That seems like an incredibly selfish way of thinking.

You have everything to lose by _not_ talking about politics.

> That seems like an incredibly selfish way of thinking.

Not at all. Many times you will find yourself wanting to take action but it would be counter productive.

e.g. I had a superior leave a bunch of papers on my desk. I assumed they were for me and starting reading. It had a list of redundancies. Some of these people I knew and was quite friendly with. If I had told them, I could have potentially got myself in a bunch of shit. They would still have been made redundant whether I had warned them or not.

What is the benefit in that situation of warning them? That is your initial instinct right? There is none. I only hurt myself, and they do not benefit. Sometimes your involvement will be counter productive.

Sometimes it is not the right place, the right time, or you might not even be the right person to champion a cause.

BTW, If you have dependants e.g. Most parents prioritise them over their own lives. That is the opposite of being selfish.

> You have everything to lose by _not_ talking about politics.

Nonsense. I have no obligation to engage in political discussion and often engaging in it has a number of negative consequences.

Some families are estranged over divisive political issues. I was estranged from my family (I had substance abuse problems), I have since repaired that relationships. But I won't get that time back.

As previously stated you can talk about it outside of work. Politics is often talked about at length, in bars, clubs, between neighbours and online. Why does it also have to be at the place of work? There is a time and a place for things.