Why you shouldn’t always avoid religion and politics

Prague taxi drivers; not talking about the weather

‘Never discuss religion and politics’; the timeless advice for travellers who want to stay out of trouble. These topics can lead to discomfort, suspicion and in extreme cases even arrest and a free trip to the nearest border (or worse). Is it good advice to adopt wherever we are? I have to admit to ignoring it frequently and as a result having some of my most memorable conversations on our travels.

There are different ways to broach these subjects of course, and knowing a little about the local sensitivities does go a long way toward getting it right. In Kyrgyzstan I had a fascinating conversation with an old man who had been in charge of the collective farm during Soviet years and looked back on those years with nostalgia. He spoke of the good and bad of Russian rule, of his work in the Party including his educational trips to the furthest corners of the USSR; and of the departure of the Russians when independence was ‘dumped’ on this tiny country, leaving them with no currency for 18 months. My faltering Russian and his unwavering patience enabled me to understand most of his tales although I wish I’d known more.

On the other hand I overstepped the mark when hiking in Laos with a local guide. He was part of the ethnic Hmong group who had suffered years of repression from the Lao government. While happy to talk with the two of us about his family life and his work, when I asked about the difficulties of life for the Hmong in Laos he didn’t answer. I proceeded to repeat my question, thinking that he didn’t hear or understand me the first time. When this was met again with silence I realised that this part of the conversation was finished and that I needed to move to a less contentious topic. Similarly in Belarus the cheerful old lady was happy sharing many stories with us but when we asked a general question about the struggles of getting by, she smiled and said ‘you know we’re not allowed to talk about these things’.

In many cases people will talk freely within the parameters that their society has set. The driver who took us to Beirut from Damascus spoke openly about the wars with the Zionists (on several occasions he carefully avoided the use of the name Israel) and gave his frank thoughts on Hezbollah as we passed through the Beirut suburbs. He was a young articulate man who spoke with fierce national pride and shared his frustration that the rest of the world was so negative about the Syrian regime; he was eager to talk and I was happy to listen. I hope he is ok now…

Politics and religion do go a long way in defining and dividing a population. These are the topics about which people often harbour the strongest emotions and take up much of their thinking time. To studiously avoid these can mean that a visitor misses out on some of the real substance behind what a country or region is all about. Let’s face it, the topic of the weather will soon run dry in much of the world; and how many times do you want to listen to someone listing their favourite Manchester United players?

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10 Responses to “Why you shouldn’t always avoid religion and politics”

  1. Jim #

    You’re right for the most part, Andy. I remember hitch-hiking through Europe during the 1970s when the Vietnam War was at its worst, and the unwritten rule amongst backpackers was never talk about religion and politics, despite the chance to listen and learn from fellow travellers and locals.

    During my February trip to Cambodia, on the other hand, people generally were happy to talk about the Khmer Rouge years and the horrors the country and the people suffered, although I never spoke to anyone directly affected.

    I think the key is to ‘listen and learn’ and not get into an argument with the people you are talking to, or get trapped into pushing your opinion onto other people, no matter how ‘right’ you think you may be.

    June 10, 2011 at 11:42 am
  2. I agree with Jim in that the golden rule should be to “listen and learn” and be respectful of people’s wishes. For example, no matter how curious we were of the Tibetan people’s struggles whilst in their country, we really had to curb our questioning as our guide could have gotten into a bit of trouble for discussing certain issues.

    The main thing to remember is to leave your pre-conceived ideas at home when you go travelling – us from the Western World will of course have lots of ideas about religion, culture and society, but when you go travelling you often find these ideals being challenged. We’ve had mixed experiences – when travelling in Vietnam and Cambodia we found people to be very open with us about their past and their views and it is a fantastic insight and a privilege to be privvy to their stories. I think that religion and politics, whilst often a ‘fine line’ are essential subjects to aid in your understanding of the world and really do enhance your experience!

    June 10, 2011 at 2:14 pm
  3. Absolutely, listening and learning. I remember spending hours with a ski guide in the former Yugoslavia in the 70s. There was no snow, and we spent a lot of time just eating, drinking and talking. There was clearly a line he wouldn’t cross, and most of our group didn’t try to push past that, but as he got to know us over the week he opened up more, and I learned a lot about life there. Whereas before I’d simply, in my 20+ year old mind lumped all communist countries together.

    To kind of turn the tables on you, too. Travelling in the US during the Bush years I was determined not to mention him or his policies, but I found, for the most part, without me saying a word, once people knew I was English they actually apologized that their country was not represented correctly to the world. However, I did stay for a few days in the house of an avid Bush/right wing/racist/extreme christian and managed to keep my mouth shut and have an intelligent conversation (almost!) about her views without revealing my own opinions! That was quite a feat on my part, and showed me I had diplomatic skills I considered I lacked! She was very kind and hospitable, and, frankly, it would have been really rude to have tried to change her mind in any way other, possibly, than by example. Shows how travel teaches you things about yourself that you didn’t even know!

    June 11, 2011 at 9:57 am
  4. When I was in the Air Force, one of the ‘golden rules’ (rarely observed or enforced!) was never to discuss ‘shop’, women, religion or politics in the Mess.

    Funny thing is, I’ve seen more people come to blows over sport (which was allowed) that any of the ‘forbidden’ subjects.

    June 11, 2011 at 11:03 am
  5. I actually try to learn about politics and religion when traveling. You can get to understand a place and the people that live there better. Sure, you have to be careful and know when it’s time to change the subject.

    I have found people in Buenos Aires very open to sharing, and I’ve learned so much.

    June 11, 2011 at 4:29 pm
  6. In the book “Pillars of Hercules” by Paul Theroux he was warned to not talk about politics or World War II when visiting Italy. He reacted by talking about nothing but politics and World War II when in Italy.

    Most people do not mind talking about contentious topics if the questions are asked with a certain tact. If it does upset them like the Hmong villager you encountered then move on to another topic or another villager.

    Interesting idea for a post!

    June 11, 2011 at 8:23 pm
  7. Thanks for the thoughtful insights. Agree with the common thread of opinion that it’s about listening and letting people speak about their experiences rather than trying to impose an outside opinion on their situation. I found the same in El Salvador – people loved to discuss politics and religion (the two go hand in hand to a large extent there) and I needed to do was ask a general question and then listen. We learned so much, and from people on both sides of the ideological divide.

    June 12, 2011 at 9:39 am
  8. Listening and Learning is probably the best rule to observe, I personally try not to shy away from discussing politics and religion whether I am travelling or having a conversation with tourists here in Egypt. You learn a lot about other cultures through learning about their culture and history, but it’s religion and politics that give insight to their way of life, and understanding them while travelling provides for a wealth of information that cannot be found in books or TV.

    June 12, 2011 at 5:10 pm
  9. In my experience it’s ok to talk about certain subjects if it’s done with insight and cultural sensitivity.

    June 13, 2011 at 11:15 am
  10. I completely agree – I just got back from visiting 15 countries over 5-months and some of my many interesting conversations with locals were over these topics, particularly talking religion in Indonesia and talking politics in Bahrain and Jordan. I’m about to write about them on my travel blog – Visit50.com.

    July 15, 2011 at 3:34 am