- Question
Should you maintain relationships with racist family members?
Should you keep a relationship with a family member who is racist? This entry maps the positions on the question — that you can, that you cannot do so ethically, and that it depends on the circumstances.
Yes, you can still maintain a relationship with a racist family member
This position holds that a family tie can survive serious moral disagreement, and that remaining in contact preserves the only standing from which the person is likely to be challenged rather than confirmed in the view.
No, you cannot ethically maintain a relationship with a racist family member
This position holds that continuing as before communicates acceptance whatever is said in private, and that the obligation owed to those the contempt is aimed at outweighs the claims of family on the person who holds it.
It depends, sometimes you can maintain a relationship with a racist family member
This position holds that no general answer is available: what can be maintained turns on how severe the conduct is, whether it is aimed at people inside the family, whether the person can be challenged, and on what terms the relatives most affected agree to.