We live in a social hellscape littered with talking heads, salesmen at the quota crisis point and acquaintances whose names we can’t remember. We recognize that the exchange of pleasantries must be endured for the world to work, and most of these conversations are well-rehearsed dances—routines that get the job done. But all too many others play out like cringe-inducing conga lines. Oh, the awkwardness! And then the ennui! Dealing with other people can make each day feel like a Double Dare-style obstacle course (look it up, youngs!), with a grand prize of merely not going to jail for assault at the end of it.
Which brings us to an important question: Why is everybody always the worst all the time? Not just strangers and acquaintances, but even friends and family!¹ Perhaps it’s because we’ve all gotten used to the idea of having so many lines of communication available, on our own timetables, all the time. Human conversation can feel so… obsolete these days. Conceivably, you could wear headphones and communicate in pantomime, waving off anyone interrupting each precious “doing” of “something,“ the better to be left alone. If you wanted to be a dick about it, you could never have another boring conversation again.
