Dags90 said:
What hostility are you seeing? Is it because I'm not agreeing with you?
Everyone in this topic is making snap judgments about you, it's all anyone can do because we don't know your life story. You specifically singled me out for making snap judgments because you didn't like what I said.
If your intention was to only have people agree or sympathize you and brush everyone else for "making snap judgments" you probably should've made a "Am I the only one..." thread instead.
I singled you out because
all you did was either criticise what I said or made factual errors in your assumptions about me which could given other users, who were actually answering my question, the wrong impression. Since you were among the first few posts, I felt the need to intervene. I have also spoken to other people in this thread concerning misrepresentations (which weren't given quite as rudely), which we discussed, cleared things up and went on to have an interesting conversation with them. If someone else who arrived later in the thread can't be bothered to read through these posts to get a better understanding of the topic before posting, and therefore making more "snap judgements" (or more likely they saw previous criticism and bleated without further input) , then I can't be bothered to respond to them...
It's nothing personal, but then again, you are still here arguing with me. So given that you haven't constructively added to this thread at all, (or even given valid criticism in light of being better informed either directly or indirectly through my responses to others), why are you still here other than for the sake of arguing? (hence hostility).
I still maintain that I did not start this thread asking for an opinion of small talk, I am quite clearly seeking advice on how to find a good middle ground between small and big talk. This requires no criticism of my motives and if that's all you've chosen to post on this thread then you sir, are the one with the problem... I'd suggest in future that you actually read OP's more carefully before responding with the knee jerk reactions, but I wouldn't presume to tell you what to do.
I don't care if you disagree with me, that's your choice, but I wasn't asking for your opinion either. Not that I mind reading your opinions, indeed I welcome them so long as they aren't misinformed and inaccurate, which yours was. I don't think I could be treating you any fairer at this point save replying to everyone in the thread with the same response...
