Elephant in the room

The phrase elephant in the living room (or elephant in the room) is a colloquial way of referring to a large, obvious problem which, for some reason, nobody is willing to deal with or acknowledge directly. It often becomes a taboo subject, and anyone trying to address the matter is hushed up, shunned, belittled or even punished.

The elephant in the living room is viewed as a negative response where open and truthful dialogue is preferred.