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Most people like to find a thread that ties humanity together... sometimes talking about silly, everyday kind of things is that thread. "Hey, I do that, too." <----That right there. I think it boils down to that.
In the City-Data Retirement Forum there is a Chat Thread; it is a cool place because we don't have to be worried about staying on-topic. I have posted there about books, movies, commented on City-Data itself, even told jokes.
But there is something I don't understand. Many posters, mostly female, post about and are interested in the posts of others concerning the most trivial, mundane, boring aspects of daily life: What they ate for dinner, where they went with the grandkids, taking a sick pet to the vet, what the weather is or is forecast to be, how many dogs they saw on their morning walk, etc. Why is that? What is the interest of it? (O.K., if the weather is especially violent or unusual that is a different matter and becomes of general interest). I can't get interested in what a total stranger had for dinner.
I don't make objections to those posts in the Chat Thread because, hey, it's a chat thread, so anything goes as long as the City-Data rules are observed. But I am greatly puzzled why there is such a high volume of absolute trivia, and I am hoping that posters here will be able to shed some light on this phenomenon.
Do people have no life of the mind, no real adventures or significant happenings in their lives? If so, perhaps the meaningless trivia is all there is and people validate each other by relating their trivia? Help me with this.
I also get that question but If there were no women, men would be simply drinking beer and killing each other..
[quote=Escort Rider;43840059]^^^^^^ To Animalcrazy: Thank you for your insightful and thoughful post. In additional to its considerable merit, it proves we can provide an alternative point of view without resorting to nastiness, hostility, or insults.
Thank you dear one. Yes I feel that's the way it should be as well, but here we go with that slice of life thingie again.
They are bored and/or have no friends in real life to talk to.
And making remarks such as this is indicative of someone who has a rich and full life.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Escort Rider
I wasn't aware of "a rash of similar threads lately"; if I had taken more time to look for them I could have particiated in them instead of starting my own.
This method of creating connections is not universal, however; I and others in this thread are witness to that. Therefore the remark implying that if we don't get it, we aren't really human beings is completely out of line. People differ in what they relate to, which is what the thread is about - one group trying to understand the other. For example, if my neighbor has a difference approach or preference about something, I don't suggest that the neighbor is not a human being. That concept should be pretty easy.
It seems you knew the answer to your own question all along.
My thoughts exactly. Only we don't know how many people who post about their mundane, boring lives are lonely shut ins and just need an outlet.
No body cares about the lonely guy in the corner house in the center of town that sits on his porch until the wee hours of the morning.
I stopped to talk to him and discovered that he was getting divorced at 76 years of age. He was drinking heavily when I first met him and needed an ear.
I visited him last night on my late night bike ride and this is our third summer together. He's still drinking and he's not a healthy senior.
There you go, a slice of mundane life. Boring to some, real to others, and precious to me. Thank you for letting me express myself.
Which raises a good point: Everyone has problems. Everyone has a story. I'm sure a number of people come to forums to talk about nothing as a way of getting away from all of that. One more reason to refrain from the sanctimony of calling chit-chat boring or mundane. The presumptuous and judgmental need to step off, because they don't know the people doing the chatting and what they may be facing.
I am fairly uninterested in certain trivial topics. On the other hand, I am also interested in certain trivial topics. In my case, I just generally do not see the point in discussing certain things at length, and as a result will not initiate conversation, and or steer clear of others. The thing that really get's me is that people who are not already your friends generally do not what to talk about anything that requires too much concentration, analysis, or debate. I don't mean pseudo intellectual junk, but just anything meaningful. I find it so tiring sometimes...wish I could take pleasure in conversations about dang near anything or just for the sake of running my mouth.
I remember one time I was just waiting outside of a class. I'd arrived way early and had a lot of time to kill. Typical me of that time meant that I was reading. A woman sat down next to me and asked if I was waiting for class. I said yes. The conversation started the usual way it does for students...but then we got into a verbal war about symbolism and literary devices in disney movies...she was so awesome. Stayed friends for a while. Would still be friends if I hadn't been so bull-headed and could have just apologized to her. Damn. So many cool people I met in my university years but nothing ever came of it because of "my issues". Wish I could go back...so hard to make new friends now that I'm done with school.
You do wonder why people need to tell strangers all of this. I don't get it, either. It obviously is not limited to older people, though....look at younger kids on social media.
Your correct, it spans all age groups.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzcat22
[/b]I think there actually should be two questions. Why do people like to post the inane trivia of their daily lives? And Why do people like to read about other's inane trivia? The latter question interests me much more than the first---since the obvious answer to the first is that people don't think what they are talking about is inane or trivial. What I find more interesting is to wonder whether other people truly are interested in "the inane trivia of the daily lives of others." Just because someone posts something doesn't mean that m/any others will be interested. I've started threads that I've been really into, either because the topic strokes me deeply in a positive or negative way---only to have radio silence and hear the crickets chirping. No one or very few respond! It would seem that the topic was of interest only to little ole me.
I am fascinated (and repelled) by parallel conversations. I find this all too often. One person says something and the other responds by not responding directly to what the first person said by instead putting themselves into it (their thoughts, feelings, and experiences). I haven't traveled for years, but recently got together with friends who had returned from a week in London. That was one of the last places I had been to and really liked, so at least I could contribute to the conversation. But it didn't go past "I went to this place" and "Well, I went to that place." Have you ever heard two parents/grandparents talk about their grand/kids? "Johnny got into Harvard." The response isn't "Congrats! That's wonderful. Hope he enjoys Boston and is prepared for cold weather and lots of academic challenges." Instead it's: "My Jennifer got into Yale."
CD is great because there are places for idle chitchat as well as profound debate. Eleanor Roosevelt said "Small minds discuss people, average minds discuss events, and great minds discuss ideas." I'm okay with integrating all three. Sometimes I really want to stretch my mind, other times just chill.
^^^excellent quote by E. Roosevelt and I agree with your post. I will say that there are some
trivial posts that have been somewhat informative (on certain threads) and amusing however
some posters don't believe in the old quote "we have two ears and one mouth so we can listen
twice as much as we speak (or type) ." - Epictetus.
These type of posters will at first seem sympathetic to the OP but then deliberately shift the
or dominate the conversation (usually with very lengthy posts or multiple posts throughout
various threads).
Personnally, I cannot and will not repeat the same story or stories over and over again.
And Jazzcat, I know what you mean about crickets chirping. Although I avoid the Politics (and
a few other forums), I no longer participate or rarely post where I will always call home since it has a
a small group of people who dominate the forum and ignore others.
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Not even a smile from any of the posts
My thoughts exactly. Only we don't know how many people who post about their mundane, boring lives are lonely shut ins and just need an outlet. 
and he's not a healthy senior. 
." - Epictetus.
