RUSH: This is Sam in Jupiter. Jupiter, Florida. Great to have you, Sam. How you doing?
CALLER: I’m good. How are you?
RUSH: I couldn’t be better. Thank you.
CALLER: (chuckles) So I’m a recent college graduate, and my question today: I’m going into the scientific industry, and I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I can’t be a Republican or conservative, being my age and being a woman in my industry. And I was wondering kind of how to keep politics out of the workplace and how to react to these people that tell me I’m terrible and stuff like that. (chuckles)
RUSH: It’s not hard to keep politics out of it. The problem is that the left, the people telling you who you can’t be and what you can’t be. They’re the ones that politicize everything.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: They’re the ones that — whether they know it or not — are gonna be taunting you. They’re gonna be insulting you, if they find out. How many people are gonna be where you’re working?
CALLER: I’ll be working in a lab. So it’s about 20 of us. But my mom is in politics so oftentimes people find out about it whether I try and bring it up or not. But I’ve had people find out about it and somewhat kind of dismiss me, just because of my family and it’s very disturbing.
RUSH: You have got the job, though?
CALLER: Yes, I have the job.
RUSH: Okay. Even with that you have people telling you that you can’t do this because of your politics?
CALLER: Yeah, and they’ve told me that I’m gonna need to change my political views if I’m ever going to be successful at my job.
RUSH: Are these people who are your bosses or coworkers?
CALLER: They’ve been in positions above me.
RUSH: That you’re gonna have to change your politics.
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: I assume that you really love what you do?
CALLER: I love what I do, and I do what I love, because I want to help people through research. So it’s frustrating. (chuckles)
RUSH: Oh, I… Look, I understand totally. I appreciate personally what you’re encountering here, and the temptation… You don’t want to have to hide your beliefs. You don’t want to have to hide who you are. You don’t want to ram it down people’s throats, either.
CALLER: Right!
RUSH: But that’s what they do.
CALLER: Right.
RUSH: They’re in the process of right now of ramming it down your throat what you can and can’t be. They’re trying to manipulate you, humiliate you — intimidate you, really, is what they’re trying to do. You can withstand this with your natural charm and your non- and unthreatening personality and stature, if you just focus on the job.
CALLER: I’m going to!
RUSH: And when they throw this garbage at you, just smile.
CALLER: (chuckles)
RUSH: you don’t have to react to it. Just smile.
CALLER: I like that.
RUSH: Just smile. And whatever you do… You like the job, so you want to keep doing the job. You want to do the job for whoever benefits from it, including you.
CALLER: Mmm-hmm.
RUSH: So don’t fall prey to the taunts that are inevitable. If they find out who you are and what you believe, they’ll come up and something will happen with Trump or something and they’ll try to make you feel like a fool and try to make you feel bad, just smile.
CALLER: Just smile. I like that. (chuckling)
RUSH: Just smile at them. Smiling is disarming.
CALLER: (chuckling) Kill them with kindness.
RUSH: You’ll get to the point they will think your smiling at them is your attempt to dominate them and to manipulate them or intimidate them. But if they’re in positions of authority over you, there’s nothing you can do about that. You have to abide by whatever superiors tell you as long as you can. But —
CALLER: Mmm-hmm. Do I have to agree with what they’re saying or just keep the smile thing?
RUSH: Well, depends if you want to try to fake it to disarm them, then you better be prepared to fake it every day thereafter.
CALLER: Mmm-hmm.
RUSH: If you’re gonna try to fake that you’re not who you are politically, if you’re gonna try to fake that you agree with them —
CALLER: Which isn’t good! (chuckles)
RUSH: — you can have fun doing that, you know.
CALLER: (laughing)
RUSH: I couldn’t! (laughing) I couldn’t.
CALLER: I don’t think I could, either. (laughing)
RUSH: But just smile at them and I guarantee you there are gonna be times it’s gonna be hard as hell. They are gonna tick you off, ’cause these people are not… I mean, they may be bright at what they do but some of the things they believe betray what you would think is natural intelligence. “How could somebody think the way they do?” But that’s what they’re gonna think about you at the same time.
CALLER: Mmm-hmm.
RUSH: I would just smile at them and do the work and let your work at this place, your scientific research speak for itself. But it’s still gonna be, if they’re already telling you, “You can’t do it!” If they’re already telling you, “You can’t be who you are and do this job at the same time, there’s a part of you,” you know, you are no doubt saying, “Who the hell do you people think you are, anyway?” Right?
CALLER: Mmm-hmm.
RUSH: And —
CALLER: Thank you so much.
RUSH: You’re welcome. I know it’ll work, as long as you stay focused on the job.
CALLER: All right.
RUSH: If it doesn’t, if something goes wrong, call us back. You have resources here.
CALLER: Thank you.
RUSH: All right. Thanks very much, Sam.
CALLER: Thank you!
RUSH: You bet. Have a great rest of the day and weekend.