Will facts get through to them?

Just in time for Thanksgiving 2025, the ACLU and Everytown for Gun Safety have released their dinner table talking points, for those fair-minded folks (i.e. Democrats) to use against their bull-headed relatives (i.e. Republicans) when the conversation, like the food, heats up.

First up is ACLU, which states that its goal this Thanksgiving is “countering misinformation”. To that end, it has sent around a “Holiday Conversation Guide“. The guide talks about Donald Trump‘s threats to free speech, including to TV hosts such as Jimmy Kimmel, and to student protesters. It also mentions Trump’s deployment of federal enforcement agents and military troops around the country. Then the ACLU’s guide provides some tips, such as “Emphasize the facts and shared values”. For example:

Protests against the Trump administration’s abuses and policies have been overwhelmingly peaceful. The First Amendment protects the right to organize and protest peacefully, and law enforcement can’t break up a gathering simply because a few people have broken the law.