We live in a world of small-talk. That pisses me off. Our species has not only evolved the ability to understand abstract concepts, but to communicate them through the half-assed manipulation of our mouth-flaps and fingertips.
We squander this gift of communication when we ask questions we already have answers for, or worse yet, if we seek answers to questions we don't even care about.
Here's how this sub works: Ask a thought-provoking question to start a discussion, or make a challenging statement to start a debate. Your goal should not be to make jokes, ask leading questions, fill the air, or to troll people. My goal with this sub is to host meaningful discourse when it can be found, and none at all when it can not.
So with all that said, I'll start us off: How often do you practice small-talk? Why do you think we practice it at all? At what point (if at all) does it become harmful?
The people I naturally would avoid LOVE to talk about themselves. Think co-workers or casual acquaintances or some family. Small talk is a token effort where I don't end up fully engaged and can shrug off things they say that would otherwise irritate me. As a result I network well and am well liked merely for occupying space and listening. Not a bad deal. I'm an introvert so I gel better with other introverts who usually aren't prone to making constant small talk. We have less total time of interaction but cover more varied ground.