Welcome to Red Meat, the conservative news update you need from Odyssey stations across the country.

This is the place where we're not afraid to dig in.

Thanksgiving week kicks off the marathon of holiday gatherings, and that means you're going to be spending time with Uncle Reginald and Aunt Ratha, or whatever your version of them is.

Point being, you're going to have to make nice with people who disagree with you

or suffer the consequences.

Are you up for it?

Here's how to make holiday table discussions as painless as possible from KCBS Radio.

Politics and social media as incendiary as ever.

Well, you may be bracing yourself for disagreements and divisions.

Well, but for John A. Powell. More on this and his new book, The Power of Bridging. Powell joins us. I have a question here. Empathy and listening seems to be the first things that people should learn. I think that's very important. And to listen, you know, it's sort of like not just with your mind, with your heart. Sometimes we listen to criticize or to find out what's problematic with someone saying.

That's not the kind of listening we're talking about.

Now, what kind of bridging and how does it relate to having conversations that might veer into a disagreement?

Well, one thing that's important. Bridging doesn't mean you agree.

It doesn't mean you even like each other, but it does

mean you're willing to, as I say, listen empathetically. You're curious about the other person. You're

quoting them that they're a human being. They have their own story, their own feelings. And in fact,

oftentimes when we help people bridge, we have them start with personal stuff, not their position

on the issue,

not who they voted for, but what's important to them?

Do they have children?

Do they care about the children?

Have they lost someone recently?

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