In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I decided to do a little bit of a different post. As I was perusing my favorite news websites, I noticed that many organizations are creating lists of talking points for the Thanksgiving dinner table. Instead of leaving American’s to come up with their own discussion topics, organizations are trying to influence people’s viewpoints even on such a cherished American holiday.
Planned Parenthood is one of these organizations. They created the “Talking Turkey: 8 Easy Steps for Discussing Reproductive Health and Justice at the Holiday Table.” Just in case Aunt Susie brings up abortion while you’re eating those delicious mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie, you can be prepared to intelligently contribute to the conversation. Some of my favorite steps are: “Know where you stand”, “Remember the Big Picture”, and “Create a Space for the Listener.” The list even comes equipped with practice questions, so that you can be prepared for anything that comes your way. Planned Parenthood has really capitalized on the fact that families come together for this holiday and there are many families that are divided on the organization and issue of abortion. They realized that supporters can take advantage of everyone being together and try to convince their loved ones that might be opposed to the organization now, to stand behind the essential services that Planned Parenthood provides. Perhaps if they are able to educate more people, they can contact their Congress members and vocalize their support for Planned Parenthood.
But is this wishful thinking? Will people really use these “8 steps”? Do people actually talk about abortion, Planned Parenthood, or any controversial topics at the Thanksgiving table?
My answer to that is: who knows? On the one hand, some people love to stir the pot by bringing up issues that they know will start a debate. Planned Parenthood has been in the news quite frequently this year, so this could very well be a topic of contention. On the other hand, some people may stray away form politics at a holiday that is supposed to be one about giving thanks. In my opinion, debating about politics could stray away from that goal.
Planned Parenthood is not the only one who has come up with cheat sheets of talking points. I was just looking on my Twitter newsfeed and the DCCC (The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) posted a “Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet” just in case anyone has some Republican family members, or Tea Partiers, show up for dinner. They are using this cheat sheet as a tool to get their values out and spur some political debate at the table. The more that people talk about the issues, the easier it is for them to form opinions and it may even inspire people to get involved in the cause (such as volunteering for the 2012 campaigns that are now well under-way). They even have prominent Democrats promoting the cheat sheet on their own twitters (I originally saw the list on Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s twitter). Additionally they’re getting clever by making you sign up for the DCCC, which I’m sure will later bombard you with e-mails daily, in order to get the cheat sheet.
I think these two organizations have definitely caught on to a smart trend. Planned Parenthood teaches you how to eloquently respond to nay-sayers and adequately debate someone who has opposing viewpoints. While the DCCC takes a different route by laying out the facts in a “DEMS vs. GOP” bullet point list. From the tweets that I’m seeing surrounding the DCCC list, it seems to be a quick and successful hit. This is the perfect way for these organizations to get their point across and they’re hoping that some passionate people will sway their family members to support the Democrats and Planned Parenthood. Who knows if this will be successful, but it sure does make for a great Thanksgiving dinner. What could be much better than a political debate over some turkey, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie?
Empow(Her) 