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Have you ever watched a program on television, read a book, or had a conversation with someone when suddenly a certain topic comes up in one way or another that makes you want to back off or change the subject?

Perhaps something bad happened to you a long time ago that related to said topic and ever since then, you can't stand it because it brings back bad memories. Or maybe you lost someone dear to you and that topic reminds you of them.

Maybe it was something not as dramatic but still painful in someway even if you weren't physically hurt yourself but maybe emotionally.

For me it would be topic pertaining to religion. I have nothing against religion or any anger toward the concept of belief. I'm not religious myself but due to some issues I had 3 years ago (I used to be religious-ish but something sad happened but the internet is cruel so I keep it to myself) I've become a little iffy around discussions and try to avoid them without being a bother to anyone else.

AAAAAAAAAAAny way, are there any topics, ideas or concepts that, for whatever rational or irrational reason, you feel uncomfortable discussing? Doesn't have to be something super deep or dramatic.

Religion.

Everyone in my family is religious, but not me (I'm Agnostic). My family doesn't know about it yet, and I plan to keep it that way for a while. I'm scared that I'll be disowned by my parents for changing faith, and I always find myself thinking about it when Religion is brought up.

So… yeah.

It feels horribly awkward when my family and I watch something that starts talking about sex.

It depends on who it's with. With really really close friends, if they're comfortable with it I'm comfortable talking about almost anything. The only consistent exception I can think of is self-harm and suicide. I can't handle discussion about those very well.

Family related stuff, especially about the problems inside my family. I feel when talking about that makes me look like a whiny kid, so I just tend not to talk about the topic

Other is anime related stuff, I never start the topic when talking with my friends. Trying not to be seen as an otaku or geek something like that. It's a different thing if the're the one who start the topic.

Same here.

I doubt I'd be disowned, but I still try to avoid the topic at all costs.
I still go to church when asked though.
Mostly because I'm too much of a pushover to say no.

Today in mt developmental psychology class we came withing inches of discussing the ethics of abortion and I was getting anxious just leading up to it. It's not that I feel incredibly strongly one way or the other on the topic but in a room of 200 people someone is bound to get upset by that subject so I'm pretty glad we got quickly back on track.

I don't like discussing politics, religion, or sexuality when around family, and I admit it's because when I learn some members of my family hold an opinion I don't agree with it feels awkward to be around them, and I don't want to start an argument.

This is more true around my step father's family, who I always see around Christmas. And yes I admit a big reason why: they're Southern Baptist, and lets just say Southern Baptists don't have a good reputation when it comes to certain things. This past Christmas Eve when visiting them somehow the subject of politics and such came up and one of my aunt's revealed she basically thinks Obama's evil because it was under his presidency that same sex marriage became legal in the US, and she also started to forbid one of her daughters from watching Good Luck Charlie (a Disney channel sitcom) because there was one episode that had a gay couple in it. She outright admitted she hopes a Republican wins the next election just because she thinks a Republican president will make same-sex marriage illegal.

I also remember years ago at the old church my mother and step-father attends the old pastor there did a rant on the show Modern Family because the show doesn't conform to "typical family values" because the show has a gay couple who adopts a kid.

I no longer attend the church my mother, step-father, and his family go to, it's become too obvious they clearly do not think highly of LGBT people at all, and in general I no longer attend churches of any denomination. I almost want to confess to my mother that I'm bisexual and transgender just to see if the knowledge her own child is an LGBT person will change how she and the rest of the step family thinks, but I'm always too afraid.

I live with my father at present, his family at least has a higher opinion of LGBT people.

I feel the same way. It feels to me no matter where you stand on the issue, it's a giant pair of loaded die just bound to give off negative vibes. At least when you announce you're a specific area on the political spectrum, people say "oh, so you're in favor of X, I can respect that". But it's like when you stand on ANY area in abortion, people respond with the opposite negative outlook. And believe me, this issue is one I've bounced around on the most.

{ She outright admitted she hopes a Republican wins the next election just because she thinks a Republican president will make same-sex marriage illegal. }

You should probably tell her who's leading right now lmfao.

I enjoy confrontational discussions so there's not much that I put off limits, but whenever you use the word "eugenics" even if you're talking about it in a completely non-invasive, not Hitler way people just shut down and stop listening and now you're a Nazi.

With family: Immigration in particular and politics we disagree on in general (as I suck at defending my positions in a real-time debate).

With my conservative friend: We can usually discuss politics in a civil fashion, but we've agreed that the issues of gun control, healthcare, and the death penalty are off-limits. Though I usually change the subject when he starts going into a tirade about how western civilization is on the brink of collapse.

In the comments section of this site: Gender and (to a lesser extent) race.

I hate talking about abortion. Not because I don't have an opinion on it, but because most people look at it in a black and white kind of way. Either you're "pro-life" or "pro-choice", which is funny because both are just euphemisms to try and justify their actions. There are sane people, but I don't really want to have to wade through all the "it's never right" or "it's always right" people.

Not too keen on discussing school or anything school-related with family, friends or even professors, yet I often have to do that. With friends, discussion about school tends to be easier though. Not too keen on talking about political or social issues either, with my family and here on this site; I really don't know a lot about these issues to provide input. On a more insignificant note, discussing certain musical genres, anime, video games or memes is kinda difficult with my primary group of friends, since they likely won't know 90% of the crap I talk about. At least we discuss philosophy in a decent manner.

I have zero qualms with discussing politics and religion usually. What I tend to keep to myself, unless the person asking is a good friend, are my ambitions and such. They're not far-fetched or bizarre by any stretch of the imagination, but unless someone is interviewing me for a job, I'd rather they stay well away from poking their nose into my plans for the future.

Late nights when I am by myself and my head is spinning from various intoxication, I am often finding myself disturbed having conversations with forces beyond the veil.

The only thing I don't talk about with most people in real life is my sexuality, other than that I'm extremely open to any discussion. I come from a family that loves to discuss religion and politics, so we talk about abortion, gay marriage, war, etc. I'm even really outspoken in debates outside family and close friends, in high school (haven't had any chances for "discussion" in college yet) I was always one of the first to voice their opinion on a topic and the teachers pretty much assumed I was going to say something that would piss people off. Online, I don't really like to debate because of how inconvenient it is to type and wait for replies, and I can't yell over top of people, so I don't usually get into long debates. Unless its about abortion, the death penalty or religion, because those are so important to me. But I end up talking about sex online because I don't really get a chance to in real life.

you could say I'm high energy

I'm pretty open about most stuff but there are some private things to myself that I usually keep to myself. I'm pretty notorious though that if I do come out about myself to certain people that I'm a lot more open about it, but it's more because I'm pretty nervous about being judged. I wish I could be more open to be honest because it's pretty stressful worrying about what other people will think.

I don't like to talk about politics and religion. But, if they reach to me and ask this or that, my posture is fully neutral, sometimes giving ambiguous answers and others times saying "ok", "sure", "yeah" or "whatever" to end things quickly. Nevertheless, I respect the perspectives of others when, say, my family or my friends discuss about them.

I'm very lucky to have parents who are religious and yet are still tolerant of other other lifestyles and religions, though I wouldn't call them supportive. I got a bit uncomfortable while talking to my dad about how gay marriage / trans ops are the gateway to polygamy and so on. Even though I know he was going to the most exaggerated outcome and he doesn't sincerely believe that'll happen, it still felt uncomfortable to hear. I just don't know where I stand on said issues. I'm kinda in the "tolerate but don't support" boat of it.

One topic I'm just utterly tired of hearing is gun control. At this point it's a bunch of shouting half-true facts with the goal utterly muddied by appeals to emotion and trivial statistics. It makes me uncomfortable to hear the same arguments over and over without any meaning behind them. Like everyone's arguing a point, but no outright clear solutions are being given.

I'm generally very uncomfortable talking politics or religion around my parents.
I get the feeling my mother supports political systems I don't such as Marxism which makes me feel uncomfortable.
Religion is also shifty because none of us are religious but I feel my parents may be too much in the anti-religion side.
Makes me feel glad that 2nd year of uni is starting again.

When your parents keep interrogating you on why you are in your 20's, but you aren't married with 4 children and enrolled in the army like they were, and their parents, and their grandparents and you wanna be nice, but you want to say something like "maybe because life is worth living now? idk tho"

Politics, race and gender. I hate the division it always causes, and I hate arguing in general. I think I just lost an old friend over a stupid fight my friends and I had over a stupid stupid topic regarding comics.

Race, whenever people talk about race it reminds that I'm mixed, and that I don't belong anywhere.

I can't quite relate, but I spent a large chunk of my life (even into adulthood) feeling some kind of way about being a black guy who acts "white." Living in a city like Atlanta helped with that. Being "Black" doesn't just mean being a certain way.

For me, I don't like discussing anything that's questionably legal or illegal even objectively.

I'd say more, but I don't feel comfortable talking about it.

My relationship status.

Like, mind your own business, mom, dad, grandma, friends, strangers, cats, dogs, aliens, ghosts, etc.