Infixion:
Any suggestions for an outnumbered, evolutionist, army-of-one?
You're getting some good ideas here. My two cents has to do with the family dynamic, not the subject of debate.
I would insist that all verbal discussions of these matters be conducted between two people. Only. I would politely but firmly refuse to be drawn into debates with a gang.
If they are so eager to talk to you about this, they will comply.
Ganging up is more than an attempt to talk to you. It is also a
performance they put on for each other. This performance--using you as the foil--could even be the higher priority for them.
The scene lets them gain status and build solidarity. Where tensions exist in their relationships with each other, you make a perfect lightning rod for discharging the negative energy.
It's impossible to have a productive conversation in this kind of scene. They're running interference for each other. None of them are going to concede anything with the others watching. If you get someone thinking, someone else will change the subject. It's pointless.
And the whole thing just reinforces a 3-against-1 picture of the family in which you are the odd one out. It's worth asking yourself who stands to gain the most from that picture.
That's why I think it's a good idea to insist that any conversation on these matters be a real dialog. Two people. No more.
Try it and the results might surprise you. The subject might never even come up again.
Archer
All species are transitional.
™ Version 4.2
