{"id":1165,"date":"2018-11-19T08:00:44","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T14:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=1165"},"modified":"2018-11-17T21:09:00","modified_gmt":"2018-11-18T03:09:00","slug":"table-talk-for-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2018\/11\/19\/table-talk-for-thanksgiving\/","title":{"rendered":"Table Talk for Thanksgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/grayc\/4238252310\/in\/photolist-7sw9KG-7iE3Yd-sVnqR-sVnrt-tkwb8-aKgK1F-5u2CkT-8WzoHP-rh12jT-48JZTX-tkvoL-5GvKUq-8Wboev-2vg8J1-aKjeNT-5FvRoW-5ERF7d-8XvSkL-dwE5Xu-tAiFV-aMQ1hx-7iA7Cg-8WB5Rc-5ELk7p-tkvMz-sVnpg-aMSdjR-qZsri7-49QGEM-BCdrnP-6VjfW-qept1E-48GAjs-sVnf3-hWEAGo-8WojCN-5EQD8y-Bgicvo-dwEg9m-6TeeM-6UiUG-sVnmP-4cpJwh-7swa4w-twvsd-ptVGG-7iE1os-sYyDH-b2eMbz-5ELjEZ\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1170 size-medium alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2016\/11\/4238252310_b81af757bd_z-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"4238252310_b81af757bd_z\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2016\/11\/4238252310_b81af757bd_z-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2016\/11\/4238252310_b81af757bd_z.jpg 334w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Originally posted November 22, 2016.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For many Americans, this weekend is the time for food, football, and family we don\u2019t see often. Given the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/5cf5j4fk29w3ab71f24mt2k9.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Thanksgiving-Norman-Rockwell-Freedom-From-Want.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heightened tensions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> surrounding the presidential election, social media is teeming with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/contexts.org\/blog\/the-case-for-seeing-your-trump-voting-family-this-holiday-season\/?_ga=1.28224447.2026682266.1454192552\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">advice<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on how to constructively engage with friends and family who have different political views. <a href=\"http:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/spoonuniversi-wpengine\/spoonuniversi\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/100\/2015\/02\/crying.gif\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\">Avoidance, wine, and crying<\/a> is one strategy, but thinking about what family meals mean and actually <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/11\/17\/health\/how-to-argue-fairly-and-without-rancor-hello-thanksgiving.html?_r=0\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">engaging in constructive conversations about political issues<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> may be more fruitful.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We often think of Thanksgiving as a time to have a family meal together and strengthen family bonds. But research shows that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">family dinner does not actually increase well-being in and of itself &#8211; it only works if the meal-time discussion is used to actually engage with those at the table and learn about their day-to-day lives. In other words, \u201cpolite\u201d conversation may not be the best way to bring everyone together. <\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.human.cornell.edu\/bio.cfm?netid=kam386\">Kelly Musick<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/cla.umn.edu\/about\/directory\/profile\/meierann\">Ann Meier<\/a>. 2012. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/j.1741-3737.2012.00973.x\/abstract\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Assessing Causality and Persistence in Associations Between Family Dinners and Adolescent Well-Being<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Journal of Marriage and Family <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">74(3): 476\u2013493.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We know that people avoid talking politics because they want to seem polite and avoid conflict. But this does not necessarily mean they don\u2019t have political views. In fact, being &#8220;not political&#8221; is a cultural performance that people do with different styles. It takes work to not be political and those strategies can be overcome without necessarily causing conflict. In fact, a recent study found that having a 10-minute canvassing conversation about trans-related issues was associated with reduced prejudice, at least in the short term. <\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsb.stanford.edu\/faculty-research\/faculty\/david-broockman\">David Broockman<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/polisci.berkeley.edu\/people\/person\/joshua-kalla\">Joshua Kalla<\/a>. 2016. &#8220;<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/352\/6282\/220\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Durably Reducing Transphobia: A Field Experiment on Door-to-door Canvassing.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8221; <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Science<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 352(6282): 220-224.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/faculty-and-staff\/faculty.cfm?pid=1003229\">Nina Eliasoph<\/a>. 1998. <a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books\/about\/Avoiding_Politics.html?id=UC5PsXlGBNoC\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoiding Politics: How Americans Produce Apathy in Everyday Life<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Cambridge University Press.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For those of us who are academics, it is important to remember that engaging in these discussions does not mean spouting off your best summary of Gramsci\u2019s theory of hegemony or Bonilla-Silva\u2019s take on color-blind racism. We need to do as much, if not more, listening than we do talking, because listening to how others are thinking about and responding to the current political climate can help all of us better understand our shared situation. And if and when we <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">do<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> bring up social science theories and research, we should do it in a way that is approachable, not pedantic. As bell hooks argues, \u201cAny theory that cannot be shared in everyday conversation cannot be used to educate the public.\u201d<\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bell_hooks\">bell hooks<\/a>. 1991. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/digitalcommons.law.yale.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=1044&amp;context=yjlf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Theory as Liberatory Practice<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yale Journal of Law &amp; Feminism<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 4(1).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dartmouth.edu\/faculty-directory\/janice-m-mccabe\">Janice McCabe<\/a>. 2013. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/tso.sagepub.com\/content\/41\/3\/282.short\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making Theory Relevant: The Gender Attitude and Belief Inventory<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teaching Sociology <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">41(3): 282-293.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s not to say that academics cannot effectively draw on their experiences as teachers. There are many strategies we use in the classroom to teach things like race, gender, and class that can be useful outside of the classroom. Relying on personal examples and discussions about family histories instead of facts and figures is one example of how to do this. Focusing on experiences that you or your loved ones have had with racial discrimination, generational mobility, or gender role conflict <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can help them connect the social construction of race, class, and gender to concrete events and stories from their own lives.<\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sjcme.edu\/About-Us\/Contact-Directory\/Katrina-C_-Hoop\/\">Katrina C. Hoop<\/a>. 2009. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/20491289\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Students&#8217; Lived Experiences as Text in Teaching the Sociological Imagination<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teaching Sociology <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">37(1): 47-60.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skidmore.edu\/sociology\/faculty\/mueller.php\">Jennifer C. Mueller<\/a>. 2013. \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/tso.sagepub.com\/content\/early\/2012\/07\/30\/0092055X12455135.full.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tracing Family, Teaching Race: Critical Race Pedagogy in the Millennial Sociology Classroom<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teaching Sociology<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 41(2):172\u201387.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.maxwell.syr.edu\/uploadedFiles\/soc\/Students\/Wentling%20CV%20October%202015.pdf\">Tre Wentling<\/a> <em>et al<\/em>. 2008. \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/tso.sagepub.com\/content\/36\/1\/49.short\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teaching Transgender<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teaching Sociology<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (36)1: 49-57.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/shellytochluk.com\/\">Shelly Tochluk<\/a>. 2010. <a href=\"http:\/\/witnessingwhiteness.com\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Witnessing Whiteness: The Need to Talk about Race and How to Do It<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Lanham, MD: Rowman &amp; Littlefield Education.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Originally posted November 22, 2016. For many Americans, this weekend is the time for food, football, and family we don\u2019t see often. Given the heightened tensions surrounding the presidential election, social media is teeming with advice on how to constructively engage with friends and family who have different political views. Avoidance, wine, and crying is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1957,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,55,13,85,14],"tags":[38543,70,38545,38541,38546,38542,144,2086],"class_list":["post-1165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-gender","category-inequality","category-politics","category-race","tag-culture","tag-family","tag-gender","tag-inequality","tag-politics","tag-race","tag-teaching","tag-thanksgiving"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1957"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1165"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2287,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1165\/revisions\/2287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}