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My cousin told me to just nod and smile at my grandpa's political rants
At Thanksgiving last year, my cousin pulled me aside before dinner and said, 'Trust me, just nod and smile, don't engage.' I tried it when Grandpa started up about the 'good old days' and local elections... but I must have nodded too hard. He took it as full agreement and spent the next 45 minutes explaining his whole plan to me while everyone else escaped to the kitchen. Now I'm his 'favorite' for all the wrong reasons. Anyone else get stuck as the captive audience after trying to avoid an argument?
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derekward4d ago
Got myself into the same trap with my uncle last summer. He was going off about property taxes and I gave one slow nod while checking my phone. Next thing I know, he's handing me printed charts and asking me to "spread the word" to my friends. I had to pretend my entire phone contact list was out of the country for a month. It's a dangerous game, that polite nod.
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david_rivera44d ago
Yeah, I read a piece about how nodding can backfire with older relatives. They see it as active agreement, not just being polite. You basically got promoted to campaign manager by accident.
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verar212d ago
My cousin ended up organizing a whole neighborhood petition because he nodded during a rant about potholes. The older generation really treats a nod like a signed contract, it's wild. You ever have a simple head motion lead to actual homework?
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