Aug
28
There’s a bit in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (the book) where it’s speculated that people talk so much to avoid using their brains and developing telepathic ability. The longer I take the bus the more I wonder if that’s actually true.
Every day there are conversations around me that are so completely meaningless and so utterly pointless that they really are just white noise that prevent thinking. Total strangers will strike up a conversation just for something to do. People talk on mobile phones. People talk to themselves. There’s just no such thing as quiet.
The people who talk to strangers don’t even always talk to the person sitting next to them. Sometimes they’ll just say something loud enough that everyone can hear and see who answers them. Someone always does. How about the weather? Did you see the news? Hey, that store’s new. Oh, when did that place close? Oh look they’ve gutted another rowhouse. My isn’t the grass brown.
Occasionally you get the street preacher who likes to spread the gospel between bus stops. They usually only last one or two stops and then get off before they can be thrown off.
The mobile conversations are worse. Onna bus. I said onna bus. I SAID I ONNA BUS. Where you at? WHERE YOU AT! She home? I AXED YOU IS SHE HOME. Bonus points if you get to hear the other side of the converation, punctuated by Nextel “chirps”.
I have overheard conversations about people’s arrests, surgeries, pregnancies, drug convictions, assault cases, domestic violence, and jobs. People talking about “baby daddy” and “baby momma”. Who got fired. Why they got fired. Who goofs off at work and never gets caught. Who’s sleeping with whom. What playstation games are great (it’s always playstation. I wonder if that’s become the generic term for video game systems).
The people who talk to themselves are generally praying.
I wear headphones so people will know I’m not available for conversation. It doesn’t stop everyone, and sometimes I have to take the headphones off and say “Sorry, what”?
“Sure is hot today, isn’t it”.
… Look, I’m just going to put my headphones back on and resume reading my book and pretend that this never happened, okay? Some of us are actually trying to hone our telepathic abilities.
4 Responses to “Stop Talking”
Maybe if you actually tell them you’re trying to hone your telepathic abilities…
By mim on Aug 28, 2006
One time I was reading a textbook on determining time of death based on insect presence. Someone kept talking to me and I kept making polite little replies and then going back to my book. Eventually she said “Time of Death. Is that a mystery”? And I said no, it was a forensics textbook outlining how to determine when someone died based on decomposition and what stage the bugs are at.
Somehow THAT was creepy to her and she backed away. It’s not like I was reading one of the Mystery Writer “How To Murder…” books.
By Agent Nine on Aug 28, 2006
I wonder if this is a bus thing? Morning rush on the DC Metro is pretty quiet. Everyone sits in their seat (or stands) and avoids direct eye contact. ;)
I could deal with working in DC if the office was within walking distance of a Metro stop.
By RobAtSGH on Aug 29, 2006
There are other reasons that people chatter incessantly. By repeating meaningless babble any chance of an original, creative (AKA scary or weird) thought occurring is avoided. Agent Nine I enjoy reading science, yes even textbooks. As I read your comment an idea came to mind (I stopped talking to myself for 1/2 second). If you would remove the cover of a large coffee table book and place it over your textbook you would run less risk of scaring the people who have an innate fear of nonfiction. You may wish to choose a cover from a book about the weather. ;)
By Steve_Almighty2000 on Aug 29, 2006