Tense family gatherings over my uncle's climate change denial

At a recent family dinner, my uncle called climate change a scam. My cousin and I tried to show him proof, but he wouldn't listen. Now there's a chill in the air whenever we meet. It's exhausting to argue about facts with family. Does anyone have tips for keeping peace while standing your ground?

4 comments

4 Comments

karen3612mo ago

My family's holiday dinners got so tense over my aunt and uncle's football team rivalry, lol. We finally made a rule that no one can bring up the playoffs while the turkey's on the table. It doesn't fix the actual disagreement, but at least we can eat our pie without yelling. Sometimes you just have to pick your battles and change the subject.

jason_lewis32mo ago

Still just avoiding the fight though.

murray.jana2mo ago

Absolutely! We had to do the same thing with my cousins who fight about baseball teams every Thanksgiving. The "no sports at the table" rule is a lifesaver, seriously. I found it helps to have a dumb, easy topic ready to go, like asking everyone about their pets or the worst movie they saw last year (something nobody fights about). It doesn't solve their beef, but it lets you enjoy the meal. Changing the subject is honestly the best tool in the box for family stuff.

wadew512mo ago

Ever try just putting the food in the middle of the table? We started serving everything family style and making people pass dishes around. It forces a different kind of talking, like asking for the potatoes or the gravy. It sounds silly but it really cuts down on the chance to start an argument because everyone's busy eating and serving. It worked way better than any topic rule for us.