this post was submitted on 23 Nov 2025
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No Stupid Questions

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You know, the guy who's been having that same angry conversation about the same fucking thing he's been obsessed with for the last 5 years and demands that you take his view while going on long monologues and then immediately interrupting anyone who tries to get a word in edgewise? And then goes into a weeks-long suicidal despair if you try to leave the conversation? Any way to deal with that?

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Set alarms on your phone and pretend it's phone calls from work, a friend in need, etc. Go hide in there bathroom and take a ten minute break.

Do you have allies in the family? Make a pact to take turns. Get them to lure you away on a pretense. Go help clean the kitchen.

If you can't wiggle free, give yourself permission to switch off. You don't have to fight every battle, you don't need to set everything right. It's amazing how long you can keep a conversation going if all you do is repeat the last thing they said to you back at them but you raise your tone at the end to turn it into a question. Make plans on how to compensate yourself for enduring this shit. Pat yourself on the back for maintaining peace in the face of adversity.

Nothing bores people more than showing them "a funny video" on YouTube. Or some really boring vacation pictures. Or have a non-controversial topic of your own and stubbornly steer conversation that way. Tell a story with no point. If you're sitting in something comfy, like an armchair, pretend to fall asleep because you worked so hard. Praise the food and how good it was every time you're biting your tongue and you really want to say fuck you.

It's family, it's the holidays. I'm not saying you should swallow all bullshit. But raise the bar in the interest of family peace. And remember that folks will blame the loudmouths, the ones who raised their voice more than necessary, and not the quiet one for any fracas.

None of these strategies will work by themselves. It's the mix that does it. It's better to go into the situation looking at it like a game you play. Not like: fuck! Uncle Bob is going to annoy me again. You have your armor on and uncle Bob can't do shit.

[–] y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 day ago

Bring an airhorn and blast it every time they say something undesirable.

Or visably put in noise canceling headphones when they start talking.

[–] bryndos@fedia.io 4 points 1 day ago

Earplugs, and alcohol from the start.

Fake musculo-skeletal injury - sprained ankle would do - where for rehab you have to get up and walk a few thousand steps in a row 2-3 times a day - gives you an excuse to beep your watch at any time and go out for a walk for medical reasons.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

And then goes into a weeks-long suicidal despair if you try to leave the conversation? Any way to deal with that?

It's always easier said than done, but I don't engage with people who use suicide as a threat or bring it up as a regular thing. It's too exhausting. Life is just too short to deal with that. Not everybody deserves your nuance. Not everybody deserves your time. Especially if they just want to belittle you by saying they're suicidal as a defense mechanism.

[–] KittenBiscuits@lemmy.today 1 points 1 day ago

If they are really manipulative about it post-gettogether, call in a welfare check on them. Maybe they get annoyed at having to convince authorities they are not suicidal. Maybe they get to spend a couple days in a hospital where they get to share their feelings and be challenged on what it is that causes them to feel that way.

[–] BurgerBaron@piefed.social 2 points 1 day ago

I don't talk with that part of ny family. As in, zero contact.

[–] undefined@lemmy.hogru.ch 2 points 1 day ago

Move to the other side of the continent.

[–] kelpie_returns@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Purchase a fanged grill and keep them in biting range. Only takes 2 chomps, at most, to start seeing big changes in their behavior.

[–] SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

"How do I deal with friends or family members that are autistic?"

Well, one way is to try to actually understand them and where they're coming from and what they're really saying. Actually have the conversation and engage.

If you haven't actually tried to do that, then this is 100% on you.

If you HAVE tried to, and actually cannot have a conversation, you still have choices. You could hold a side conversation with somebody else. You could leave the space. You could try to out-compete them in talking over you, if that's the case, and hold your ground. You could also just stand up, and give them a hug and tell them it's gonna be okay, as a lot of people just come from a place of fear.

However, something about your wording and perspective leads me to believe you are not the type of person who can rise to an occasion and converse with difficult subjects with upset people, or have the emotional fortitude to deal with a neurodivergent person. Have you thought about maybe just not inviting them, or just avoiding them, altogether? Because being passive aggressive like you seem isn't the way. Even if, in your gatherings, it is acceptable or common, I encourage you to not sink to that level of toxic manipulation, if you can really help it.

Depending on the subject of your subject, you may steer the conversation into a more entertaining perspective or topic that's good for both of you.

In the worst case, though, you can always go outside for a quick run or walk and refresh your mind.

Edit: if it is just straight up abuse, which your description does not lead me to believe, but other comments presume, I do encourage you to treat it as the conflict that it is, appropriately.

Nov 4th elections.

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