It's post election, and depending on your party affiliation, you're either breathing a sigh of relief, or mourning your candidate's defeat. You know whether you're thrilled with four more years with President Obama, or really distressed that Senator Romney didn't pull it out - but do you know what your date/boyfriend/girlfriend/boss/co-worker/direct reports think? And when is it appropriate to start talking politics (or religion)?
Politics and romance mix very differently than politics and the workplace - or do they?
"For years (three years to be exact) I had ignored the fact that my boyfriend and I had dramatically different political views. Never mind the fact that his family engaged in heated political debates around the dinner table or that we had completely opposite view points when it came down to issues like same-sex marriage and the pro-choice vs. pro-life debate - I firmly believed that we would overcome those differences (even though neither one of us was going to budge on the issues) and somehow come to an agreement about eventually raising a family together. Look at James Carville and Mary Matalin! The day of the 2008 election I knew that we had cast our votes for two different candidates. I didn't talk to him the entire day, and that night, when the world was watching the election returns come in, and President Obama was delivering his acceptance speech, we completely ignored the fact that this historically significant election was coming to a close - we didn't even acknowledge that it was happening! Three months later we broke up."
- Lauren P., age 34
"When I started my new job, I was excited to be welcomed so quickly into the office social environment. I was invited to lunches early on, lunches turned to happy hour, I started sharing more personal details with my co-workers, and genuinely enjoyed the time I spent with them, both in the office and after hours. As the election insanity started to kick-off, I came to work one day and saw that my co-worker had put a life-size, cardboard cut-out of one of the candidates (my candidate!) in his office. Yes! This was someone who I worked with daily, had been hanging out with socially on a weekly basis, and now we were going to be able to bond over our support of our favorite presidential candidate - that is, until I realized that he had brought in the cardboard cut-out specifically so that he (and all of my new work friends) could throw things at the "candidate" and ridicule the policies that he was campaigning for. I kept joining in on the lunches and the happy hours, but suddenly everything changed - did I ever know these people at all?"
- Ethan W., age 27
"My office announced early on that on Election Day, everyone could come in late or leave early if they needed to, to be sure to make it to the polls on time. As I was talking to my co-worker and friend about leaving early, and figuring out what time we could reasonably leave without looking like complete slackers, I told her that I was hoped no one was stupid enough to vote for my least favorite candidate. Then I turned around and realized my boss was standing right behind us, with a work assignment to mete out. Let me be clear, I voted for President Obama. But my boss...I'm not quite sure. In fact, I think there's a good chance he voted for Mitt Romney. Ever since Tuesday morning, I've been convinced that he is looking at my differently and it's starting to make me pretty paranoid."
- Mary D., age 23
"I met Jenny at a mutual friend's birthday party, and I thought she was adorable. Then I didn't see her for months - but I heard through that same friend that she had broken up with a boyfriend and was single. When I ran into her again, I decided it was my chance to move in - so we started chatting, then we started making out, then we started dating. It was perfect - lots of romantic dinner dates and lazy afternoons hanging out in the city (or not leaving the house at all). I literally had no complaints at all...until the holidays started to get closer and closer. Every year my family has a huge Thanksgiving get-together with all of my aunts, uncles, cousins. I had told Jenny about how excited I was for the big party, how great it would be for her to meet my family, etc. But as the date got closer and closer, I realized I couldn't do it - there was no way I could bring sweet, wonderful, tried and true Democratic Jenny home to meet my old-fashioned, southern Republican mother. I told Jenny she couldn't come home with me for the holidays. I still see her out from time to time, and yes, it is incredibly awkward."
- Jeff, age 28
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