I don’t talk about politics or religion at the workplace, yet there is a drama queen that loves just blurting out what she thinks to everyone around.
My way to go so far has been to ignore her, but sometimes I just want to yell at her how incoherent she is.
Then I’d be the one starting drama I guess…
I’m looking for advice to deal with these kind of people. I don’t want to work listening to conspiracy theories.
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Honestly, just tell her you’d rather not talk about politics. It can be incredibly passive. You do not need to elaborate. You can make up something simple like “I just want to focus on work while I’m at work,” it doesn’t even need to make sense. If she pushes back, drop it, but don’t ever say it’s okay for her to do. Then if she keeps doing it talk to your manager about it. “I’ve talked to her and asked her not to talk about politics, but she insists. I find it distracting.” Again, it doesn’t necessarily need to make sense and it doesn’t need to be over the top. Now,. hopefully your manager will sort it out. Because if it’s annoying you it’s likely annoying others.
This is probably the best and most realistic answer here. Just tell them that you’re here to work and not chitchat. I’ve done a similar thing when asked why I don’t take a break so we (my superior and I) could go on break together. I work less than 6 hours so I’m not legally required to go on a 30 minute break.
Smh at a few of those other comments that read more like someone trying to write bad fanfiction.
“Please don’t talk about politics in the workplace. It is unprofessional.”
People like that routinely ignore polite exhortations.
Skill issue
Are you trying to blame the victim here?
I didn’t suggest being polite.
For the discussed situation, you response is so neutered that it verges on transparently hypocritical.
I work 100% remote, which has made it very easy for me to ignore my coworkers’ bad politics takes because they’re confined to a specific Slack channel
You grow up.
You give a Fuck cuz you somehow “care”. You have to not care, and to do so you must think and accept that she’s just stupid and there’s nothing you can say to her to change that.
Politics is group decision making. Religion is humanities relation to the supernatural. Drama, in context, seems to be a flaring of emotions.
Politics is unavoidable. Working with others requires decision making. She is telling you how she goes about making decisions i.e. deferring to authority.
Religion is also unavoidable since it informs politics. Many people believe God-King Jesus will come fix all the world’s problems. Thereby they are primed for deferring to authority.
Drama is a result of the multiplayer game of conversation. You can control your inputs and responses. You can control your internal state. There is no shame leaving a game instead of grinding to “git gud”. Not every game is for everyone. I enjoy the grind.
She is telling you how she goes about making decisions i.e. deferring to authority.
This is really insightful. Thanks.
Well, i mean, based on context, she’s probably dumb, and the opinions match her lack of social grace. There’s that quote about not letting morons drag you down to their level, where they can beat you with experience. You need to work on you selective deafness, or, start using her bullshit for your own amusement. Agree with her in a real backhanded way she’s not sure of, English style.
AirPods?
I don’t talk about politics or religion
The entirety of polite, modern society lives by this rule
How the actual fuck do Americans just not get it? 😂
Americans have politicized everything, so talking about basic human rights or vaccinations or milk is now political.
We are also currently dealing with the return of an incoming authoritarian president who is every vile thing imaginable, looking to cement the US as a permanent corporate oligarchy with a splash of Dominionism. We’re all wondering when we’re supposed to say “enough is enough” while we are drowning financially and breaking mentally.
And we are all expected to show up to work each day and talk and play nice like nothing is happening.
Have you tried weed?
Reply to them in a “really? Aren’t you just adorable” tone of voice. Don’t engage with what they’re saying but treat them way you would treat a puppy that has just learned not to crap on the rug. Or a mental patient.
“Trump says he’s going to fix everything two weeks after he takes office!”
“Really? That’s amazing! Here I was thinking that you hadn’t thought this through, when clearly you had.”
Someone already mentioned going to HR or talking to your boss, but if you really want to shut it down just call her out on her bullshit. Make her explain her position and ask followup questions until she can’t respond. She’s just parroting some talking head, and you can even make a game out of trying to figure out which one she’s channeling
You aren’t supposed to agree with everyone around you all the time.
Grow up or hate the world you share with the rest of the people living on it.
That’s the risk of places like lemmygrad and hexbear.
Best of luck moving forward
You have basic human social cues and a the minimal amount of empathy. So you won’t be able to ignore a person. As mush as people say it you can’t actually ignore people. The best you can do is minimize interactions.
Try to understand that people like this are desperate and crave interaction. I want someone to validate them. This can come by agreement or by argument. Either of those options will fuel them. People like this are unwell, though appear functional.
If you confront this person they will know they have a ‘live one’ and will NEVER EVER LET YOU GO. Do not engage unless you deliberately want to give them the interaction they are so desperate for.
Give non-responses, grunts, etc to them . Stuff like ‘huh, must have a lot of time on your hands’ ‘ok’ ‘huh’ Keep body language to a minimum. Like others have said this is for all topics. Even a small smile on a point of agreement is a small crumb of the interaction they are desperate for.
Headphones all the time.
Quit. You will know your workplace and know if they given any care at all about a professional environment. Most ‘HR’ departments or managers are simply not equipped to deal with a drama person who doesn’t cross the line to blatantly illegal. If you are in the unicorn place that cares and is willing to shut down a person like this speak to a manager or HR. If you don’t work in that place, time to move. This isn’t advice for everyone. You are bothered enough to want to engage with this person. It’s obviously on some level effecting you. Over more time it may not get better.
Headphones and a volume dial that goes to 11.
Or noise canceling headphones, and only up to 5 so you don’t destroy your hearing.
Not no tiny ones either, or they’ll still walk up to you with their nonsense. Get some bigass highly visible headphones.
They when they start yapping at you anyway pretend you can’t hear them. When they start waving around frantically in front of you, and this is the important part, slowly take off the headphones, look at them sideways and go “huh?”. Make them repeat themselves. Don’t engage. Get back to work asap with the headphones again.
Eventually they’ll tire of this song and dance every time and move on to someone else. Hopefully.
I, personally, have always been fond of headphones that double as ear muffs. Back in the day that meant Sennheisers - it may mean something else now, though.
Well, it’s one louder, innit?
