32 lines
2.0 KiB
HTML
32 lines
2.0 KiB
HTML
|
<p>In my post about the television I mentioned very briefly the issue of
|
||
|
|
'small talk'. First, I would like to make it clear that I am not talking
|
||
|
|
about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalltalk" target="_blank" >SmallTalk</a>
|
||
|
|
language, but rather the social phenomenon where two or more people begin
|
||
|
|
a conversation on some of the most pointless and dull topics ever. It's
|
||
|
|
always a topic that for the most part <b>everyone can agree with</b> and is
|
||
|
|
therefore a <b>pointless conversation</b>. It's always about the weather, who
|
||
|
|
won the latest sports event, what popular events are coming up, and (if
|
||
|
|
you're Spanish) the most recent corruption scandal. Never any analysis,
|
||
|
|
never any discussion, and most of all <b>there should never be
|
||
|
|
disagreement!</b> Because for some reason disagreeing on something with
|
||
|
|
someone else is 'a bad thing'. I disagree with people all the time, these
|
||
|
|
people mostly being my friends! So how are you going to tell me that
|
||
|
|
disagreeing with someone on something will make a relationship between two
|
||
|
|
people go downhill? I'd rather discuss and disagree with someone on an
|
||
|
|
in-depth topic than constantly agree with someone that it's a rainy day
|
||
|
|
outside and that the forecast is looking better for next week.</p>
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
<p>Of course, I do understand that you can't just go up to someone and start
|
||
|
|
talking about Keynesian economics, you have to find out if they have any
|
||
|
|
interest in economics first. What I hate is when people start using small
|
||
|
|
talk for <b>all</b> their conversations with another individual. By the
|
||
|
|
second time we meet we should already be able to get started with the
|
||
|
|
deeper stuff. We don't need to keep rescratching the surface, it's time
|
||
|
|
to get the shovel and dig deep.</p>
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
<p>But for some reason people are afraid of disagreement, they don't want to
|
||
|
|
march into uncharted waters where their opinions are at stake of being
|
||
|
|
disproven by reason and evidence (in which case your opinions are most
|
||
|
|
likely either wrong, incomplete, or unfounded to begin with).</p>
|
||
|
|
|