HOUSTON — We know some people are finding it hard to talk openly about the impeachment inquiry.
But we learned it not because people aren't interested in what's happening in Washington D.C. or that they don't want to talk about it. We learned it's because so many people are afraid to speak publicly given the political climate.
KHOU reporter Melissa Correa tried for two full days to get Houston to talk about the impeachment inquiry.
She tried to sit in on conversations happening around Houston restaurant tables. She approached people on the street to see how they're approaching the political topic.
Everyone said they were not interested in talking about it on television. In fact, two people physically ran from the news crew.
People shared that they worry if they openly talk about politics they will be alienated by customers, or friends or even their employer.
So bring on an unscientific social experiment!
Downtown provided the foot traffic and KHOU provided the opportunity for Houston to be heard.
The question: Will you talk about the impeachment inquiry with your family, friends or coworkers?
Drop a plastic brick in one vase to answer "yes" or drop a plastic brick in a second vase to answer "no."
"Politics has always been a touchy subject, but in the last couple of years it has turned into an incendiary subject," said Bill Prasad, KHOU's Mental Health Expert. "Fear that if you say something, there will be immediate retaliation that perhaps you’ll lose customers or you’ll friends. That’s what people are afraid of."
Prasad understands why we need to offer people an anonymous option in order to gain perspective.
"It says that we have become fractured as a society. That we no longer see someone who disagrees with us as simply someone who is expressing another opinion," said Prasad. "We see them as the enemy."
A majority of the people who passed by our table setup behind Houston City Hall read our question and declined to answer. But others, felt empowered by the chance to secretly speak up.
And, social media paints a totally different picture. You can scroll through post after post and find thousands of people who are publicly offering their two-cents on today's political climate.
"If you share it on social media you avoid a face-to-face confrontation. There’s a certain amount of courage, I guess, that goes along with, perhaps, posting it as opposed to seeing the person face-to-face."
So social media and talking about politics openly on television are two totally different things, which is why with an impeachment inquiry pending, so many people are being extra cautious about talking politics in public.
"Fear is the fresh meat of politics," said Prasad. "We’ve seen this over the decades. It’s gotten worse now. That fear has been infused upon us."
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