this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2026
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me_irl
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Because it's polite, we live in a society
I never said not to though, lmao, I said to pick something you actually want to talk about.
I never said you said not to, LOL
That's the question I answered, it's in the very first sentence of the comment I responded to.
If it's a short interaction, I'd rather just exchange meaningless pleasantries to indicate to them I'm a normal person and we can both go about our days. I don't necessarily want to talk to them at all, but saying, "hey how's it going" "fine, how are you" takes no effort and lets both parties quickly evaluate the mental and emotional state of the other. It's social lubricant, it's more hygenic than shaking strangers' hands and quicker than telling them your life story. Plus if it's someone doing their job, I'm not going to try to start a substantive conversation with them, that might just distract them and cause them to make a mistake.
You don't need to talk to them at all. A cashier does not need to "evaluate your mental and emotional state." If you don't want to, don't do it.