Things to Talk About at Thanksgiving That Aren't Politics

Between silky, steamy mouthfuls of mashed potatoes and sweet spoonfuls of pumpkin pie, there's one thing that seemingly never fails to get served up at the Thanksgiving table each year: politics.

With this year's Turkey Day falling within weeks of a particularly contentious presidential election, emotions are already running high between some family members on opposite sides of the political spectrum — and like a perfectly basted turkey, you could cut the tension with a knife.

READ MORE: What Do Prison Inmates Eat on Thanksgiving?

According to a CBS News poll, 71 percent of people say they will actively try to avoid talking politics at the dinner table Thursday (Nov. 28), while only 29 percent will "try to talk about it."

That said, what if you could steer the Thanksgiving dinner conversation to something less polarizing, more upbeat? Below, try out these five pop culture topics at the Thanksgiving dinner table this year. What could go wrong?

Wicked

Like the Barbie movie last year, everyone is talking about the big-screen adaptation of Wicked starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. It's the movie event of 2024, and already generating awards show buzz for its costumes, music, performances, set design and more just days after hitting theaters.

Inspired by the beloved 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with some loving nods to the 1939 film starring Judy Garland, the Oz re-imagining based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 book is a dazzling confection of cinematic delights, sure to charm longtime Oz lovers and newcomers alike. It's already drummed up $165 million at the global box office; everybody's seeing it, and if they're not, they're definitely hearing about it.

Then again, outside of the eye-catching costumes and catchy musical numbers, at its core the Wicked musical is technically a parable about propaganda, cult of personality, the rise of fascism and strategic demonization of specific communities to create the illusion of a common enemy. So, maybe not as apolitical of a topic after all.

Let's move on...

Tesla's New AI Robots

How about that futuristic new Optimus robot from Tesla? Who doesn't like robots, right? They're cool, period.

Imagine your own personal humanoid robot that can do chores, walk your dog, water your plants, bring in your mail and even "babysit your kids," according to Elon Musk. Sounds like the future! Over the summer, the tech mogul even announced the Tesla Bot will enter limited production next year, and likely be available to purchase for around $30,000. Kim Kardashian has one!

Plus, the sleek robots look similar to the bots featured in the 2004 dystopian sci-fi thriller I, Robot. Wait... Didn't the androids in that movie gain sentience, start an uprising and violently try to destroy humanity? Come to think of it, AI is a pretty polarizing political topic these days, since it's destroying the environment and siphoning jobs from actual humans. Wait, isn't Musk part of president-elect Donald Trump's cabinet...?

Fine. Best avoid this controversial rabbit hole. Let's try again...

Sabrina Carpenter

Was there a bigger breakout pop star this past year than Sabrina Carpenter? Her 2024 album Sweet n' Short was a massive hit, spawning three smash singles we couldn't get enough of: "Espresso," "Taste" and "Please Please Please."

The singer was everywhere this year, duetting with her idol Christina Aguilera onstage and even starring in her own forthcoming Netflix Christmas variety special, A Nonsense Christmas.

Meanwhile, her ongoing Short n' Sweet Tour has been a whirlwind hit. The singer sold out the entire tour within just days of tickets going on sale, making it one of the hottest concert tours of the year. While Carpenter's cheeky charm and playful choreography has delighted fans, she has received some backlash for the tour's lingerie-inspired costumes and sexed-up moments, such as when the singer strikes an, ahem, explicit "position" during her performance of "Juno."

Some believe the singer's concerts are too sexual, though Carpenter's music has clearly been, in recent years, more tongue-in-cheek and sexually charged, something we've seen in pop before from the likes of Madonna, etc. Actually, it's kind of ironic the conversation has turned against her in a year when women are actively fighting to protect their right to sexual expression and hold onto their bodily autonomy following the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the increased opposition to reproductive freedom and——

We did it again.

The Penguin

How freakin' good was Colin Farrell in The Penguin this year? The Irish actor sank effortlessly into his role as Oswald Cobb, one of Bruce Wayne's most iconic foes, thanks to the magic of makeup, prosthetics and one hell of a gangster accent. Farrell's performance was critically acclaimed, as was Cristin Milioti for her fierce, nuanced performance as crime boss daughter Sofia Falcone.

A massive hit for streaming service Max, The Batman spinoff captivated casual viewers and comic book obsessives alike with its Sopranos-like telling of Penguin's serpentine and cunning rise to power and influence in Gotham, taking down major crime families (and ushering himself upward in the process) and setting his sights on the city's already seedy political sphere. (Previous iterations of the villain have seen him run for mayor.)

Meanwhile, the limited series dipped into complex topics such as marginalized and impoverished communities having less access to resources during times of crisis, political bribery and government corruption, economic exploitation of the oppressed, the systemic barriers that perpetuate poverty and the broken justice system.

Oh.

Dictionary.com's Word of the Year

Dictionary.com's official word of 2024 was very mindful indeed. The website selected the much-memed "demure" as its "Word of the Year," and we can't think of a better choice.

The adjective—which the online dictionary describes as "characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved" or "affectedly or coyly decorous, sober, or sedate"—was at the center of much social conversation this year after it was popularized by TikTok content creator Jools Lebron over the summer in a series of videos that went wildly viral.

Jools' "very demure, very mindful" catchphrase became so omnipresent that it was picked up by major brands, used by countless celebrities and featured on The Tonight Show and Saturday Night Love.

Of course, we can't forget to point out that the biggest word of 2024, the word embraced by so many, was popularized by a culturally influential trans woman—especially in a year when House speakers are pushing policies to ban their trans peers from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity, and the present-elect reportedly plans to kick out 15,000 trans members of the military...

You know what? Just shut up and pass the damn cranberry sauce.