The world feels more and more bigoted and intolerant these days. How do you handle extreme comments from co-workers who don't know boundaries at work?

I have been stuck in a few political conversations where my colleague has had quite extreme views that made me super uncomfortable. I know I can't say what I think but also feels unfair having to stay quiet when people are being quite offensive.

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We've somehow gotten into a weird era where outright bigotry is now considered a legitimate political position. And people think "free speech" means they can spew whatever they want with no consequences. If the person says bigoted stuff to you, just let them know you don't appreciate it. There's probably nothing you can do to stop it, and if the workplace does nothing about it you just have to shrug it off. Which is not a great answer, but that's the reality of our current times.

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I'm not convinced that there is a good way to handle these things any more. I have stopped worrying about being polite and shut it down however I can. Walking away or changing the topic when possible is my go-to, but I have been known to outright say "I don't appreciate the hate your are displaying towards X group right now and I won't be continuing this conversation with you."

"I don't talk politics at work" is a full sentence and a good boundary. Almost nothing good can be gained from political conversations in the workplace. Even if you and your colleague are "on the same side", you could be making other people uncomfortable by discussing it openly. I just shut the conversation down and say it's not a workplace discussion.

That’s a really hard spot to be in, and I’ve been there too. When comments cross a line, I try to shut it down politely but firmly—something like, “I don’t think this is the right setting for that conversation.”

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