Talking to Strangers at Parties

I suck at talking to strangers. I used to better at it in my dating days, and when I worked for a digital marketing agency where we were expected to attend networking events and connect with people. You see, I’m an introvert, and somewhat socially awkward. I am hyper-aware of what other people might think of me, so sometimes I just don’t know what to say for fear of sounding stupid. To cope, I generally avoid one-on-one conversations with strangers at parties. When I’m in a group, I pray that someone else does all the talking, so I can just interject little tid-bits here and there. I don’t think I am alone in this; lots of people can relate. Right?

Conversations!

There’s a guy at the renaissance festival that runs a puppet stand for a character named “Lord Felton”. He sometimes roams the festival and you can see him and his puppet together, but other times, he parks himself behind a black curtain in a little booth and he (Lord Felton) hawks, “Cooooooo-nversations!” Kids go up to the booth to talk to the puppet, but are often at a loss at what to say to him. Next to him is a little roulette wheel with various topics written in chalk on it. Spin the wheel and off they go! Conversations last anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes. He’s one of my favorite characters at the festival, and he’s really fun to watch.

Is it Cultural Mis-Appropriation? A Handy Guide

A group I am a part of recently had a social justice warrior cry “cultural misappropriation!!!” on a dearly-held tradition of theirs. Unsure of what to do, this group stopped doing the “offensive act” altogether. Years of their tradition immediately ceased because one person felt some minor offense.

The Perks of Atheism

A discussion group put together a list of their favorite things about being an atheist. I really liked some of their answers, and wanted to share. Responses range from funny and inappropriate to thoughtful and poignant.

Observations on Humanity

Here’s a few general observations I’ve made about humanity: our personality, social traits, and philosophies, both pessimistic and optimistic. When you boil it down, a human being today is probably no different than a human being 4,000 years ago. Please keep in mind that I realize these are blanket generalizations that do not apply to every individual human being.