BCopinion's Blog

There are boundaries to communication… How can we ever be sure that what we are saying is being heard, much less being comprehended…. Do the words in my head match up with those of yours?  Do the subtle pauses and jerky mannerisms mean the same thing to me that they do you?  What signals am I inadvertently sending when I simply say hello?  What kind of hello were you expecting? Was I on the verge of a cough and therefore unable to speak, so by nodding my head, I am now a rude asshole.  What is the etiquette for not speaking? Can we be in too big of a hurry to offer a smile and an awkward hello, or hey?  Are we required by some unwritten law to return a hello, or good-day?  What if I simply go silent, then what?  Am I not the same person I was before?  Or do I become something wholly new and different altogether, because I am now being perceived in a whole new way.

Try it sometime, the next time a random stranger or even someone you know offers to say hello, just lower your head and walk faster.  That will show them.  You are now very smart, extremely important, depressed, about to shit, or simply the silent loser who never speaks to anyone. Oh it is all becoming clear… the conditioning effect… yes…  I am not a functional part of society, I am the animal that rows up stream.  Anyway… Personally I have to be in the mood to speak to people.  But I always stare.  I found this to be the best way to unnerve anyone.  Just give them a long silent stare straight into the eyes.  Most people aren’t prepared to withstand something like that. Most people will immediately shy away, turning their head pretending you are not alive, or in rare cases, they will smile faintly, and offer a quick nod, at which you keep the same blank expression and move forward.

Rarely, however,  am I on the other end of the stick, so to speak.  But when I am, I can become overly outgoing and I say hello to everyone I come across. A little too excited at being able to function, for once, in society, so I seem to screw it up.   Most people return a slight smile and a hi, or a nod of good day.  But more often than not, I see myself in these people as they quickly look to the ground for protection from my intrusive stare and over the top “good day sir! ” Perhaps it is a subconscious game I am playing, sort of returning the favor to all those eager happy go lucky bastards who feel it is necessary to ruin my day with their shallow hellos and fake smiles.  Bahhh.. It is saturday, chores to do, and football to watch or listen to…. I am done with this death machine…