Monday, March 26, 2018

Discussions

I may have mentioned this before. I really do have very peculiar notions of most things in life. No wonder whenever I am in a group of people, there is this air of people in a zoo looking at the duck-billed platypus or some such rarity. So, it really is no surprise that what I thought discussions meant was at wide variance from the rest of the world.

The problem, you see, is that I tend to take the meanings of words too seriously. So, yes, I used to think of discussions as happening between people who may or may not have opinions but are inclined to talk to other people to find out whether their opinions are right or whether they needed to change them. I know, I know, that's a pretty stupid idea of what discussions were all about.

I should have known better, I suppose. I mean, I do know that when people get together the main thing that interests them is how THEY impress other people. It is hardly ever about seeing how the others impress them but even THAT is possible. The idea of people actually wanting to LEARN from others to modify their opinions, unless it is something useful like how to make a chicken curry, is so ludicrous as to not be acceptable even in a fantasy trilogy.

If only I had known that, I would have known that whenever someone trots out an opinion, all he expects from me is appreciative noises and "How knowledgeable you are" and "How did you even think of this. Wonderful!" - all without even the remotest tinge of sarcasm in the tone. THAT's a discussion! A contra-opinion? Facts that oppose his conclusions? Are you mad? (Oh! Yes! There are most certainly discussions where there are people who love putting down other people's opinions in order to feel good about themselves. In which case, the following would be said by THEM and not by the guy who set this opinion game going.)

"Oh! If that is what you think" would greet you, if the man has some semblance of politeness.

"Well, obviously you know everything so why am I even trying to tell you things." if the chap feels truly irritated.

"Says the guy who thought that a black hole was a cigarette burn in his shirt" That, yes, would be the obnoxious lout whose only use for a sense of humor is to ridicule others, especially if it seems like they would prove him wrong. Strangely, though, that seems to be the most appreciated sense of humor, which goes to show that being able to look down on someone else for a change is quite a popular thing.

AND, if you ever get into this 'discussion' with the teens, you will get that wonder-word, "Whatever!"

So much for discussions. NOW I have understood what I am supposed to do.  Make appreciative noises . AND then comes technology to mess things up for me.

NOW, in social media, a discussion means groups of people lining up on either side of a fence and metaphorically throwing rotten eggs and tomatoes at each other.

By the time this new definition seeps fully into the real world, and Business starts genetically modifying hens and tomato plants to directly yield rotten eggs and tomatoes to keep up with the demand, I hope I will be the 'late so-and-so'.

What I am worried about is if it also hit the after-life. Then it will be inescapable for eternity.

I sure hope that Hawking is right and there IS no after-life, after all!

15 comments:

  1. Beautiful post and very relatable ..You have put into words what always runs in my mind when I see "discussions" happening on social media..No one ever agrees to disagree or is interested in another person's PoV. Any opinion opposing the popular view means we are bitter and can't appreciate good opinions ..very well written post as always ..strikes a chord

    If only I had known that, I would have known that whenever someone trots out an opinion, all he expects from me is appreciative noises and "How knowledgeable you are" and "How did you even think of this. Wonderful!" - all without even the remotest tinge of sarcasm in the tone. THAT's a discussion!//Fav lines

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  2. A very apt observation of the reality of social media and life. How polarized have we become that this is not a 'joke' post but a very accurate description?

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  3. In social media the arguments get very personal and drift away from the topic like a bottle in the sea . Its like dogs barking at night . Initially pretty disturbing but after some time it becomes a no use that people ignore. But the dogs continue to bark no matter what :D
    Hope no one comes at me with rotten eggs taking the literal meaning of my metaphors :D

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  4. Discussions are healthy if each is ready to listen to the other, other wise it ends up in proving ones belief is superior over the other.

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    1. I thought discussions meant the former only to discover that it almost invariably meant the latter. 😀

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  5. Silence is golden as the great muni's practice. (Mounis)

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  6. True. Even those who look to be accepting other's view do it to look magnanimous in public. They have no intention of learning anything from anyone.

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  7. Truth is not generally arrived through discussions. We all know deep inside what is the truth.

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    1. When you do KNOW the truth, sure. But it is altogether too easy to convince yourself that what you do know is the REAL truth :)

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  8. I share your views.
    But, sometimes appreciative noises or words aren't enough.
    Interesting discussion about discussions :)

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