I've never much cared what people want to talk about as long as it's fit for polite company. Back in the 1800s, before there were radios or televisions, people talked about politics and religion, often without resorting to violence.
In the South, where we were all Methodists, quite often during "dinner" (dinner was at noon, and supper, a lighter meal, was at about 6 p.m., give or take a half hour), we would discuss what we'd heard in church and we commented and critiqued the pastor's sermon. We had lively conversations about how many persons were in the Trinity, whether they were physically one or three separate beings. The pastor seemed to feel that God was one, but manifested himself in three different ways. We didn't much agree with that, but thankfully, no one disfellowshiped us for disagreeing with the pastor! We also talked politics, but mostly we agreed on conservative family values. One big controversy was whether the Democrats had outlived their usefullness as a party and whether folks should split away from it and become Republicans. After all, it was the great Al Smith who declared the party had been betrayed by socialists, communists and fellow travelers.
This was back in the mid- to late- 60s. NONE DARE CALL IT TREASON was a bestselling book that convinced many of us that our way of life was under attack, and that there were those in government who wanted our youth to be bereft of religion, patriotism, virtue, integrity, education and intelligence—you know, like they are now. Such were sowing the seeds of destruction in the body politic and turning makers into takers. And as Karl Marx said, the best way to destroy a nation is to debauch its currency. All the old folks were still steamed over Truman firing MacArthur and that the Vietnam conflict was the very embodiment of Truman's foolish, inept and gullible globalist policies.
Other than that, we didn't much discuss much. We let in Jehovah's Witnesses, and my grandfather used to walk across the street and attend something called a "Kingdom Hall," since there were no other churches in walking distance. Although he enjoyed himself, he often came back shaking his head at some of their doctrines. He knew the Bible well and he was pretty sure they didn't.
Nowadays, when visiting my wife's socialist aunt, I just keep my Teaparty views to myself unless she asks me, then I'll state my view matter of factly. She now swears I've led away my wife into outer darkness.
