It’s been a long day, and you are just not feeling the stairs. So, shakily justifying your reason for taking the elevator, you enjoy your ride up (to the first floor but hey- no judgment). However, you, the socially awkward, I-don’t-want-to-talk-to-you-because-I-already-have-awesome-friends- that-you-could-never-compare-to, are jolted by the screechy “HEYYYYY!” from a girl whose name you cannot remember. Happy elevator ride to you.
I experience this on a regular basis, and I know my friends do too. But when did it become so taboo to have friendly conversation with people? We would much rather just bury our face in our phones instead of having to– gasp–make casual chit-chat.
Now, my personal favorite excuse that I use is, “I hate small talk. Point blank period.” But is being friendly really small talk? What’s the difference?
Small talk is when there is no real purpose to the conversation, just a way to pass the time. For example, “Wow, the weather in the Bend is particularly sucky today.” Or, “Where ya from?” Or, if you’re at Notre Dame, “You single?”
Now, this could be seen as small talk to some, but maybe it’s just your average Jo-Ann (not Joe- we go to an all girls’ school) trying to be friendly. We don’t really have the ability to judge whether the conversation has a purpose or not.
So I propose a challenge, Smicks. Let’s all strike up that awkward small talk- it could be the start to a great friendship, you never know.