My liberal sister wants to teach me about what inflation is “really caused.” On Thanksgiving, you can’t talk about Trump or politics. What do we still need to talk about?

Dear Quentin,

I read your writing and thought you might have something to say about this, even though it’s not just about money. I chose Donald Trump, and just so you know, my parents chose Kamala Harris. Someone in my family made fun of me last year. My sister has always been a Democrat, and she wanted to teach me about everything from immigration to the “real” reasons of inflation, which she said were the pandemic and not Biden.

I’m not excited about this holiday. I’m going to be proactive and email my family to find out what things we should stay away from. What’s left, though, if all of those are off limits? I’m pretty sure Ozempic is the reason my sister lost 40 pounds in a year. Could we even talk about that? It would be weird to not care about it. People talk about politics in even Thanksgiving movies.

What is there left to talk about?

Voting While Tired

I read your column and thought you might have a perspective, even though this is not a purely financial question. I voted for Donald Trump and my parents, for what it’s worth, voted for Kamala Harris. Last year, I got a hard time from one sibling. My sister, who is a lifelong Democrat, wanted to school me on everything from the “real” causes of inflation — the pandemic, not Biden, according to her — to immigration. 

I am not looking forward to this holiday. I’m thinking of being proactive and sending my family an email to ask what topics we should avoid. But if all of the above are ruled a no-go zone, what’s left? My sister lost 40 pounds over the last 12 months and I’m 99% sure it’s Ozempic. Can we even talk about that? It would be weird to ignore it. Even Thanksgiving movies are part of the political conversation.

What’s left to talk about anymore? 

Fatigued Voter

Dear Fatigued,

Don’t be a bad winner; be a good friend.

It costs money to host Thanksgiving, so it’s rude to show up with a huge plate of hot political potatoes to boil, roast, and fry up before being thrown out course after course. The Farm Bureau says that in 2024, a 16-pound turkey will cost $58 for a meal for 10 people, which is 5% less than the previous year. Plus, making a meal for $60 seems like a lot of work in real life, even if you don’t count the drinks and snacks. Let us say that your host has spent $100 or a lot more.

There is probably room for you and your sister to agree on something, if not agree, then at least come to an understanding while your family is eating. Since the second topic is about money and not politics, some makers and retailers may have raised prices when they thought it was a good time to do so. For example, since 2020, the price of groceries has gone up by more than 20%. This is because of things like the pandemic, avian flu, extreme weather, and Russia’s attack of Ukraine.

For sure, a big part of this price increase was caused by people wanting to buy. In a recent study, Domenico Giannone, an assistant director at the International Monetary Fund, and Giorgio Primiceri, a professor at Northwestern University, said that supply-chain problems were less likely to cause the rise in prices than, as your sister suggested, a rise in demand after the pandemic. “As things started to get better, aggregate demand rose faster than expected, beating aggregate supply and causing inflation,” they wrote.

Going back to Thanksgiving. There is an old rule in journalism that says you should save the toughest questions for the end of the conversation. That way, if the person you’re interviewing gets angry and leaves, you won’t be left holding the notebook or the mic. It’s better to play it safe unless you’re the late, great Nebraska TV host Leta Powell Drake, who liked to surprise all of her guests with observations that seemed shocking, jarring, and often funny.

What does Thanksgiving food have to do with interviewing people for a living? tact, good manners, and being useful. Do not come in hot. You chose almost every controversial subject that is sitting in every corner of the room like six white elephants. You know that bringing these things up would make people angry and upset, especially your hosts, who I’m guessing worked hard to make your food, but you can’t help but do it anyway. Let’s talk about politics after the drinks, when there are cookies and coffee, not when there are drinks.

Ozempic and Wegovy are both controversial medicines that have changed the lives of millions of people. These things are part of the zeitgeist because so many famous people may be using them, and people are still learning about and arguing about how they work. Novo Nordisk NVO 0.00% said earlier this year that Ozempic cut the chance of kidney problems in people with Type 2 diabetes by 24%. President Joe Biden suggested this week that Medicare and Medicaid pay for expensive drugs to help people lose weight.

But what you mean is important, and bringing up weight-loss drugs because your sister lost 40 pounds, in part or in large part because of Ozempic, is rude at best and rude at worst. Have fun with her. Give her praise. Don’t put her down. She has a journey and a story to tell. Even more so on a day when you are about to eat, she doesn’t have to explain herself to anyone. Thank God she reached her goal and is now focused on her health. Tell her she looks great. If you have to, play charades.

Don’t poke the bear or any bears. A lot of people don’t want to talk about politics on Thanksgiving. So it would be best for everyone if you talked about less serious things. About 29% of people say they will try to talk about politics at Thanksgiving, while 71% say they will try to avoid talking about politics at the dinner table. Republicans (38%) are more likely than Democrats (28%), which is not a surprise given how the election turned out.

Enjoy your family while you still have them because some people won’t have any to go home to for Thanksgiving. People in your family may not always agree with you, but they’re the only family you have, and you’re the only brother they have. Don’t score points until the Super Bowl. On Thanksgiving, you should forget about your differences. Learn from Mary Poppins: Bring a teaspoon of sugar, a heart full of thanks, and maybe even a bottle or two of wine. Feel free to talk about movies, TV, sports, and other things that interest you.

Don’t bring up politics here.