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I truly don't mean to be dense--this thread is so foreign to me that I am genuinely curious. To me, the term "post nasal drip" is a very non-offensive euphemism. It doesn't even sound graphic or gross. Do you consider it rude if someone references the "restroom" because you know what's going on in there?
"Menopause" and "monthly cycle" or "period" seem the same to me as "post nasal drip" and "restroom": euphemisms. If someone was chit-chatting about "vaginal dryness" or "especially pungent menstrual discharge" or "thick green mucus" or "the crapper" I would be much more bothered by their conversation.
No, I don't consider it rude to say you have to go to the restroom
Yes, "period" and "post nasal drip" may be euphemistic phrases, but my point is why, oh, why do people decide that's a nice thing to chat about in the kitchen in the office? By the way, even if "post nasal drip" is non-offensive, it's still causes one to conjure up a pretty disgusting image in one's mind. I usually say "Eww, that sounds like a really bad new cereal."
Again, if friends are talking about it, with each other, no problem. Enjoy. But I keep getting people who decide to approach me with casual small talk about bodily functions. The insides of one's nasal passages should not be on the list of go-to topics.
I'm even noticing social media "friends" posting about their allergies now. Come on, it's allergies, just take a pill, blow your nose, and deal with it. Get back to taking pictures of your food and bragging about your kids and expensive vacations folks!
No, I don't consider it rude to say you have to go to the restroom
Yes, "period" and "post nasal drip" may be euphemistic phrases, but my point is why, oh, why do people decide that's a nice thing to chat about in the kitchen in the office? By the way, even if "post nasal drip" is non-offensive, it's still causes one to conjure up a pretty disgusting image in one's mind. I usually say "Eww, that sounds like a really bad new cereal."
Again, if friends are talking about it, with each other, no problem. Enjoy. But I keep getting people who decide to approach me with casual small talk about bodily functions. The insides of one's nasal passages should not be on the list of go-to topics.
I'm even noticing social media "friends" posting about their allergies now. Come on, it's allergies, just take a pill, blow your nose, and deal with it. Get back to taking pictures of your food and bragging about your kids and expensive vacations folks!
Blabby Betty: "I swear I was in labor for 32 hours, I was sweating like a pig and hadn't taken a bath the day before. I'm sure I smelled like the bottom of a garbage can".
...
Betty: "Thank god the birth video wasn't smell-o-vision. I thought my husband was gonna puke."
I wonder if we worked in the same place! OMG, the gruesome stories. If the conversation was already underway in the break room when I went to eat lunch I'd just turn around and go eat somewhere else. Sometimes, though, I'd be in there first and the birth-oversharers would come in and start with the "who had it worst" comparisons, usually for the benefit (?) of whichever coworker was pregnant at the time. One day I finally said "Stop, I'm trying to enjoy my lunch here and don't want to hear this! Let me finish eating first!" For a while there was some teasing: "Oh, SK's here, no childbirth stories!" but they kept a lid on it until I wasn't around.
I too was raised with the idea that oversharing is bad manners. I'm also lousy at small talk. Are the two related? Probably to some degree.
Post-nasal drip doesn't seem private or gross to me. But then, I'm an allergies person. I wouldn't mention anything to do with menstruation in mixed company, or refer to gastrointestinal issues (except perhaps to say I feel "unwell"). If a health issue doesn't affect my reproductive system or certain parts of my digestive system or my psychological welfare, I don't think of it as private.
I think women tend to bond over childbirth stories. I probably would, too, if I had children. I'm uncomfortable about such talk in mixed company, though.
Certainly! And though it may seem annoying, it's human nature and actually does serve a purpose: sharing and bonding.
Humans are a social species. Even those of us who believe we're "antisocial" are for the most part not, in a strict sense, particularly as compared to antisocial behavior across the animal kingdom (which can literally mean death to an approacher). The percentage of such human individuals is absolutely tiny.
Having evolved socially - i.e. we do much, much better in groups or at least when we have "backup" - our instinct is to make, develop or continue relationships or at the very least, associations. Also being a verbal species, we frequently use language, specifically, to do that.
So even though that small talk may mean nothing to you - indeed, it may not even mean much to the person delivering it! - it is very normal, natural and very, very Homo sapiens sapiens.
Now, some people do this more than others, obviously. And some people just can't shut up, period. There can be a number of reasons for this. The person may just naturally be more chatty. Or s/he may need more attention than the average person. Or s/he may be extremely lonely. There can be a lot of reasons, but just the act of making small talk about non-essential information is NOT weird or evidence of issues or anything like that. It is very normal and natural. It's our version of licking one another's fur and picking nits off one another's scalp.
No it isn't. It's bad breeding and a total lack of boundaries.
No it isn't. It's bad breeding and a total lack of boundaries.
Nope.
I think I explained it pretty well. It's societal and partially biological, and is a very normal phenomenon among social species (non-essential communication, whether verbally - as with humans - or non-verbally).
Obviously, this will be an umbrella, with people wishing to divulge different sorts of information and unwilling to go past a certain point depending upon their own personalities and experiences. If you push on despite having been told "I don't want to talk about that" (no hints, no games), that's a lack of boundaries. And manners. But just the discourse itself? And the act of engaging in it? No indeed. The desire to engage another person and receive responses is far from bad manners and is quite natural.
It surely is not bad "breeding," LOL. I'm not sure what you mean by that but it can't be good.
Sharing of the type being discussed comes down to a matter of who, where, and when. And some people just don't have a clue.
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