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Hey Extraverts: Enough is Enough

theamericanconservative.com

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Re: Hey Extraverts: Enough is Enough

#11

Post by michaelochurch »

I think he misunderstands the purpose of meetings, or maybe I'm just cynical.

Meetings are about showing social status. It's a way of establishing your control over others' time. It's not "Let's get together and be awesome." It's usually a show of either dominance, or deference (to a higher-status entity; you are deferring by committing your reports' time). Obviously, a few meetings have a real purpose, but most don't. Most are on the calendar to confirm authority and status relationships.

I once heard it said that status meetings (as in project status) are actually not about reporting status, but confirming the (social) status of the boss.

This is why so many terrible meetings are called.

Re: Hey Extraverts: Enough is Enough

#13

Post by kstenerud »

geofft wrote: post #2

I've never met an introvert as introverted as the author. I'm not sure if he's caricaturing his own thoughts, or is something way out of the ordinary. I'm not sure whether I'm an introvert or an extravert. I identify as the latter these days when forced, but definitely identified as an introvert in grade school; I don't really like either term. In any case, I certainly quickly grow tired of parties, or social situati…

I've felt it, and have in fact thrown competitions to avoid having to deal with more strange people.

Usually my line of thought would go something like this: "Can I slip away without being too conspicuous? No? Then I'll find a way to avoid going in the first place."

In recent times I've tried forcing myself to attend situations that involve lots of people, but I can only take about 30 minutes (1 hour tops) of that before I start shutting down and have to leave. I can extend that a bit if I consume lots of alcohol, but I'd rather not do so if I can avoid it.

For me, the perfect social gathering involves no more than 4-5 people in a relatively quiet place.

Re: Hey Extraverts: Enough is Enough

#14

Post by yaks_hairbrush »

> The world is run by extraverts.

Sure is. Collaboration is the trait that made humanity advance to where we are today. And things are better today than they have ever been in the past for introverts: much more collaboration is done remotely.

> The problem with extraverts — not all of them, I grant you, but many, so many — is a lack of imagination.

This is "the" problem? I think it more accurate to say that the author's problem with extroverts (see below) is that they want to socialize with him. Socialization is mentally good for most people, including most introverts.

Honestly, the three paragraphs starting here make me wonder if he has something deeper than simple introversion. I mean, it's fine to prefer to be alone, but it's less fine to feel fear about standard social interactions. If he does the latter, that's kind of a problem to my mind.

(A problem, by the way, that I deal with. I force myself to go to get-togethers with more than about five people. I'll be upset about it as the get-together looms, but I almost always enjoy it once I'm there.)

> So, extraverts of the world, I invite you to make a New Year’s resolution: Refrain from organizing stuff.

Oof. He's asking the majority of the people of the world to change their (generally healthy) habits for his benefit.

Humans are built for socialization. Socialization is a mentally positive activity for most people, and most people crave it.

> extrovert is common but wrong, because extra- is the proper Latin prefix.

extra- being the proper Latin prefix does not imply "extrovert" is wrong. We're speaking English, not Latin.

Re: Hey Extraverts: Enough is Enough

#15

Post by eterpstra »

michaelochurch wrote: post #11

I think he misunderstands the purpose of meetings, or maybe I'm just cynical. Meetings are about showing social status. It's a way of establishing your control over others' time. It's not "Let's get together and be awesome." It's usually a show of either dominance, or deference (to a higher-status entity; you are deferring by committing your reports' time). Obviously, a few meetings have a real purpose, but most don'…

I think you work for the wrong company. This may be true at MegaCorp, Inc. but in my experience working with small groups of programmers & engineers, when a meeting is called everyone makes damn sure that the purpose is to get together and be awesome.

Re: Hey Extraverts: Enough is Enough

#17

Post by solox3 »

Do take into some account, however small the effect may be, that there will inevitably be more extr[o]verted opinion said/posted here than those supporting introversion, because no matter how much easier it is for introverts to type their answers here than to say it in real life, it is still easier to type nothing at all.

Re: Hey Extraverts: Enough is Enough

#18

Post by muppetman »

ForrestN wrote: post #12

This article, subtle culture-war subtext aside, traffics in the most vapid and disingenuous kind of generalizations. No craning of my neck will find an angle from which this adds value. Flagged.

Sorry you think that. I read it, found it interesting and agree with some of it. I certainly don't think it's worthy of being flagged.

Re: Hey Extraverts: Enough is Enough

#20

Post by kaonashi »

daave wrote: post #9

> I invite you to make a New Year’s resolution: Refrain from organizing stuff. Don’t plan parties or outings... All in the name of productivity! If the author feels parties are taking too much of his time away from work, can't he just not attend? No need to try and ruin everyone else's fun just because he wants to be miserable.

That's just the point. He's miserable when people _force_ him into social situations that serve no purpose other than socializing. He's not miserable when he's alone.

I'm not sure why this is so hard to grasp for a lot of people.

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