dumbing down.

is anyone else frustrated by either

a) having to dumb down just to relate to someone?

or

b) not being able to have a meaningful and serious conversation without some yutz interjecting with "hey! lighten up guys!".

i'm so over having to fake my dumbness at parties and functions. it seems the only people i can hae a serious conversation with are my wife, other investors (few and far between) or my friend's family (they're all stockbrokers, RE agents, business owners etc).

why is it, in this country, you're shunned if you speak without a "like" chucked in before every emotion or noun or forget to put an "ay" on the end of each sentence?

god forbid you want to talk about religion or KRudd or investing ideas or finance or the GFC or anything else that doesn't relate to sport or brangelina.
 
Can definitely relate Blue Card, thought perhaps it was just the age of the people I hang around with (I'm 25), perhaps I'm wrong....?

Personally I can't stand the usual Australian small talk about sports, the weather, the latest celeb gossip or whats on TV...I much prefer (serious) topical conversation, seems its hard to find these days. One of the reasons I love the internet is you can always find an interesting conversation/topic to join...and when you're sick of it you can just leave without looking rude :p
 
Can definitely relate Blue Card, thought perhaps it was just the age of the people I hang around with (I'm 25), perhaps I'm wrong....?

Personally I can't stand the usual Australian small talk about sports, the weather, the latest celeb gossip or whats on TV...I much prefer (serious) topical conversation, seems its hard to find these days. One of the reasons I love the internet is you can always find an interesting conversation/topic to join...and when you're sick of it you can just leave without looking rudew :p

I have nothing to add. I agree totally.
 
I so agree. It happened more when I was younger though.
I avoid the bogans these days.

What annoys me more is people wanting advice about investing/developing and then being too chicken sh*t to take the advice or finding some excuses to just keep on doing nothing. I hate being able to see people hurtling towards the wrong decision and not being able to help them.
 
Maybe you are all just hanging out with Bogans????

You should come and hang out with me and my mothers group. OK, admittedly we do spend about 50% of our time talking about kids (it is a mothers group after all) but we also discuss, finance, investments, property, politics, work issues and whatever else takes our fancy.
 
I know a lot of intelligent people who are intelligent about one thing and dumb about the rest.....and yet their confidence in the one area they excel at inflates their opinion about everything else. They are true bores. Forums are full of them too. Probably the worst of this mob I've met are lawyers and doctors.....think they are experts on everything. but ask them what they read or for more depth behind their view, and you are casually dismissed.

As for your suburban garden variety yob, well if you even begin to expect them to be on the same page, then time to wisen up.

Though I'll tell you where I've met interesting people.
- in the mines
- doing ex pat stuff.
- 2 out of 10 academics.

You often get professionals and tradies who are there cos they understand supply and demand, and the value of a dollar.....and they have the adaptability and energy to do it differently.

I would also rather socialize with the self employed.
I am so over educated public servants on big secure pay cheques who think their social engineering solutions and opinions are superior....gawd even their vacuous cliche vocab drives me batty..... I cringe every time I hear 'key stakeholders' and other pretend business verse from govt.

Probably the most interesting people I meet are those who have had a dramatic career change. It is a sign they grew enough to have their perspective change dramatically, and the courage to do something about it.
 
I had dinner with 7 old school mates the other day: 2 engineers, jewelry shop owner, human resources manager (responsible for 2600 staff), 2IC IT manager for monopoly newspaper, 747-400 Captain.

Even though they all actively invest in stocks and property, none knew what an inverted yield curve was, or the Baltic Dry Index.

And none had a financial advisor or stock broker who advised to re-weight their holdings prior to GFC.

Major topic of conversation was what their kids were up to (several were national reps) and how one of the newly divorced guys should find new love.

They are all good guys, but seem to have this view that they are better off consulting specialists about investing.
 
About eight of us went out to dinner last Sunday night and our conversation ranged from buidings for lease on that particular street, our jobs (moreso the employer) and businesses and how they were faring in this economic climate to family and other everyday stuff.

What was interesting though was that in between subjects one guy put on a straight face and piped in with 'so apparently Brad and Angie have separated'.

It took us all a moment to realise who he was talking about and the only reaction was a smile from most and me commenting , 'they were together a long while though'.

Care factor on that type of subject is obviously zero with this group but I do understand where you are coming from.

I experience it at work (although there's the opposite too) and with certain groups of mums from the school.

Some seem completely in the dark about what is going on outside of their environment and would probably struggle to name more than a handful of politicians or match them to their party or know what ETS stands for.

I find this general ignorance reflects other facets of these people too including their humour or lack of which often makes for boring and trivial conversation.

Mind you these people probably think I'm boring too :p.
 
"I would also rather socialize with the self employed.
I am so over educated public servants on big secure pay cheques who think their social engineering solutions and opinions are superior....gawd even their vacuous cliche vocab drives me batty..... I cringe every time I hear 'key stakeholders' and other pretend business verse from govt."


I soooo agree with you Winston
 
Supp!
You ppl are so like uptight and that.
Jus b kool man.
And wolfedude, the baltic sea aint gonna dry up and that, so no need to measure it huh.

I thinks it's fun when those lawyers and penpushers types think they actually do sumfink productive and try and justify their paychecks.
They are such easy targets, like a cat playing wid a mouse.
Though my favs are still those who read a magazine (specially API!) and then like regurtitate wiffout really knowing what they're on about.
I find it all rather entertaining really. Life would be booring wiffout dem.
:cool:
 
is anyone else frustrated by either

a) having to dumb down just to relate to someone?

or

b) not being able to have a meaningful and serious conversation without some yutz interjecting with "hey! lighten up guys!".


Hmmm....you posted this about 10 minutes after we had a chat....:)

So what are you trying to say ?? :p
 
Hmmm....you posted this about 10 minutes after we had a chat....:)

So what are you trying to say ?? :p

bahahaha! so i did - so i did.....

last straw for me was making a cuppa just after our call and started to get into the demographic problems with mandurah and a telemarketer came in and said "geez, my talk around the water cooler is more fun than you two" and walked out.

b*i*t*c*h
 
Ahem , thats why these other folks look a me odd, i talk houses and the awsom market we are in, they cant see it, i was actually talking to somone the other day and saying "OH" my god shoot me this guy is so boring , in my head then i laughed inside as i felt i was on a seighnfeid episode!
 
I hardly get the chance to have a good discussion about property and investing. Although I don't know much at the moment, I for one would rather have a conversation about investing and learn something new then just talking about footy.

People probably don't like talking about it because it is a touchy subject. People know they should be investing their money but most either love their current lifestyle to much for sacrifice or don't like the 'risk'.
 
I think most people avoid the subject because it's hard not to come accross in a condescending manner whilst conversing with non investors.
The subject also usually raises some internal guilt (we all have some...) as well, which can be easily dismissed by talking footy, saying all pollies are corrupt, and you gotta be a crook to make any money.
 
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