"What does anyone need a gun for, anyway?"
A quip in an unrelated thread.
Who nodded? Who didn't.
It's not a discussion.
It's a survey.
Are you like me?
Or are you other.
Are you pack?
Or prey.
Some days at work involve sitting through a lot of signalling. I've got an empty smile handy for occasions like this one. We'll be talking about something almost unrelated, and someone will indicate to the room where they stand on a political issue. As soon as they collect the data, they thread back into the conversation we were having. It's not about sharing an opinion, or starting a conversation. It's about making sure the groupthink is intact.
I bare my teeth, but let my eyes shout: the groupthink is not intact.