Juggling With Fire:
Political Chitchat How To

by Leah Kohn, grade 8 (article written in grade 7)
Frances C. Richmond Middle School, Hanover NH

They tell you not to play with fire. Yet isn’t this what we are doing when we talk with others about the most controversial issues possible? Talking about politics is like willingly lighting a match; it can get a really big fire going, and it can and will burn you if you’re not careful.

I’ve had my share of serious burns, so I’d like to give you some advice on how to avoid causing disasters and not getting hurt yourself. I have been seriously hurt by people who don’t know what they are talking about. If somebody says something that I believe to be anti-Semitic or says something nasty about Israel that is completely unfounded, I may be offended, especially when people say these things because of lack of information.

It is hard to tell right off the bat what somebody’s views are, even if you are the best of friends. You may believe that politician Bobby Blither is the biggest fool on earth. That’s okay. Maybe he is. However, your best friend may come from a family with completely different views from your own. If you go around saying, "Bobby Blither is a complete jerk," your friend who believes that Bobby Blither is an interesting person with correct views will be offended.

Instead of insulting Mr. Blither, try saying, "I disagree with Bobby Blither’s statement that computers are bad for civilization and that we should revert to using pencil and paper BECAUSE...." Then your friend may say, "No, no...Blither is definitely right. Here is why...." If they say that, you can proceed to have a nice discussion. If they say, "You little fool, you’re sooo wrong!" then you might want to avoid talking about politics to protect your friendship with this person(if it’s worth keeping).

When you talk about politics, you should criticize ideas, not people. It is very unlikely that you have ever met these politicians, so how do you know for sure whether or not they are stupid? You have never met Bobby Blither, so you don’t know what he is like. However, you have been using computers for a long time and know that they make life easier, so you can say that Mr. Blither’s ideas about computers are "stupid."

More advice: Don’t make yourself look foolish by talking about what you don’t know about. Once somebody said to me, "Israel was responsible for 9/11." I was shocked. "What!?" I shrilled. "How can you say that?" The person looked confused. "No, not Israel. Ah, what the heck. Those middle eastern countries -- they’re all the same." This is an example of a most spectacular ignorance. (What am I saying? I shouldn’t be insulting people.)

Unfortunately, my brilliant advice may not always assure you a perfect argument that goes your way. There may come a time that you need to back off gracefully. People like to feel that you agree with them. If an argument is just getting too hot to handle, say, "Y’know, maybe you’re right. I’ll think about it." People can usually interpret this as a conversation ender. If you don’t feel at all like backing down and just want to end the argument so you can get a chocolate shake at B&J’s, you can say, "Look, Joe, I respect your point of view, but I can’t agree."

To sum it up, use common sense and be polite. If you insist on juggling fire, at least wear fireproof gloves.