Is the Art of Conversation Dead?

[Elckerlyc]

I'm sorry, did you say something? I was reading another post. Please feel free to start over, I'll be right with you

K2

*sigh* Never mind, 't wasn't important. But what I said was: "Listen carefully. I will say this only once."

 

[Wyld-Cat]

I think COVID-19 is turning us all into claustrophobic hermits or maybe Solarians. ? ?
Solarians = from, Isaac Asimov - The Naked Sun !

 

[Alex The G and T]

Or as my ocean fishing buddy once said, "You're the only person I can stand to spend a whole day stuck on a boat with."

 

[-K2-]

Or as my ocean fishing buddy once said, "You're the only person I can stand to spend a whole day stuck on a boat with."

Ah, the strong silent type...

K2

 

[Alex The G and T]

Quite. The comfortable silence. Not every minute has to be filled with chatter.

Lifelong, people have asked me, "Why are you so quiet all of the time?"

Because, when I speak, you better know that I have something to say.

 

[Simbelmynë]

I agree that longer, involved conversations seem hard to come by. I actually try to bring up a more engaging or complex topic of conversation when I’m out with friends - I do my best with the understanding I have at least - but often find people don’t want me to make my point properly, they want to jump right in with their response, then move onto another topic as quickly as possible without taking a second to think about what I’ve said, or to examine either my point or their own any further.

I’m not an intellectual or anything and my attention span is pretty bad, but it’s quite stifling to be cut off before you’ve had the chance to express or debate something, beyond throw away comments which only confirm the group’s political persuasions.

There are exceptions to this obviously, and I’m oversimplifying it, but this thread definitely resonates with me.

 

[BAYLOR]

I saw Mr. Art Conversation last week and he looked fit as a fiddle . He was with his lovely wife Rhetoric and their two children Oratory and Podium . Podium does't talk much .

 

[Ashley R]

I don't think the art of conversation is dead. It's just that when you get older it's more difficult to find someone you can feel comfortable with and have a decent conversation.
You also get more wiser (well, some of us do. Not me.) When you were young you could solve all of the world problems in a single conversation with some friends that went on till the small hours. You would go to sleep satisfied that you had just together saved the world... until you woke up the next day, dull with a hangover and all the brilliant solutions forgotten. That art has gone lost with the years.
But a good conversation should still be possible, with the right company.
Most conversations I have these days is with myself.

I agree with this.

It's a matter of age, but also of socialization. Some people never learnt to have deep conversations.

I remember being admonished for my questioning by a senior citizen who thought I must have been brought up in a family that liked to debate.

Nothing could be further from the truth, my family were the complete opposite, but here I am, asking questions, debating received wisdom.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Yes.

 

[scififan]

I think the Internet has impacted our conversations. Kids are used to texting their school friends instead of talking to them in person. Some people are more comfortable emailing or sending instant messages than they are with face-to-face conversations. COVID-19 has also impacted conversations. Everything is being done virtually now, including doctor's visits.