The Dinner Party Debate: Why Discussing Politics & Religion Shouldn’t Be Off The Table

Jessica Lin/The Daily Texan

Often, we are told that there are two things you should never talk about at a dinner party: politics and religion. These topics are typically disregarded due to their divisive nature; after all, no one wants their family dinners to end in a food fight. Despite this, I believe having uncomfortable conversations about politics and religion is not only beneficial but necessary in establishing public discourse and creating politically engaged communities.

Politics and religion are intrinsically personal, so discussing them is unavoidable. If we do not discuss politics or religion, what can we even talk about? There’s the weather, but that could lead to a discussion about climate change. There are sports, but cheering for a sports team with intense dedication resembles cheering for your preferred political party. There are celebrities, but that could lead to a discussion of privilege and power dynamics in our society. The reality is that no discussion topic is entirely separate from political issues because every aspect of our lives is influenced by political decisions. Moreover, a person’s religious beliefs or personal truths can reveal their philosophical outlook on the world which is integral to our pursuit of meaning and morality as human beings. 

Not only this, but if we can’t even discuss politics and religion at dinner parties with close family and friends, where can we talk about them? By normalizing political discourse in our personal lives, we can promote greater engagement in politics amongst the politically disenfranchised, thus increasing the strength of democracy itself. In recent years, political engagement has been decreasing around the world. A British report found that in 1987, 76% of people believed they had a duty to vote compared to just 57% in 2013. In the US, The One Hundred Million Project concluded that in 2016, 43% of eligible voters did not vote. If these voters had been interested and engaged in politics enough to vote, they could have completely altered the 2016 election results.

For Australia, 2016 was also an election year, and that year the Australian Electoral Study found that 28% of Australians reported either rarely or never discussing politics. Without political discussion, even in countries like Australia where voting is compulsory, the true representativeness of democracy is diminished because many voters vote for the same party their family always has, throw an invalid protest vote or even vote for a candidate as a joke. By discussing politics, we can gain an understanding of the views of others, which allows us to explore our own political views, encouraging the development of critical thinking and engagement with political processes like voting. Furthermore, political discussion helps us question our pre-conceived ideas, either cementing the strength of our opinions or supporting us in considering alternative views that resonate more with our beliefs.

Some argue that they don’t want to discuss politics because they simply don’t care. I’ve heard people say that they are ‘just not political’ so they don’t worry about politics. However, I think we all have a moral obligation to care about politics because there are many people who don’t have the privilege of not being political. If you are chronically ill and rely on government support to afford your medication, the personal is political. If you are an immigrant who is targeted by discriminatory policies that limit your employment opportunities, the personal is political. If you need an abortion and male lawmakers are the ones determining your rights over your body, the personal is political.

Even for those who are privileged enough to be in a position in which their rights are not dependent on political decision-making, the personal is still political. After all, everyone has personal principles and specific values they care about. Whether or not you label these values as political, the values we deem worth protecting are at the core of political policy. If we accept the importance of discussing politics and religion, we must consider how we go about discussing them in a productive manner. Next time you decide to wine and dine, instead of just whining about work, why not trying whining about the issues you care about? By participating in respectful discourse and engaging in active listening, you could develop the political awareness of yourself and the people around you.

To do this, you should establish ground rules about how to discuss politics respectfully, such as by critiquing people’s opinions rather than the people themselves and avoiding speaking over each other. That being said, an ‘opinion’ that actively disrespects others and demeans them is not an opinion; it is hate speech, which should not be given a platform in any discussion. As such, maintaining respect and integrity by condemning hate speech is crucial in facilitating meaningful political discussion.

Discussing politics and religion in a personal setting could revolutionise political discourse, allowing us to normalise considering the role of political policies in our personal lives. This would significantly increase political engagement, making politics more representative of the people. Let’s make politics and religion the main course of our dinner parties and change the course of history.