On a recent holiday bus journey, Mrs H and I found ourselves sitting a few seats in front of an old chap and male companion. For the entire journey of about 40 minutes, the old chap didn't stop talking apart from a few brief observations from his friend. We don’t know what he was talking about though, in these cases we’re fairly good at ignoring content.
We came across another example over coffee in an M5 service area. The were four people at the next table, two men and two women and one of the women was another non-stop talker. There were three other people who could have said something, but there was no need, they mostly left it to the constant talker. She was still talking when they left.
Common enough of course, but what keeps listeners listening to non-stop talkers? Maybe they don’t, we certainly didn’t.
5 comments:
Because the people who do that don't need a response; they entertain themselves and have no capacity for self analysis. I have known such types and they will babble on for hours, ignoring all interjections and never reach any conclusion.
Chris - "they entertain themselves and have no capacity for self analysis."
That's it, isn't it? Friends and relatives are effectively relegated to their audience.
I'll suggest a more charitable explanation which *may* be part of the answer. Yes, they often have no capacity for quiet self analysis - but their babble is a way of externalising their thoughts so that they may be retrospectively analysed.
I know of several babblers. One marker is they often repeat newsworthy opinions to see - to themselves - if they make social sense. Another marker is that they often mis-pronounce words that they have not read 'properly' but lack the internal analysis to correct later.
They can still be 'good people', if a little trying.
Can be a symptom of loneliness. The lonely don't get to practice the skills of two-way conversation. Or maybe she is a politician. Only by speaking continuously can they keep alternative views at bay.
DJ - maybe the inclination to be charitable depends on those we've known. I can think of one who is very good-hearted while another I've known might talk for an hour without a break and could be charming with it, but also extraordinarily malicious towards people who weren't present at the time.
decnine - yes there could be a loneliness aspect, because constant talking can be a barrier to the kind of conversation which also has companionable silences where reflection takes place. Perhaps politicians can be lonely in that respect.
Post a Comment