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1. People are trying to show an interest in you by asking what you do for a living. Is this any more intrusive than asking you what book you last read, or what movie you last saw? If that is the only question you can ask in order to start a conversation, perhaps your conversation should have ended a long time ago. 2. Who wants to talk about their reading habits or movie preferences with complete strangers anyway? Most of them do not care about your long term goals. Maybe you should not attened the party.
1. I never said I start conversations with questions about what book or movie someone last saw. 2. If people don't care about my long term goals, then why are they asking me about my job title and goals?? You say they ask me what I do to show interest in me, yet you claim they don't care about my long term goals. This doesn't make sense.
[quote=RedneksRdum;32471485]I don't really find that offensive to be honest, but IMHO, people have gotten a bit more nosy if you will, since I was young anyway. Asking people how much they make, how much they paid for this or that, etc.
But about my occupation? That is not too intrusive I suppose.[/QUOTE]
Only because once they glean your occupation they've automatically put you in their pidgeon-hole regarding both your success and social standing. You know, that phony class thingy America overthrew the Brits to supposedly rid themselves of?
They're not the least bit interested in your personal welfare; they're asking to assign you a value either lower or higher than themselves. It's all about their comfort zone, NOT yours..
Telling them you're simply a machinist but neglecting to mention you own your own jobbing shop and employ 40 people, leads to all sorts of negative reaction until they see you leave the evening dinner and climb into your late model Porche, THEN they'll immediately come over to attempt to perform a re-set function. Too late, that trains already left the station.
I've had much more stimulating conversation with people who make no attempt to garner personal info of any kind from me. There is no legitimacy to being interested in a person and immediately asking them what they do for a living; none whatsoever!
1. I never said I start conversations with questions about what book or movie someone last saw. 2. If people don't care about my long term goals, then why are they asking me about my job title and goals?? You say they ask me what I do to show interest in me, yet you claim they don't care about my long term goals. This doesn't make sense.
The OP said she "heard" that the French initiate conversations by asking a person what book they've most recently read.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RedneksRdum
I don't really find that offensive to be honest, but IMHO, people have gotten a bit more nosy if you will, since I was young anyway. Asking people how much they make, how much they paid for this or that, etc.
But about my occupation? That is not too intrusive I suppose.
No one is advocating asking a total stranger what they make or how much they paid for something.
1. People are trying to show an interest in you by asking what you do for a living. Is this any more intrusive than asking you what book you last read, or what movie you last saw?
Might on some contexts, it could sound like you're being asked "how succesful you are".
Might on some contexts, it could sound like you're being asked "how succesful you are".
That is exactly the kind of context I am talking about. You would think that if they were genuinely interested in me, then they wouldn't have to ask what I do for a living.
1. I never said I start conversations with questions about what book or movie someone last saw. 2. If people don't care about my long term goals, then why are they asking me about my job title and goals?? You say they ask me what I do to show interest in me, yet you claim they don't care about my long term goals. This doesn't make sense.
I don't think that at your bf's Christmas party anyone will be really interested in your long term goals. They may be interested to learn you're a college student.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kal103020
That is exactly the kind of context I am talking about. You would think that if they were genuinely interested in me, then they wouldn't have to ask what I do for a living.
Right, because who would care what kind of work someone you are interested in is doing? I mean, how uninteresting!
I don't think that at your bf's Christmas party anyone will be really interested in your long term goals. They may be interested to learn you're a college student.
Right, because who would care what kind of work someone you are interested in is doing? I mean, how uninteresting!
Actually that is exactly my point. I don't think that people should be measured up by their job titles. When near-strangers ask you what you do for a living and what your goals are after college, it suggests that that is the way they are measuring just how interesting you are to them. But in my opinion there's more to life and who you are besides your line of work.
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