No Politics in the Radiology Reading Room

A decade or so ago, my lady got herself a professional-grade spray bottle. You have probably seen the type. It is a step above whatever most folks keep around the house for misting plants and the like. Amongst other features, its trigger has a zigzag shape that makes it look like the thing means business.

She taped a big, hand-written label onto the bottle: “Squirt bottle of indiscriminate justice.” It then accompanied her to family gatherings and her workplace, where she was a mid-level manager. With this visual aid, she informed everyone that, since they had seemingly lost the good sense not to engage in inflammatory political talk, culprits would get a squirting. It was very effective.

It wasn’t all that long ago that people didn’t need a light dousing to be reminded of this concept. There was an awareness that certain topics (politics, religion, and money being the big three) were not reliable subjects for polite conversation.

During the past few decades, it seems like that awareness, or at least respect for it, kind of fell by the wayside. My very subjective impression is that we had a brief window in which people got along decently in spite of that. Maybe not for complete strangers, but if you were talking to a friend or relative and it turned out they voted for someone you didn’t, it wouldn’t threaten your relationship.

That had stopped being the case by the time she equipped herself with the spray bottle. For various reasons not worth going into (I would put social media near the top of the list), folks got more comfortable not only expressing their personal opinions but also condemning anybody who didn’t share them. With increasing frequency, that condemnation was loud and vehement.

I am of the mind that long-term enjoyment of relationships with friends/fam needn’t be threatened by discovering that we don’t see eye-to-eye on everything. Certainly, I would value them over allegiance to some politician or talking head half a country away.

Not everyone feels the same way. Chances are that you have heard of people choosing ideology over social contacts, entirely carving others out of their lives. I have gotten the impression that, a lot of the time, it’s an indication that their relationships hadn’t been all that strong to begin with, or that mental/emotional issues were in play.

In personal life, one can navigate these waters as one sees fit. Avoid contact with anyone who thinks wrongly by your standards if you like, or expend infinite energy arguing with people whose opinions you aren’t going to change (and who won’t change yours), perhaps escalating until things get really nasty if not dangerous. You could try to unilaterally not engage at all, letting others sound off until they get the hint that certain topics won’t get meaningful replies from you.

Professional life is another story. For a lot of people, switching jobs isn’t a flip decision. It might not even be a viable option. Suppose, for instance, you are a “boots on the ground” radiologist, doing procedures and the like, and you have dedicated years of your career to working in the only medical center near where you live. Your spouse, kids, etc., are deeply attached to the area as well. You probably shouldn’t have to choose between uprooting your entire household versus routine political clashes with colleagues and ancillary staff.

Yes, freedom of speech is a thing. However, at work, one is being paid to do a job, not rabble-rouse. Even if you think you can simultaneously do both without a reduction in your performance, maybe the folks upon whom you are inflicting yourself can’t. Maybe it is a stressor or other distraction to them that, at any moment, someone like you might start sounding off about the latest political opinion piece.

Not all of them are likely to be your peers either and that takes a lot away from it being an exchange of ideas on equal footing. Maybe you don’t see any potential harm in envisioning yourself clashing sabers with a tech or a junior rad. How about if a department chair or managing partner with control over your future feels free to regularly browbeat you over being in political party X instead of Y? What if they do this in front of other rads and assorted staff?

Let’s put all of that aside and just assume it is a bunch of rads. Some of them are inclined to talk politics (or other contentious matters), and others are not. Perhaps the talk doesn’t even rise to the level of browbeating, harassment, or abuse. Regardless, it does often enough in other venues that it is a reasonable thing to make it verboten in the workplace. Consider it a “bad apples spoiled the bunch, and this is why we can’t have nice things” type of rule.

One might imagine no need for such official rules amongst adults, especially professionals. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I initially typed “mature” in front of the word “adults” but that is a big assumption. A mature adult, upon hearing someone else say that he or she would rather not discuss a particular subject (at work or elsewhere), would clam up, and a lot of people either don’t have that ability or the care to exercise it.

(Lest it need saying, obliquely referencing the undesired topic with statements like, “I know we can’t talk about [subject] because of your delicate sensibilities” isn’t any more mature or professional. Most people would actually consider it a step lower.)

For folks who simply can’t imagine going the length of a workday without sounding off, my suggestion would be using the same sort of social media that probably brought us to this juncture. Go online and argue to your heart’s content with complete strangers (some of whom at this point are just bots deployed for the sole purpose of ginning you up). Digitally vent your spleen as often as you need to.

Then come back to the real world, read some cases, and interact with your radiological brethren in ways that build the team up rather than tearing it down.