Cruel to Be Kind

Eavesdropping on the table next to mine at dinner, I heard a socially awkward person come to a table full of people she was probably only acquaintances with (as evidenced by the "how was your summer" questions) and proceed to list all of the many social events (parties, concerts, movies) she had attended in the past few weeks, as well as those she intended to attend in the near future. Afterwards, the listeners feigned interest with "wows," though they were clearly just annoyed by her bragging and awkward way of making conversation.

Once the person left, I waited to hear the snippy comments that would follow. To my astonishment, not one person at the table made a single comment, let alone tear her a new one. Do other people really have that kind of self-restraint? My urge to badmouth that individual was so strong I wanted to turn to the table and ridicule her for them.

Sigh. Clearly, something was wrong with them.