What *is* small talk, anyway? It’s not talk. It’s… a verbal placeholder. It’s like a linguistic speed bump. ‘How’s the weather?’ What do you want me to say? It’s… weather! It’s happening! It’s not plotting anything! ‘Did you have a good weekend?’ Define ‘good’! Was it ‘good’ like a successful heist? Or ‘good’ like I didn’t have to interact with anyone? The pressure! You’re supposed to come up with something engaging, but not *too* engaging. Just enough to avoid the terrifying abyss of silence. It’s a performance, really. A very low-stakes, high-awkwardness performance.
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