Results 1 to 22 of 22

Thread: small talk

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    I've been waiting for you Satan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Behind you
    TIM
    sle sp/sx 845
    Posts
    4,925
    Mentioned
    146 Post(s)
    Tagged
    16 Thread(s)

    Default small talk

    how are you?

    did you do anything for easter.

    how was your weekend.

    have you got much planned for the weekend.

    etc etc etc

    all those kinds of questions..

    Now I've been thinking about such things a little bit recently. Different people respond with different amounts of information.

    I myself find I change how or what I say depending on who asks, and how they ask.

    Anyway, so it's only Tuesday, and so far three girls have asked me how easter was, and the first one kind of paused before hand, and wasn't too pushy, and I've seen her way more often.

    But then the second girl, I don't really remember her very well, but she seems kind of intrusive. And it's like she was ready to respond to me not doing much.

    Anyway, it's like to be honest, my weekend was pretty good in the end. And it's more that I'm hesitant to be "positive" with people, or to express too much...

    But anyway, it got me thinking. Like the other day my brother was saying that you're meant to just say "not too bad", "fine", "good" etc in response to questions like that.

    And i myself tend to be a fan of "not too bad", but with soem people, it's like they seem to actually try and push you to say more. And then some people if you ask them, they'll say more etc.

    Anyway, I happen to know with my brother for instance, that even with me, if I'm like "how are you", "how's it going", "what have you been up to" etc .. he's pretty brief. Whereas some other people can be quite "long".

    So anyway - like with some people - I can be really glib, and just throw out "how are you?" and people will kind of freeze on the spot for a moment, and "look different" and then suddenly start expressing how they are ...

    And it's like shit, is that what I was asking for. But at the same time, it's like you can get a handle on their state. Where they're at etc. But at the same time you can also kind of smooth over these things.

    I myself am not really an expert at these things. When I was young, I used to get asked how I was a lot. A *LOT*. It'd be like, someone would come up to me and be like "how are you doing?"

    And I'd be like, "I feel like punching something", or "You should learn to stop asking so many questions", or "If I wanted you to know I'd tell you".

    But like, sometimes I remember in my youth, that people would say "burned" and so on, if you responded like that.

    But really, how are you meant to respond, if people keep wanting to ask you how you are, how your weekend was blah blah, and try and pry into your affairs. I mean you could be like "I raped a cat, it screamed a lot, but I think it's going to live" or "You don't mean anything to me".

    But really at the end of the day, everyone's just trying to get along, get on, movement, steady movement, staying strong, staying alive blah blah.

    Where do you all stand on small talk.
    Last edited by Satan; 04-14-2009 at 03:34 AM.

  2. #2
    i'll tear down the sky Mattie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    South Florida
    TIM
    NeFi
    Posts
    1,105
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Small talk is typically a segue into something else, and usually the answer "wanted" is dependent on the type of setting/relationship you have with a person, I find. Typically, it goes along well with a greeting, and some people kinda just want to hear "Fine." or a very brief summary of events, and then move onto business or something relevant. I've never really felt pressured to go on with small talk with anyone expect for relatives I haven't seen in a while. I personally would only extend small talk to find a tangent to a better conversation and I can't seem to figure out how to approach someone. Small talk seems to only persist when someone has nothing really interesting to say, but for some reason wants/feels obligated to keep talking.

  3. #3
    Let's fly now Gilly's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    TIM
    3w4 sx/so
    Posts
    24,685
    Mentioned
    95 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Small talk is just awkward for me. It's like, if I don't really have anything interesting to say to you, then we're just pretending to be interested in each other, and I might as well get on with my life, and you too for that matter.
    But, for a certainty, back then,
    We loved so many, yet hated so much,
    We hurt others and were hurt ourselves...

    Yet even then, we ran like the wind,
    Whilst our laughter echoed,
    Under cerulean skies...

  4. #4
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    TIM
    /
    Posts
    7,038
    Mentioned
    175 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    small talk is evil.

  5. #5
    Hot Message FDG's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    North Italy
    TIM
    ENTj
    Posts
    16,615
    Mentioned
    235 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    I love small talk.
    Obsequium amicos, veritas odium parit

  6. #6
    Ezra's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    9,168
    Mentioned
    10 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    A friend of mine and I recently had a conversation. I was vehemently opposed to small talk, but then told me about the necessities of it. How you can't start a conversation with something deeper than such talk, and how in order to flow freely through the world, one needs small talk. And, for someone like me, who is aiming high in life, it is important. However, ironically, I actually find myself being able to naturally slip into small talk.

  7. #7
    God's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Everywhere
    Posts
    101
    Mentioned
    30 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Loki View Post
    small talk is evil.
    No.
    And it was good.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •