Hi.<--loser.
Hi.
That's a very common way of starting conversations. But what's the significance of that simple greeting?
More importantly, is it really needed?
Looking back all my conversation histories, I've decided for myself that to the people I'm rather close to/am comfortable with talking to, I don't use 'Hi'. I jump straight to the topic.
Scenario 1: Facebook. If I read some emo-status, I don't write on that person's wall nor comment on the post. I go straight to that person on MSN and go
Why so emo?
There's no need to mince over words. I don't like to waste my time trying to be extra-tactful with my friends, because I'm normally quite tactful(self-proclaimed), so I think I'm quite blunt(self-proclaimed). I mean, why bother to go like
A: Hi
B: Hi
A: Um..wasuup?
B: Uhh what talking you?
A: Norh..your Facebook status
B: Huh? Which one?
A: Norh, that one lor. *copy pastes*
A: Aye, why so emo? =\
B: Aye, nothing much lah. =\
A+B: *A probes and B relents*
as opposed to
A: Eh why so emo?
B: Aye, nothing much lah. =\
A+B: *A probes and B relents*
Being direct saves pixels(and memory space because I keep my chat log). So why not? This is another way of saying 'Aiya everyone brother we don't beat about the bush get straight to the point tell me what happened.'
Otherwise known as: 开门见山.
So now I've cited 'Unfamiliarity' as a reason for why greetings such as 'Hi' are used. But there are a few more reasons why one would have to use such greetings, one of which is the broaching difficult topics.
Introduction of characters
A: Sucks at studies.
B: Great at studies.
A: Hi.
B: ?
A: Um, can you help me with something?
B: *cusses behind the computer screen* um..ok (:
.
.
.
.
A: Teach me maths.
So in this case, A wasn't that comfortable with starting off the topic immediately, because of a lack of confidence. Perhaps A thinks that by greeting B, he can soften the immediacy of the impact A's request would be on B. Because when you go like 'can you help me with something?', B would be given the chance to brace himself for impact, as evident from the cussing.
So yea, greetings is a special form of warning.
Consider this, using the same characters in the same scenario.
A: Eh free tomorrow go study together?
B: Uh. Anything.
Which one's better? Not too sure.
And really, is there a need to say 'Hi' on MSN? I mean, when you sign in, you're telling everyone whose status is available that you're online, and ready for chat. That alert you give to people who are ready to chat is itself a 'Hi', like 'Hi I'm online now, (;' kind of 'Hi'. So if you login and initiate conversations, it's quite a loserish thing, that just means that you have said 'Hi' twice to the recipient. That's why I hate initiating conversations, other peoples' desire to seek an audience with me should be stronger than my crave for their attention.
When this tilts to the other persons' favour, meaning the person's desire to seek an audience with me is lower than my high cravings for attention of that person, I FEEL INSECURE. I don't like that crave for attention from anyone. Really >(
BAH. BAHHHHHHHHHH I shall evolve(or devolve) into a tank and kill all the survivors >(ok no link)
What other times do you greet for? I don't really know. It's quite a random post, I kinda came up with it while defecating in the toilet. It's kinda daily-life and thus struck a chord with me and I'd like to share with people what I feel when I shit rather than when I puke. So...yea.
Oh and to the person who blocked me, I think you should still be reading this so unblock me, it's getting boring.
And there are times when you keep checking a site hoping for a miracle, not knowing that the soul has moved on to greener pastures making visitors to that site look like an idiot. I keep looking like an idiot, I don't know why and I hope it doesn't run in the blood because I don't want my kids to have it in the future.
-- 11/07/2009 11:04:00 PM
