Bourbon & Rum Podcast

Duration: 46:46 | Recorded on December 14, 2025

S2E38 – A year-end holiday episode where Kent and Kyle reflect on political polarization, social media’s influence, and practical strategies for surviving, and improving, difficult political conversations with family during the holidays.

Featured Spirits

⁠Henry McKenna Single Barrel⁠

⁠Bolivar⁠

Show Notes

/ Holiday Politics Feel Worse Than Ever: Kent and Kyle reflect on how holiday political conversations have become more contentious over the last decade, driven by social media, nonstop news cycles, and the collapse of “off-limits” topics. 

/ Social Media, Identity, and Opinion Overload: Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have amplified political tribalism and encouraged everyone to have an opinion on everything. Kent and Kyle argue that modern political discourse is less about big ideas and more about constant micro-controversies tied to identity and team affiliation.

/ Politics as Identity, Status, and ‘Losing Ground’: Drawing from an AI-generated insight, they argue that holiday political arguments aren’t really about policy, they’re about identity, status, and fear of losing ground. Sports fandom (especially the Dallas Cowboys) is used as an analogy to show how deeply personal these affiliations become.

/ Listening is a Lost Skill: Kent reflects on how the podcast has forced him to genuinely listen, even when he strongly disagrees. Both emphasize that uninterrupted listening and respect are foundational skills that are increasingly rare but essential for any productive conversation.

/ You’re Not Changing Anyone’s Mind: They stress a key ground rule for holiday discussions: no one is changing their opinion over Christmas dinner. Recognizing the low stakes of these arguments can defuse tension and help people focus on maintaining relationships rather than “winning.”

/ Media Bubbles and Curated Reality: Kent and Kyle discuss how curated media ecosystems shape wildly different perceptions of reality. They suggest asking where someone heard something and how their media sphere is covering an issue as a less confrontational way to understand disagreements.

/ Let People Vent. Then Move On: Kyle shares a strategy of letting people “get it out of their system,” arguing that many just want to be heard. Giving someone space to vent can reduce hostility and make conversations easier afterward.

/ Humor, Humility, and Absurdity: They highlight humor, including extreme hypothetical positions and pop culture references like Borat — as a powerful tool to reset conversations and remind people not to take themselves too seriously.

/ Class, Education, and Condescension: A deeper discussion centers on how class and education divides fuel resentment, with Kent arguing that condescension from political elites, especially on the left, has alienated large segments of the population. They reflect on how this dynamic plays out within families.

/ Alcohol’s Narrow Therapeutic Window: Closing on a lighter note, they discuss alcohol’s role in family gatherings, joking that one or two drinks can help smooth conversations but that the line between civility and chaos is thin.

/ A Holiday Message to Listeners: Thank you, listeners, for your support! We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Reference

⁠Borat⁠ (Hulu)