Anyone with at least a little bit of social intelligence knows that there are certain topics you don’t bring up in conversation unless you’re looking for a fight: politics, religion, the New England Patriots, etc.
The reasons are obvious. People feel strongly about these issues, and it’s difficult to talk about them without someone feeling as though their core life principles are being attacked. However, sometimes, we discover that some seemingly pointless subjects can, when discussed in certain company, result in equally passionate debates.
Although it defies logic, it simply seems that you’re taking a social risk if you decide to start talking about. . .
Food
As a topic for conversation, food doesn’t seem all that controversial. We all need it, most of us love it, and far, far too many of us Instagram it.
(Seriously, people, no one cares about that meal you cooked if we can’t help you eat it.)
However, what may seem like an innocent subject is, in fact, a Pandora’s Box of differing opinions, moral questions, and personal philosophies. Some people are vegetarians, rejecting the notion of eating meat as inhumane. Others are committed to the idea that your diet should, above all else, be healthy; this point-of-view offends those who find joy in junk food. If you mock fast food for being nutritionally disastrous, someone may call you an elitist who doesn’t understand that some people can’t afford to say no to the dollar menu. If you live in a region populated by numerous skilled chefs, those who don’t have access to the same culinary experiences as you may feel as though your opinions on food quality are condescending.
And, of course, there’s the GMO debate. And the fact that food is often a reflection of your culture and background. And the fact that some people don’t have as much food as others. And the fact that certain people need to abide by certain diets in order to address health problems. And the fact that certain religions impose certain restrictions on food consumption.
It’s a much more complicated topic than we often realize.
Fashion
Clothes, much like food, are a necessity. Whatever your personal style may be, you do have to dress yourself in the morning. We can all agree on that, right?
The problem is, we can’t seem to agree on how to dress ourselves. Are you the type of person who feels that everyone should strive to look as professional as possible? Or do you embrace a more “express yourself freely” attitude? Do you like to spend money on expensive, designer garments, or are you more likely to get the cheapest item you can find? Is personal appearance the key force guiding your wardrobe decisions, or are you more concerned with comfort? There are numerous ways in which you can approach the “what should I wear today?” question.
In truth, clothing is often linked to economic class, cultural beliefs, and personal values. And clothing itself serves almost the same purpose as a bumper sticker. It is an immediate, visual representation of your social status. It tells the world whether you’re a hillbilly or a hippie or a hipster. In other words, it tends to give us all a reason to disagree with each other.
Fitness
Fitness is simple. Exercise is good for almost every single person physically capable of participating in it. It promotes health. It can enhance physical appearance. Most of us don’t get enough of it.
And yet, this is just another harmless issue that can anger plenty of people when brought up in conversation. First of all, despite the fact that working out is actually pretty simple – regardless of what magazines may tell you, once you’ve learned a few basic exercises, you don’t need to know much else about how to get in shape – we all seem to have our own philosophy about what makes for the best exercise regimen. Some prefer weights, some prefer cardio, some insist that yoga is the only true path to wellness, and it can be downright shocking to see how strongly people feel about their own opinion on the subject.
But that’s only part of the problem. While we enjoy promoting the positive message that anyone willing to put in the effort can enjoy robust health and look like a supermodel, in truth, genetics play a big role in determining the benefits you’ll yield from working out. When someone insists that you simply need to jog a little more to start shedding those extra pounds, unaware that you probably work out twice as hard as they do just to maintain your current weight, it’s obviously offensive.
And, yes, it is true, everyone who can work out can get something good out of it. As such, when some fitness aficionados encounter individuals who decide that they aren’t interested in working out, they scoff, not understanding why someone wouldn’t want to exercise. It becomes nearly impossible to adopt a “live-and-let-live” mindset.
Oh, and there are out-of-touch celebrities, catered to by the world’s best personal trainers, insisting that anyone in the world can find the time to get in shape. The truth, of course, is that some people actually do not have that time, let alone those resources.
Because, when it comes to topics like food, fashion, and fitness, while we may assume that we can all agree on how we should feel about these issues, the truth is, our beliefs are often rooted in our environment, upbringing, and life experience. In other words, we take said beliefs pretty seriously.
