Thursday, March 13, 2008

Who Doesn't Enjoy Talking About Themselves?

I don't, actually. I just finally updated my profile to include some content.

Sometimes I wonder if people think that because I don't ask them questions about themselves in social situations, I'm being rude. I like hearing other people talk about themselves, but I don't inquire very often because I don't want to be nosey about the wrong thing or put people on the spot about something. Does anyone else think like that?

7 comments:

Randal Graves said...

This is one reason why I tend to avoid social situations if I can help it. Plus, the standard icebreaker is among the worst questions possible: "so, what do you do?"

My Inner French Girl said...

Dear AS, yeah, I'm with Randal. I've found that the only thing I do really well in social situations is to get people to talk about themselves. Of course, not that that's such a big feat. Most people like to talk about themselves.

However, when I'm with my husband, I do tend to ramble on and on and on...usually with the same stories he's heard a million times before.

Salut,
Marjorie

p.s. And why do we blog if not to talk about ourselves?

Anonymous said...

Randal - I hate that question. I feel like I just sound fake and pretentious when I ask that. It's hard to think of a good substitute that isn't lame or nosey though. ;P

Marjorie - I'm the same way - I ramble on to my husband all the time but I often clam up when I'm around other people.

haha yeah I know what you mean (about why we blog) but I was just thinking this morning about why I blog. I don't really get too personal (and the only reason I filled in my profile is in case certain interests are in common with others who might consider reading and commenting)...a big reason I blog is just to keep my mind active and interested in things beyond the daily grind! It gives me an excuse to spend some time really thinking about things that are interesting to me! Having a blog keeps me more accountable than having a journal - I'd never have the will power to stick to journaling and would slip into uninspired daily routines again.

Anonymous said...

Thankfully, having a son gives me a nifty excuse from attending social events (or leaving it early). The one Chritmas party we went to, I can count in one hand the number of strangers I spoke with.

I try not to overthink the conversation though. If they ask me a question (which I'm usually willing to answer), then I'll assume it's OK to ask the same to them. The awkward part is when I want to excuse myself...

Anonymous said...

Joanne, that's a really good rule of thumb - that anything they're comfortable asking YOU about is fair game.

That's nice to have a respectable excuse for leaving (or not attending) too. ;)

My Inner French Girl said...

Dear AS, that's true. For awhile -- especially after the New York Times article came out -- I became a bit more self-conscious about what I wrote, sometimes agonizing over what could be a more personal post than I intended. But then I thought, oh, what the hell, it's my freaking blog, I can write whatever the heck I want. It's not as if I'm getting paid for this.

And like you, I use this to give me more mental space to really expand on some of the things I have rolling around in my brain, anything from history to fashion to art and literature. Sometimes I stumble and rush through life just a little too quickly for any kind of self-reflection, and my blog allows me to slow down a bit and consider the big picture.

Salut,
Marjorie

Astarte's Student said...

"Slow down and consider the big picture" - I agree!