HighlyIrregular wrote: ↑Tue Nov 09, 2021 4:46 am
On the subway or in McDonalds, no small talk except maybe if there's an incident like a pipe bursts or the ice cream machine explodes and you're sharing a counter with someone, someone may comment on it. I was sitting at my favorite table, like a counter with stools that gets shared with other people, and a Chinese guy asked if the seat opposite me was taken (I think he just pointed) and I said no (I think I just shook or nodded my head and pointed) and he say. When I was finished and crumpling up the wrapper or whatever he asked if I was leaving, just to be polite and make conversation. I just said yes. Asking if someone's leaving or making any kind of small talk with a stranger in that situation is unusual.
Of course y'all not gonna make small talk in the subway or McDonalds. But what about being second in line for tickets to a concert? Or being at the zoo with a random stranger witnessing a zebra taking a huge dump?
Americans abroad tend to be really chatty, in my experience/prejudice. I'm surprised there isn't a small talk culture over there. Unless I'm working with a biased sample or something. When I was in the U.S., I remember folks being chatty, though mostly I was dealing with service workers and foreign nationals. I remember vividly a whole conversation between a checkout girl and folks who were living there in some 24 hour pseudo-pharmacy about how eager I was to try Pabst Blue Ribbon.
Another time, a Hispanic guy came in to charge his phone and was upset when they wouldn't turn on the charger for him. They only do it for customers. When the employee left I said something to explain a possible reason for the policy, and he went on about something and hinted at possible racism. That was kind of normal for the situation, but the racism theory was over the top.
Let the dude change his phone, jeez. The coal/telecommunication companies have a hard enough time as it is.
Hmm...you didn't really ask about that, did you...I don't know who you're imagining making small talk with, but salary is pretty much off limits. Maybe "they pay better than..." is acceptable.
But if you don't talk to anyone else about these things, how do y'all not know whether or not you're getting short-changed?