There is no way for me to emphasize how utterly opposite this assertion is for me. Surely I& #39;m not alone, but the way in which this is false for me is somewhat unique. I opened a brick and mortar shop during this pandemic, last September. Small talk is... https://twitter.com/thewalrus/status/1385636776425914373">https://twitter.com/thewalrus...

the worst part. And contra this (thinkpiecey) article, I actively feel the small talk draining my intellectual abilities. I& #39;m in my head while I& #39;m doing my job, thinking about how Solzhenitsyn is right about the futility of ideology and here& #39;s Your Mom...

talking to me about (best case) the weather or (worst case) politics or whatever you& #39;re up to or (second-worst) asking me questions about literally anything. Hey, lady, I& #39;m trying to pull this thread and figure out what it means for Habermasian public sphere theory and...

democratic exercise. I am really, really bored by literally every word you& #39;ve communicated. And it& #39;s not that you& #39;re a bad person! So now I feel bad that I really, really need you to stop talking so that I can keep thinking about Important Things.