Tuesday, Dec 16, 2025 at 6:23 PM

It isn’t easy to be apolitical. If people knew how much the problems bothering me right now affect me, they might understand why I choose to keep politics out of the range of topics I discuss. I would much rather have idle, polite conversations about anything other than sex or politics. Religion is okay, but in my town religion is usually a topic people can’t handle.

If I hint that I grew up in a Republican bubble, the conversation shuts down, in my experience. I can almost hear their thoughts: “How could you?” They can’t believe that anything matters outside the progressive agenda. It’s to such an extent that I police myself and avoid speaking on political matters.

Occasionally someone tests my stance—for example, a stranger treated me badly after I failed to endorse their side of a war in a foreign country. I haven’t tried saying, “I have so many problems that I can’t talk about politics.”

My former friend is very progressive. We would call such ideas “fashionable.” They know I won’t decry or denounce Republican politics because other friends adhere to those ideas. Not denouncing them, however, leads to gossip that I don’t endorse progressive ideals.