#small talk

i actually like small talk.

i like learning about where people work, what they think of the weather, what they did that day, any plans they have for the weekend, etc. etc. I learn a lot through small talk, and also… it feels nice.

Okay, lemme get an example. one of the classic small talk topics is the weather. you might think that theres nothing to be gleaned from this, but you'd be wrong! you can, for example, learn:

how many days in advance are they aware of the forecast? are they the kind of person who thinks that far ahead for everything, or is it specific to the weather? that could be for a number of reasons, including certain preferences (not liking the rain, being averse to direct sunlight, etc.), it could be allergies that they are trying to proactively account for, they might just really enjoy certain types of weather and want to plan their week around them! Inversely, if they barely know about what the weather is gonna be like today, you can ascertain with some certainty that knowing the conditions outside isnt important to them. are most of their hobbies indoors? do they have more online commitments than in-person ones? or maybe they just arent cognizant of that sorta thing. all of it totally chill and undeniably (at least to me) interesting

what is their favorite kind of weather? do they enjoy a sunny day more or less than a thunderstorm indoors? do they like rain, or is it unpleasant for one reason or another? you can just ask!

what is their preferred temperature? would they prefer it to lean cold or hot? do they even have a preference?

All of these things can seem superficial, but as a small part of a larger picture, they can be very enlightening! and people love* it when you remember those kinds of details (*sometimes, ive heard pray tell that some may find that sort of recall "creepy", but those people are wrong (ALTHOUGH! THIS IS YET ANOTHER PIECE OF CHARACTERIZATION! it betrays two distinct and fascinating perspectives. 1: people do not truly absorb the information disseminated via small talk, and 2: recalling the information revealed via small talk is some violation of privacy! my working theory is that those people perceive small talk as much more a means to an end, or just being polite, and so they disregard anything somebody says during it as boilerplate and expect the person they are talking to to do the same! foolish, ultimately, but not an uncommon perspective, so WATCH OUT!))

"Sing us a song, you're the Piano Man. Sing us a song tonight!"

"'Cause we're all in the mood for a melody, and you've got us feeling alright!"

Unknown to the Little Rascals, Pete the Pup worked nights as a lounge singer.

From the Our Gang/Little Rascals short Small Talk (1929). This was the 89th short in the series, and the very first with sound.