Events

Nov. 2025 - Braver Thanksgiving

In the spirit of the season, this month we'll be talking about how to have better conversations with our friends and family over the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Thanksgiving political arguments have become a cliche in modern America. The holiday brings together friends and family that span the urban/rural divide and have few opportunities for conversation the rest of the year.

Braver Angels has a ton of great resources that will help you have better conversations over the Thanksgiving table, so that political disagreements lead to conversations that bring us closer and help us understand each other instead of arguments that drive us apart.

The Families and Politics e-Course is available if you want an interactive guide to the Braver Angels approach.

Here are some articles and interviews that talk about how Braver Angels techniques can help us during Thanksgiving.

• https://braverangels.org/a-braver-way-episode-3/ 

• https://www.wpr.org/politics/groups-says-listening-can-set-thanksgiving-table-for-connections-not-conflict 

• https://www.wpr.org/shows/wisconsin-today/braver-angels-alliance-teaching-how-to-disagree-productively-this-thanksgiving 

• https://www.newsbreak.com/kuow-public-radio-1997884/3693418488008-how-to-disagree-at-thanksgiving-without-causing-a-food-fight 

• https://braverangels.org/how-can-you-handle-being-triggered-over-the-holidays/ 

One of the more interesting lessons from the Families and Politics workshop is the Six Roles that describe the general patterns that family members fall into when there are disagreements.

The Angry Uncle Bot

The "Angry Uncle" AI chat bot is a great way to have practice conversations with a confrontational family member. You tell it your position on an issue, and it will automatically argue the opposite side. Using the Braver Angels techniques shows how these conversations can keep from spinning out of control and even lead to better understanding. We'll demonstrate the Angry Uncle Bot at the meeting, and share stories about both real and virtual conversations we've had that we can learn from.

Thanksgiving Survival Guide

We'll also talk about how the Braver Angels techniques can help us during the holidays, and tell our stories about our previous successes and failures. How have you applied the Braver Angels way to help have better holiday conversations? What negative experiences have you had that you don't want to repeat?

AGENDA

1. Review of the Braver Angels Way and Introductions.

2. LAPP Method practice exercise.

3. Demonstration of the "Angry Uncle" AI chat bot for practice conversations.

4. Take a look at "Dinner and a Fight" and see if it would be worth hosting one in Knoxville.

5. Review resources on the Braver Angels websites and volunteer portals that can help during Thanksgiving.

6. Discuss our Thanksgiving tips, success stories, and lessons learned from past failures. 

7. Open discussion for any questions, comments, or suggestions for future activities.