Living in a senior community I've come up with a list of topics not to bring up at a potluck, having drinks on the patio or in the swimming pool unless you want more differences of opinion to stress you out. They are as follows:
• Politics (There are many neighbors who are still upset that Obama was re-elected.)
• Guns (Too many neighbors have guns and may be members of the NRA.)
• Aches and pains (If you ask about how a person feels you might find out more than you wanted.)
• Management of park (A number of residents think the owner of the park is Satan himself.)
• Traffic (Full-timers will grumble about the winter visitors and the condition of the roads.)
• Local government (No elected official can ever please some people.)
• Gambling (Everyone else will feel bad when the lucky few brag about their winnings.)
• Temperature of the swimming pool (It's going to be either too hot or too cold.)
• Criticism of community activities (The person in charge may be standing next to you.)
• Charitable giving (Forces people to bring up "charity starts at home")
• Religion (Touchy subject when you don't know your friend's denomination.)
• Sports (With people from all over the country it's hard to know which team they like or dislike.)
• Best place to eat (Not a touchy subject but one that can bring out lots of different choices).
It doesn't leave much to talk about except the weather and even that can bring dissension: too hot, too cold, too dry, too humid, too cloudy, too sunny, too windy. But when you are in the swimming pool on a temperate, sunny day there aren't too many arguments.
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