Let's talk about...

It's not just this blizzard that has the weather on the minds of many in the northeast. It's literally an everyday thing. Adults that are forced into conversation immediately revert to the weather no matter what. Either it's "such a beautiful day", "it's freezing out", or it's "really coming down out there". Somehow weather has become the ultimate buffer zone in conversational tactics and I think that we can do better.

I mean, I get it. People naturally gravitate to the weather because its a common bond. Everyone experiences the weather and therefore it's relevant material to use in conversation. It also changes enough as to not become that stale of a topic. I've just gotten sick of it. We have so many other commonalities to chose from. Why did we settle on weather? I think last night was the tipping point for me. At about 5 p.m., people at work were talking to upper management about being put up in hotel rooms that night, even though at the time, it wasn't snowing. Then, when I was leaving at around 8 p.m. I said "Have a good night" to a security guard who responded by saying "Be careful out there." Again, at this point, it was not snowing at all. Well sure enough I woke up this morning and there was finally a sheet of white on the ground. This just means that everyone in the great state of Connecticut will automatically turn into a 78-year-old woman behind the wheel.

The weather is such a part of our daily lives that we've glorified the men that predict it. Some how this man became a celebrity? Sure, some guys handle the green screen better than others, but why do we care? It's not like people use their terminology. As bland as talking about the weather is, the manner in which it is talked about is worse; however this actually might be a good thing. I don't want anyone asking me if I saw the quadruple doppler sonar percentage index. Either way, this whole weather talk has gone too far. Can't we think of something else to talk about? Let's explore some other commonalities and figure out if they'll work.

Politics? Nope, too polarizing. The government is something that we all have in common, but it's too risky of a topic to bring up in conversation with someone you barely know because they might have differing views. Some people just find politics to be too personal.



On this note, the media clearly shapes the way that people think about politics. Most of Americans disapproved of George W. Bush, but I highly doubt that many could provide a solid reason for their disapproval. Similarly, people think that Obama is the cure for all that is wrong with our country.

Sports? The world of sports gives us a break from talking about the weather at the water cooler/in the elevator a few times a year, but not enough people follow sports closely enough for it to become a daily conversational topic. Plenty of people just don't care enough about sports and those they do often don't have the time to follow them as closely as they would like to. What games are popular enough to talk about with a relative stranger? I would argue only the superbowl and possibly the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Although baseball diehards still claim that it's America's pastime (it's not), no one worth talking to will watch the conclusion of a World Series game when the first pitch is thrown at 10:37 p.m.

Poop? Unfortunately society has attached a stigma to this natural bodily function that we all experience. I've read a book about poop and had a few (daily) conversations with people about it and I have learned so much. Just think of all the things that people could learn (wiping style, etc) from each other when it comes to bathroom experience. To me it seems like a great conversational topic, but maybe that's because I poop like clockwork when I wake up every morning. It's more than a routine. It's part of waking up. Once my feet hit the ground I'm headed to the dish. It's really too bad that there are so many 'shameful shitters' out there.

Movies? In this day and age movies have almost lost their luster. I can't remember a time in the past few years (outside of seeing The Dark Knight at midnight) where I was in a theater that was packed. This is a problem because daily conversational topics have to be current. Therefore the only movies that could be discussed are those recently/or currently in theaters. This severely limits the potential of this topic because of people's reliance on Blockbuster/Netflix and On Demand. People just don't go to the movies like they used to. In fact, I know a girl that hasn't seen a movie in theaters since Blade (1998), which featured Wesley Snipes.

Food? I actually think this one could work. Think about it. Everyone eats. Why not ask people that you come across what they had for breakfast or lunch? Then after they answer you can ask how whatever they ate was and continue from there. Speaking of food, I'm currently on a quest to acquire as many simple recipes as I can to broaden my diet. Chef Boyardee Ravioli, Cheez-its, and Mountain Dew just aren't cutting it anymore.




Keep your ears peeled for weather-related conversations and you'll notice how out of control it is in no time.