A Guide To How To Survive The Last Week Of The Presidential Election With Conservatives Around

Here is a list of ten ways to survive the last week of the election with conservatives.  Seven of these came from the Huffington Post (an article on how to deal with conservative family members) while three of them are mine.  I've also added some further comments on the tips.  Besides dealing with family members I also have conservative friends and co-workers and I work at a very conservative school.  When we did a pre-presidential election last spring, only one student voted for Obama.  It can be quite,difficult since I have to teach government, and all of the students want to know how I will vote.  So far I have told them that I will vote for Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, or Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate.  I tell them that it doesn't matter how I vote since Romney will win in Alabama, but I refuse to vote for Romney.  I'm pretty sure I will either vote for Johnson or Obama, I will know when I get to the polls.

So here are some tips to survive those conservatives.

Tip 1: Set boundaries. Just refuse to talk politics with them.  They know you disagree with them, so just let each other disagree and refuse to discuss the topic.

Tip 2: Change the subject. "How about this weather?"  I do this one a lot when an uncomfortable subject comes about.  Just move on to something else, and the rest will generally follow.

Tip 3: Just keep eating.  I don't have a hard time continuing to eat, but sometimes I do have a hard time keeping my mouth shut about politics.  However, my Mama always taught me not to talk with my mouth full, so this is a polite way to just keep out of the topic of politics.

Tip 4: Remind them that they once had to fight for acceptance, too.  This is one of the Huffington Post's suggestions.  It doesn't work too well if you are from a white family in the South.  They have always felt accepted.  However, for some this might be an option.

Tip 5: Take it as an opportunity for a good laugh.  Make a joke out of it. It's according to who you are having a conversation with and what type of sense of humor they have, but you know who you can joke with and who you can't.  It is easy to joke at the ridiculousness of either party, so you can actually have a little fun with it and not get too serious, but you might also get your point across at the same time.

Tip 6: Pretend it's the holidays and just drink.  When it's hard to deal with some folks, especially at a social gathering where it is acceptable, just have a few drinks, pour you a stiff one, have a few beers.  The party will get going and the topic of politics will go out the window.  It is Halloween this week after all.

Tip 7:  Argue with them.  Yes, I said it. You can do it civilly or not, but sometimes it is just to hard to keep your mouth shut.  S let them have and let the chips fall where they may when the dust settles.

Tip 8:  Remind them that Romney is a Mormon. If they are a Christian conservative, remind them of all the things they have always thought of Mormons.  Keep as a back-up too that Obama attends the same church that George W. Bush attended as president.

Tip 9: Embrace this opportunity to cut off those family members you never liked in the first place.  This is another one of the Huffington Post's suggestions, but not one that I particularly agree with, unless it is a family member or acquaintance that you really don't like.

And finally, for those you do like...

Tip 10: Just remember that no matter what happens, they are still your family and you love them. If all else fails, just give them some Halloween candy to shut them up.  Women like chocolate and give a man something very chewy, so it will keep him quiet a while.

So do you guys have any suggestions?