karen”. I let them say what’s on thie mind, then simply continue to ask questions that make them defend thief position. I get a lot of “ Huh, I hadn’t thought of that…”
Stacy 🇺🇦🇺🇸 (he/him)@rbreich I tell them to shut up or we put the shovel and lime to use 😂😂😂 <jk>
Skiff92@rbreich Mine has passed on.
VHG 🇪🇺🇺🇦@rbreich isn’t that more a „Walter“ than a „Bob“, Jeff Dunham? https://youtu.be/qpL35xwvVDA
Some of the Best of Walter | JEFF DUNHAM
Chris@rbreich nah. They’re not invited. I don’t feel bad about this. I feel bad, however, that they cling to such deplorable notions.
Ignatz@rbreich My Uncle Bob was the most liberal one in the family, the uncle I used to smoke pot with.
Fish Head@rbreich
How to deal with belligerent, opinionated, rightwing relatives?
Same as I dealt with belligerent, opinionated, rightwing Twitter boss.
Lovely to see that you are also on Mastodon. Delighted to follow, again.
FearlessJuan@rbreich There's an unwritten rule about not antagonizing your host or causing trouble, so...
The problem is that other guests don't live by that rule. Or what if the hosts themselves are the Uncle Bobs?
What bothers me are the false equivalences. They are not all the same. There's only one party interested in governance, for instance.
Payle@rbreich Kick em in the nuts.
RNneedsavacation@rbreich I stay 1/2 a continent away in my blue state.
Marcelo Soares@rbreich guess I'll pass them by this year
Scott Raymond 
@rbreich Kick them down an up escalator.
Bob@rbreich religion and politics are off limits at all family get togethers. It’s for the best.
Eric Lundquist@rbreich bring up how deplorable tfg is (cuts down on Christmas gifts)
Dadsnire@rbreich every Christmas I ask for a book as a gift so I can sit quietly and have something to read while the awful chatter goes on!!
Andy Osira@rbreich senokot?
Amanda@rbreich Yes - I don’t invite them!
@rbreich We have uninvited those that cannot peaceably assemble. It's amazing how much nicer the family gathering is without the alt-right toxicity and constant spouting off conspiracy theories and racism in the room.
AnnRichards@rbreich all of them, which is why I cut ties with them decades ago. Trumpsters existed before trump, people just chose to look the other way and not make waves; "get along" 🙄
If you have children, you owe it to them to not subject them to these toxic people.
If you don't have children, love yourself enough not to subject yourself to those toxic people!
NYEarthlingPerfect timing! Beau of the Fifth column ( @beautfc ) just put out his annual video on how to ruin Thanksgiving, lol. If you don't follow him on YT or the bird site, he's a rare voice of reason on current events, highly recommended. Here he takes questions from his inbox on how to take on specific right-wing talking points, one by one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoyKP_2gpYM&ab_channel=TheRoadswithBeau
The Roads to ruining Thanksgiving dinner....
JJM_Digimedia@rbreich get him drunk and let him pass away in the bathtub
AuntBee@rbreich I will deal very quietly! let them blather on with silence! it speaks volumes!
@rbreich NOT go! Toxic people can dine alone.
@rbreich tell them to shut the hell up or leave.
Lloyd Lemons@rbreich I won't deal with them! None of them are invited!
My brother in law. He drives everyone nuts and I'll argue with him till the cows come home.
The last time my sister told him to shut up. And she's a Republican.
IAmDavid@rbreich it’s really difficult, i try to ask questions like ‘tell me more about that’ whenever i want to screeeeeeam at them and have to take regular breaks to compose my thoughts and breaaaathe.
WrathofJan 🌞🌻🌎🖖You are opening a big #CanOfWorms here!
The unwanted side-dish of #FamilyDinners.
I wish I had gifs right now. 😱
Jeff Grigg@rbreich Oh, I'm quite familiar with "Uncle Bob" in software. And I assure you he's tame, relative to my *actual blood relations.* I've been asked, "How did you get in touch with people of such extreme views?" and, ... it's because I'm related to them. We meet. We talk. Sometimes they "gang up on me" in verbal discussions. We strive to be polite and respectful. And some things we just don't talk about.
(This includes my mother. Oh boy, does it!)
Atheist Art@rbreich .
Somewhat sadly, when I was knee high to a grasshopper I had a cool uncle (Notbob). I grew up, went to war, came back, grew my hair, half raised a family. I am now as leftist and progressive as can be. He grew wealthy and went full blown right wing.
He's gone, I'm old, and I wish I could say I miss him. I miss our chess games and his classical piano touch.
Somewhat sadly, when I was knee high to a grasshopper I had a cool uncle (Notbob). I grew up, went to war, came back, grew my hair, half raised a family. I am now as leftist and progressive as can be. He grew wealthy and went full blown right wing.
He's gone, I'm old, and I wish I could say I miss him. I miss our chess games and his classical piano touch.
Nurse Anne Brown@rbreich On this Mastodon thingy, I feel like I have an Uncle Robert. Whom I LOVE and agree with pretty much everything he says, but I want to say, “Hey, Uncle Robert the family’s here so please lay off the screens for a sec!” Or, I need to follow A LOT more people. 💕🙋🏻♀️🦃🦋✨
Hejhog@rbreich It’s the out of control progressives that wrecked last year. We’ll see this year.
Steve Barajas@rbreich I just don’t go to family events in order to avoid them. Just knowing that they think like that is enough reason for me to stay away. Otherwise I’ll just cuss them off.
@rbreich 90% of my family is “Uncle Bob.” We don’t talk politics anymore. Dad once said, after debating, “you’re clearly the better debater. But you have to admit I know my stuff,” and I just said, “No… I don’t.”
@rbreich talking politics with “Uncle Bob”? Don’t rebuttal immediately. Let them talk, ask questions, get a feel for what they stand for in that argument, then ask if that logic applies to something else. Like, oh, you think Hillary should be jail for her private server? So you think Ivanka, Jared, etc., should be in jail, too? Then just repeat their words back to them.
Asfintit@rbreich not showing up at the table would be a start. Family gatherings are overrated.
Luckily, there is only an "Aunt So and So" in my family and I only have to deal with her at weddings and funerals.
@rbreich My family doesn’t discuss politics when we get together. Last I knew my older brother supported the orange mistake, but he won’t be at my youngest brother’s Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law’s family has a few but I can avoid them and I don’t plan on staying long. Have to get up at 3am tomorrow for work.
@rbreich Canceling their invite. If that fails,eating and conversing at the “little table” with the interesting wee folk.