Is Skipping Thanksgiving To Avoid Political Talk A Valid Excuse?

You've probably been warned by a family member sometime over the past five years to not bring up politics during Thanksgiving. Or to avoid mentioning Donald Trump after your uncle arrives.

Family gatherings can bring out the worst in political discourse.

A pleasant dinner of turkey and stuffing can turn into an awkward, vigorous exchange between the same two family members who promised not to argue about state abortion laws, as they did the year prior.

We've all been there.

In some cases, the only way to avoid a family debate over politics is to avoid family gatherings entirely.

So, that begs the question: is skipping Thanksgiving to evade political disagreement a valid excuse?

Young Americans say yes. In fact, that is the excuse many of them are citing for staying home this holiday season.

A new Political Avoidance poll from The Harris Poll, conducted ahead of Thanksgiving, found that 51% of Americans in the Gen Z demographic don't attend family gatherings due to the specter of political debates.

Here is a closer look at the survey:

Look, we've all tried to get out of a family event in our lifetime. Some of us are trying to do that this year.

Maybe you want to watch the football games without your sisters asking if Taylor Swift is going to attend the game. (No, Travis Kelce doesn't play for every NFL team).

The reasons are endless.

So, if you have to use politics as an excuse to skip -- I get it.

However, if politics are actually why you want to skip Thanksgiving, I have some questions. Such as: why do the political opinions of someone else bother you so much?

For example, the same survey found that 48% of Gen Z and Millennials admit they "have a hard time controlling" their emotions during political discussions.

I understand struggling to control your emotions if a family member points out during dinner they don't like your new haircut, repeatedly asks if you ever plan to get married, or pesters you about that girl you brought to Thanksgiving five years ago who has since gotten married and had two kids.

That can be agitating...

But if younger Americans can't contain themselves because someone has a different opinion on the president and the distribution of wealth, our future is bleak.

It's really bleak.

I have two sisters. One is liberal. (Dare I say woke?) The other swears by traditional family and societal values.

Yet my sisters and I still banter about political topics during the holidays. We have fun doing so.

It never gets too heated. Granted, I don't know what they say about me when I leave the room or during their text chains in which -- for some reason -- I'm not included.

Nonetheless, my advice this year is to not run from political talk during the holidays.

If you have opinions, engage. State your case. Have fun with it. And then move on and complain about how long the shopping lines are going to be during Black Friday.

There's no need to walk on eggshells to avoid offending your niece who has trans friends back at college.

Or to force others to walk on eggshells because you can't handle your stepfather's theory that the government is spying on him from the oven in which he's cooking the turkey.

Most of all, don't sit at home, alone in your depressing apartment, because you don't have the temperament to handle someone telling you they watch the wrong cable news channel.

Families used to debate Vietnam over dinner and it rarely stopped them from attending Thanksgiving.

We can't be this fragile.