In recent years, there has been an increase in pre-holiday advice on how to confront Thanksgiving guests whose political opinions don’t match your own. This year was no different, and social media feeds and liberal media outlets were awash in articles detailing how to “resist” Trump-supporting or otherwise conservative family members. But most people ignored this advice and decided they’d rather just enjoy their holidays.
A new post-Thanksgiving HuffPost survey of adults by party affiliation, race, and gender shows that the overwhelming majority of people simply enjoyed their holiday gatherings:
Hardest hit? The woke crowd.
Some members of the left-wing media would actually prefer that you disrupt your precious time with family and friends with political posturing. Those pushing this agenda, such as the author of a Teen Vogue article encouraging readers to challenge white family members, find it unbelievable that coexisting peacefully with political opponents is both possible and good. To them, demonstrating your disdain for others, regardless of the cost, is of chief concern. Clearly, however, most people didn’t heed their ridiculous suggestions.
In a social media-obsessed world, it’s easy to assume that what some loud liberal media voices say and promote in a tiny online bubble is automatically a reflection of culture as a whole. But this could not be further from the truth.
Online echo chambers can give a sense of unity and purpose, but in reality, trends and internet obsessions often don’t translate to real-life situations. That Americans engage in feisty social media interactions does not mean they’re always willing to do the same in day-to-day life. A family dinner table is (thankfully) not treated the same as an online forum.
The lack of fireworks at Thanksgiving this year is a refreshing development in a time plagued by political division. It’s also a reminder that in real life, most people are far removed from the narratives of the day. Perhaps, in the end, we are all more united by what truly matters than we care to admit. These results surely leave those who would prefer to see revolution upend family gatherings disappointed — and that’s something to be thankful for.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.
