March 11: Let Me Say Something

"What's up?"

"How's it goin'?"

Two questions. Zero answers. What is this? This is the new accepted greeting? I ask you a question and you respond by asking me one? This is retarded. Period.

People are retarded. Nobody wants to hear what other people have to say. They just want to hear the sound of their own voices. You may or may not know that I have a freakishly good memory and one of the things I vividly remember thinking on a number of occasions while growing up was, "Why is this person even asking if he doesn't want to know the answer?" How did I know he or she didn't care? Because it was written all over the person's face every time I started to answer whatever the question was. Oh, you just wanted to ask me a question so that I would feel like I was a part of the conversation? Next time, don't bother.

People get on my case all the time because I ask a lot of questions. People aren't used to it. I think we've all experienced this pseudo-interest so we've adapted to consider it irregular to be presented with genuine curiosity.

When I ask what kind of Subway sandwich you purchased, I want to know what cheese you chose to compliment the meat with. Are you a mayo and mustard kind of person or do you prefer a dry sandwich? Do you like your bread toasted? It sounds a bit odd, but I want to know. What's wrong with that? People are so used to answering the same unoriginal and routine questions that it makes us inquisitive folk look like outsiders.

My biggest pet peeve in college was having to answer these unvarying questions on a daily basis. Whenever you meet someone in college, you have to ask him or her what course of study he or she is taking. "What's your major?" Then it's your turn to answer the same question. Isn't anyone interested in why a given major was chosen?! Nope. Time for the next question. "Where are you from?" Rinse, lather, and repeat.

Here's an experiment for you. The next time you find yourself in a situation where someone asks you how you're doing, give the cordial response and ask a unique question of them and watch them go. Throw in a few filler questions, nods, and maybe an "Mmm Hmm" and they will go all day. The funny thing is, they will have no clue that you're controlling the conversation without even being a part of it. Funny? That's the wrong adjective. It's disgusting.

So I'll sit here with my group of zero friends under this artificial light in front of my computer screen and I'll write a blog about it. I'll sit here in my neurotic self-pity complaining about the issues in life that no one thinks of or cares about and hope that someone reads my societal criticisms because after all, I just want to be heard.



Listening to Dido.