You are sitting at the restaurant. You remember the importance of eye contact. You are on a first date and want to make a strong impression. Suddenly, you cannot help but stare into her blue eyes. They are remarkable. So too is the bright, long red ties the waitstaff are wearing.
Between her blue eyes and these red ties, you find yourself stuck deep in thought. Blue and red. Red and blue. For years, you have avoided political discussions in the workplace. You have hid your views from clients, patients or coworkers. Yet, somewhere between her blue eyes and the long red tie of the waitress reciting the evening specials, how can you avoid discussing this presidential election?
If it were taboo in the past to discuss politics on a first date, what about now? Is there something wrong with you if you have no opinion about Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? These are polarizing times–the elections of past years were perhaps less about the dramatic and more about where you stood politically. This election, so my clients tell me, is an organic conversation, even on the first date, even as an ice breaker.
So perhaps we should throw old taboos out the window. ‘How ’bout them Yankees’ could easily be replaced with ‘how ’bout this election?’
Continue reading on the Huffington Post: The Elephant in the room…