Taboo conversations are the hardest to have with others, but often they’re the most important. Sex, religion and social issues all sound scary to bring up because of the stigma surrounding them and the threat of an argument. However, they’re all necessary topics to better understand your peers or your partner.
Contraception and Sex
In short, sex shouldn’t be a scary topic. Communication with your partner is super healthy and can save you from any confusion or emergencies. Before you have sex with someone for the first time, whether it be a hookup or relationship, talk about preferred methods of contraception. Don’t let anyone pressure you into not using birth control! If they don’t want to use it, find someone who will.
Talking to your partner about sex can also improve your sex life in general. I have found that people typically find it difficult to tell their partner immediately about what they like, but people don’t read minds. Communication about favorite positions and things like that will lead to better sex faster.
Religion
Religion can be a tricky topic for many reasons, especially today. Some may want to keep their religion to themselves, which is fine. However, most intolerance seems to stem from ignorance. Opening up the conversation in a safe, controlled way could be a productive method of understanding other religions and cultures. Instead of running away from the topic, we should make an effort to understand our peers without judgment or predetermined prejudice.
Social Issues
Similar to religion, people shouldn’t be afraid to have a conversation about social issues with other adults. While it may be harder to talk about social issues than contraception, the conversation is getting more and more important each day in our current political climate.
The first step to an amicable debate is listening and processing. We’re quick to completely disregard the other side in politics, but the marketplace of ideas does exist for a reason. If you disagree, politely offer legitimate sources that back your claim.
According to the Pew Research Center, 59 percent of social media users find discussing politics online to be stressful and frustrating, while 64 percent found they have less in common politically than they thought with their online peers. It can definitely be frustrating to not have your points heard in a discussion, especially online, so think of the Golden Rule when discussing social issues or politics. Political conversations don’t need to be boxing matches—they should just be polite debates.