Political conversations can cause discomfort

DEAR HARRIETTE: As we all know, there’s a lot of controversy happening in the world lately, which often makes for heated discussions. The other day, a few neighbors and I were in the common room of our building, talking about some of the maintenance issues we’ve experienced in the building. Out of nowhere, one guy began sharing his thoughts on immigration. I am cordial with my neighbors but not close with any of them. I was completely caught off guard, and so were other people in the room. While I know not all of us share the same views on immigration, I knew at that moment that most of us didn’t even want to broach the topic. What is a respectful way to end these kinds of politically charged conversations? — Avoiding Politics You can say: “Let’s agree to keep political topics off the table here. This is a sensitive subject, and I’m sure among us there are many opinions, but this is home. Let’s keep it a safe space by making it a politically neutral zone.”