> We're not just talking about the stereotype people standing around a water cooler declaring affiliations and throwing political talking points past each other

> We're not just talking about the stereotype people standing around a water cooler declaring affiliations and throwing political talking points past each other. Who said they aren't talking about just that? At one of my first jobs people got a bit upset in a discussion at some point about religion. My then boss said 'I have learned to never talk about politics and religion at work.'. He didn't forbid it, but the point is valid: why talk about things that gets people unreasonably fired up?