Endless Thread - Tell us about your weird uncle

Episode Date: October 23, 2024

Do you debate political issues with a certain family member on social media? And will you have to see that family member IRL for the holidays in a month or two? How are you preparing for that? Are there ground rules in your family for discussing politics, online and/or IRL? Have online family debates over politics changed the way your family approaches the holidays or your relationship with specific family members? Will the outcome of the upcoming presidential election determine whether or not you show up to Thanksgiving, for example? Whatever your story is, we want to hear it! Team Endless Thread is working on an episode about the blurred lines between our online political discussions with family members and our offline relationships with those people, and how each impacts the other. Email us a voice memo with your story: [e-mail], with the subject line "Family Politics." A written message works too, if you'd prefer. Be specific about who you're feuding with online, what about, and how your online interactions may change — or perhaps, have already changed — your IRL relationship with this family member.  Thank you!

WBUR Podcasts, Boston. Benjo, happy almost holiday season to you. Yes, the pre-stuffed. We are pre-stuffed. Pre-stuffed with what? You know. What are you stuffed with?

Bonbons and turkey legs and, well, you're tofurky legs. And, you know, it's that time where you're like about to get stuffed, but you're not stuffed. Right. And there are many things that come with this time. So I wanted to tell you a little micro story about this liquor store in my old neighborhood that I used to go past multiple times a week. And it has one of those marquee-like signs with the letters that you can swap in and out so you can change it every day if you want to. You know what I'm talking about? Yes, love those. Okay. And for some reason, there's this one. message that they put on this sign, which was known for funny messages, very dry, witty, yes.

And so they had this one sign up for a couple of months around this time of year that said, Holiday Means Family. We sell alcohol. You get it? That is very dry. That is like, I know. That is like, that is like, that is, that is, subtlety that is impressive, that's like ambitious for one of those little marquee signs. That's good for them for sticking to quality. Yeah, it did take me a couple drive-bys to get it. And then once I got it, I was like, oh, man, that's going to hit for some people. I love that.

Which is to say, family time can be a little much for some folks around this time of year, yes. But this is especially true, I feel like, every four years in this country, this year being one of them. You mean because of the Olympics? That's what you mean, right? Exactly. It's World Cup or Olympics debates around the table. That's exactly right. We're talking, of course, about the presidential election.

And, you know, I don't know that we've really talked about this. I don't know about your family in this way, Ben, but there is a wide range of political opinions in my extended family. Condolences. Thank you. And this particular period of time has always been really fascinating to watch play out online in particular. Because, you know, election years have this natural, fierce, us versus them energy, you know? Yeah. It's like it is kind of like sports.

in that way where it is like, it's a big old competition and my team's the best and your team's the worst and we're going to crush you. Right. And someone is going to win. Like someone is going to win. And so...

We hope. Right. Right. We think. And so just the opinions feel stronger. The emotions feel more intense. And it's hard to resist engaging in, you know, political ideological arguments

with people online. even when we're related to those people, sometimes especially because we're related to those people. Right. And a lot of them we're going to have to see IRL at the holidays like in a month or so. Exactly. Put the U.S. presidential election right before the holidays?

Who did that to all of us? Yes. I guess we did. Yeah. Well, not you and I. But yes, somebody did. And, you know. Some crusty old powder wendousy.

weirdo? They definitely have buckles on their shoes. That's all I'm saying. But, you know, we describe endless threat as being about the blurred lines between our online selves and our offline selves. Right. And as we were talking about the election as a team. Yes. We were kicking around and realizing this idea that, like, the holidays are one of the few examples of having to not just face in all.

online opponent, IRL, but of having to literally break bread and pass the gravy to them and maybe have, you know, full, long conversations in which you might have to modify the way that you talk to them in person from the way that you've been talking or maybe sparring with them online. Yeah, you got to watch out for the drunkles. You know what I mean? The drunkles. Oh, God. You got to watch those drunkles. And that's if your online interactions haven't gotten so heated that it actually like deters you from showing up to your family holiday gatherings or from families or, you know, people from your family showing up to your gathering, right? I think this stuff is, it gets so heated that sometimes people get uninvited.

Yes. And I will say I have witnessed these conversations happening in my social media circles. So we want to know. Do you, dear listener, get into it, so to speak, politically online with family members? And more specifically, is there someone you're worried about seeing this holiday season because of the online interactions that you've had with them leading up to this election? And how are you preparing for that? Like, could the outcome of this presidential election potentially change your plans for the holidays? And maybe also you have a story already. of an IRL confrontation with a family member following an online political spat.

So maybe you've got a story about that. Maybe your family has ground rules for navigating this. Like, no politics at dinner, you know? Maybe they're kind of family rules that you stick to you. Maybe your family talking politics online has driven a physical wedge between you. So whatever the case is, we want to hear from you. We want the anecdotes. We want to know more about the specific arguments that you've seen within your family or maybe taken part in, all of it.

We're working on an episode about this and we clearly can't make it without you. So tell us everything. Send a voice memo to endless thread at wbUR.org. Bonus if it's like just you and your uncle yelling at each other. If that's just, if that's the voice memo you send, we'll take it. Keep it real, I guess, is what we're saying here. If you want to send a written message, you can. Just be as specific as you can in sharing what's going on online in your family this election season and how you think it might impact your IRL holidays this year or how it's already changed the family dynamics. So again, that's endless thread at wbUR.org. You know our email if you've listened to our credits a thousand times, but that's our reminder to you. put family politics in the subject line so that we can sift through the bajillion fan emails that we get.

Sike, we get so much spam. But we do get a lot of fan emails. And so it will help us if you put family politics in the subject line. We put this info in the show notes as well, if that is easier. Yes. And I think we'll close this out for now the way that we opened it, Ben. Holiday means family. Endless thread sells alcohol.

That's what you wanted, right? Just kidding. Just a little tweak. Consider a little tweak, maybe. Yeah, family means navigating tricky relationships and relationships that ultimately you really care about, right? Like that you want to go well, that you want to have good relationships with your family. And at the same time, you got a route for your team and the elect.

So, you know, we want to hear about this. Yes. Although that would not fit on our road sign for... You're putting up those letters, okay? That's more of a label maker situation than a road sign. Yes, we don't sell alcohol, but we do make a podcast, and we really hope to hear from you. Endless thread at WBUR.org. Tell us about your drunkles.

Bye.