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It’s the holiday season, which — in hyper-polarized 2025 — means familial estrangement is in the air.
Or, as the kids raised in therapized society call it, “going no contact.”
Such splits have become so commonplace that Oprah Winfrey recently hosted an entire episode of her podcast to the trend.
In “The Oprah Podcast” episode, therapist Dr. Joshua Coleman explained that “there’s been a radical change in the way we think about family.” Cutting them off, he lamented, is now seen as “a virtuous act of protecting your mental health.”
So, of course, it’s being exploited on social media.
Look no further than insufferable Arielle Fodor, aka Mrs. Frazzled, a lefty influencer who “gentle parents” adults through life situations. Her shtick is to have conversations with an imaginary person, and she plays the part of a condescending kindergarten teacher.
We know her from the infamous “white women for Kamala” Zoom call, when she urged her Caucasian sisters to shut up if there is someone with darker skin in the room.
“If you find yourself talking over or speaking for BIPOC individuals or, God forbid, correcting them, just take a beat,” she said. “And instead we can put our listening ears on.”
One of her most recent bits was lecturing an imaginary transphobic relative on Thanksgiving. She also tweeted, before apparently deleting it:
“Sending so much love to everyone who has to spend time with family members who are in a cult, and sending love to people who have chosen to walk away from them.”
Silly me, I thought cult members were the ones who want to tear people away from their families.
In another video that went viral last month, a young lefty woman explained that she was skipping turkey day with her conservative family.
“This is no longer about politics. This is about human rights,” she said as if reading right out of the “no contact” textbook.
When this woman’s parents have passed, and Donald Trump is long out of the White House and all she has left are estrangements, at least she’ll have that virtue signaling video to hug.
No wonder we have a loneliness epidemic.
After Trump was elected last November, “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin said she was in favor of ideological segregation for the holidays. “Star Trek” actor George Takei urged people to “turn away” from Trump voters on X. Former MSNBC host Joy Reid acted like political family estrangements were doctor’s orders.
Yale psychiatrist Dr. Amanda Calhoun said it was OK to shun Trumpers in the family. But it was the doc who needed the check-up from the neck up.
And while it’s becoming common practice in lefty loony circles, Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna is just as bad.
“Next year, I think I’m going to hold a contest to show up at someone’s Thanksgiving day dinner to debate their leftist family members,” she wrote on X. “What do you think?”
Since she’s asking, I think the Floridian sounds like a loser who needs better priorities.
As we move deeper into the holiday season, here’s a reminder: Don’t be like these pathetic fools. Do not cut off family or friends because of political disagreements. And beware of anyone who encourages such behavior.
Holidays are stressful enough without having to bring your best political talking points. There are better things to fight over, like inheritances and who got the last dessert.
Family relationships are flawed and, yes, they can be fraught. But they’re also special — forged through a generational story, not a shared political opinion.
Far more special than a parasocial relationship with your favorite political influencer, who doesn’t know you exist. Because Mrs. Frazzled isn’t inviting you to dinner.
