Bad dinner party topics of discussion!

[Sharnita]

This was at a family dinner.

The family history of Prostate trouoble and PSA numbers, leading my mom to warn 20-something cousin that he needs to let his doctor know to keep an eye on his prostate. The talk then turned to colonscopies.

I think some of this derives from the fact that most of the people at the table were in the medical field and/or have or might in the futre have colon issues but still...

[alohomora]

At a dinner I attended recently, I was treated to hearing a laundry list of ailments that some of the attendees suffered from and the amount and types of medication needed for treatment. 

None of the stuff they spoke about was "gross" or anything.  However, nothing can bring the laughter and enjoyment at a dinner table to come to a grinding halt like listening to someone talk about how sick they are.

[Xanthia, Maker of fine Tin-foil hats since 2007]

When the word "drain" is combined with any part of the human body, and the person describes the "drainage"..that is a bad topic of conversation...especially when they go into the detail of HOW it was drained.

RETCH!

[willow08]

All from the same uncle:

Amway. (Two hours at a reaaaaaaallllllllly long Thanksgiving meal.)

How you're not really going to heaven unless you do (insert religious concept here.)

Who looks like they've put on weight.

[Lisbeth]

A cousin of my mother's invited her and me to dinner at her house once with her two teenage children.

My mother dominated the conversation by focusing on an illness she'd had the month before and on the death of a friend of my then 5-year old niece.

You could have heard a pin drop.

My mother is empathy-challenged-she's never concerned about the consequences of anything she says.

[HogwartsAlum]

The hundreds of cute things your new boyfriend/girlfriend does/says/wears, especially if they are at the table and every other sentence is punctuated by loud, sloppy French kisses.  Bleah!

[Emmy]

1.  Anything having to do with digestive system problems.  Better yet don't talk about any medical condition.  This goes for talking about your animals and children's ailments as well.
2.  Making conversation about how the food looks like (insert gross item here).  Also rude comments about the food are not appreciated.  If you are a vegetarian, don't harp on the evil meat eaters for killing and eating a poor helpless animal.  Don't ever say 'yuck' or 'ewww'.
3.  Very controversial subjects.
4.  Long conversations that would leave some people out and inside jokes among a few people at the table (for example it is rude to talk about your sorority days unless everybody at the table was a sister).
5.  Anything negative, talk about the fight with your mom, how your kids are acting up, and how your husband never does anything around the house is not appropriate for an audience, vent one on one with a friend.

[MerryRaven]

Now I realize why for centuries "the weather" has been about the only "polite" conversation.

You can talk about how much snow you shoveled, how the wind blew down your tree and it almost missed the house, how cold it is, how warm it is and whether weather trends will continue, without once grossing anyone out or starting something controversial. 

And if someone tries to start something controversial (like the city doesn't plow the streets and it is the fault of X party in power), then you quickly remember the time the snowplow almost ran over your mother.

That or baseball.  As George Carlin says, baseball is a peaceful game.

[Lisbeth]

That or baseball.  As George Carlin says, baseball is a peaceful game.

College football sure isn't!

Once, on New Year's Day, the couple who are my parents' best friends came to watch the bowl games with our family, and there was a history of "friendly rivalry" between our families-we'd root for opposing teams.  Unfortunately, that year it got to be unfriendly-it evolved into a shouting match between the wife and my brother, and he picked up a chair and threw it at the door, making a hole in it.  My brother was punished, but everyone agreed that the rivalry had gone too far and it's since been toned down.

On the other hand, this couple and my parents have totally opposite political leanings...

Sometimes I have to wonder what they find to talk about that makes them best friends.

[Venus193]

"Adventurous" or "exotic" eating including -- but not limited to -- a certain subject that's become very popular in recent horror movies.

Anyone doing this is no longer welcome to dine with me and I will walk out on them in public.

[kingsrings]

What was the name of that Leo DiCaprio movie about Howard Hughes?? In one scene, he attends a family dinner of his GF, Katherine Hepburn. As soon as they are all gathered at the table, her family immediately starts interrogating him about his political beliefs and spouting off on theirs. I cringed when I saw that because I can't imagine what a nightmare that would be in real life if it happened! Now that is definitely not dinnertime conversation, especially when one has guests.

[Lisbeth]

Weight loss, calories, cholesterol, free-range meat, and other metabolism-related topics

[Venus193]

What was the name of that Leo DiCaprio movie about Howard Hughes??

Isn't that The Aviator?

I so don't like this actor, so I didn't see this film.

[Kena]

A botched episiotomy and the ensuing struggles to deal (thank you, Aunt!)

Politics - Especially Conservatives vs. Liberals and Global Warming

Sex (Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte may talk about it at lunch...on a TV show!)

Religion (and lack thereof)

[magdalena]

Sex
Graphic descriptions of anything
Sermons on anything
Calories/fat content/how bad diet coke is for me/how terrible I am for eating meat
Gossip isn't nice, ever

I'd have to disagree about politics though, this being a cultural difference. I've hardly ever been to party here in Germany where someone did not discuss politics - and that's always a hit and hardly ever becomes an argument - it's a discussion and interesting