Mingling with the enemy A social survival guide for our politically divided era
Book - 2020
"Many people need help navigating conversational minefields such as politics and religion--without getting blown up. Mingling with the Enemy is a vital guide for "surviving" contentious arguments, promoting civil discourse, and finding common ground in any social setting--from cocktail parties to PTA meetings. With this go-to guide, readers will learn how to successfully intermingle, listen, and diffuse heated arguments or disagreements while remaining respectful."--
- Subjects
- Published
-
Oakland, CA :
New Harbinger Publications, Inc
[2020]
- Language
- English
- Main Author
- Item Description
- "Tips for navigating any conversation!" -- Cover.
- Physical Description
- x, 184 pages ; 24 cm
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 183-184).
- ISBN
- 9781684035212
- Preface: Fear and loathing at the dinner table
- Introduction: Socializing in the powder keg era
- Pre-mingle prep. The dangers of "anti-social" media ; Embracing small talk ; Unset your mind ; Spiritual CliffsNotes: get centered ; Self-checklist: recognize your own triggers ; Bad blood warning: stay clear of open wounds
- Sate starts and innocuous initial forays. Rule number one---and Two and Three: never assume ; Avoiding the third rail: the ABCs of some common volatile topics ; Safe doesn't have to mean boring
- Entering the DMZ: taking chances. The rewards of respectful debate ; Conversational recon: how to test for friends, foes, or fanatics ; Telltale warning signs of impending conversational doom ; Don't be a knee jerk: techniques for avoiding overreaction
- The way of the empath. Listen with all your might (then listen some more) ; Ask real questions ; Visualization: picturing the inner three-year-old ; Love and flattery are your best friends; keep them close ; Yielding without losing: applying Tai Chi principles in conversation
- Creative survival strategies. Storytelling as a smoothing-over technique ; Conversational camouflaging: how going undercover is sometimes better than wearing your opinion on your sleeve ; The power of silence ; Humor: a mingler's greatest tool
- Diversionary tactics. Swimming to an island of common ground ; Deflection: six subject-changing techniques; The ejector seat: essential escape maneuvers ; The party pause ; Graceful retreat
- Helping others: being a social diplomat. Peacekeeping missions ; The fine art of distraction ; Beware of death by triangulation ; Helping a partner ; Lending a hosting hand
- When mingling online. How to don your virtual armor ; Seven rules to post by ; Counting to ten (hours) ; Dealing with trolls
- Channeling your inner Buddha: family get-togethers. Pre-visit instructions ; Love means never having to say you're sorry (that you voted for someone else) ; Divide and conquer (or at least contain) ; Baby steps: venturing out of the neutral zone
- Handling special circumstances. Advice for handling upsetting public altercations ; Tangling with the tangential: doctors, doorman, and dry cleaners ; A word about facing nonpolitical "enemies'; Picking battles: when it is worth a skirmish
- Epilogue: The "Enemy" dispelled.