Thanksgiving and Politics

Thanksgiving is coming, eat some turkey, watch some football, but don’t talk politics! — I bet you’ve heard that before. So why does Thanksgiving outshine other holidays in its perceived potential for uncomfortable and heated political debate? One practical reason might be that it takes place during November, an election month, and politics is simply on the brain. But is there a more metaphorical explanation? Perhaps, as a matter of fact, it’s the perfect holiday to pursue a political discussion. Thanksgiving commemorates the coming together of two cultures, the pilgrims and the Indians. The Pilgrims were struggling to survive in their new environment and the indians were struggling to make sense of their new neighbors. No one likes to struggle alone so these two groups got together, talked a little politics, and made it through the winter. Its really not that scary, maybe give it a try this year ..