Thursday, March 09, 2006

In celebration of introversion

It's high time that we introverts start getting the respect that's rightly due to us. Now is the time for the quiet minority to rise up and cast off the shackles placed upon us by a society that neither understands nor appreciates our mute, pensive power! The future is ours!

In this spirit, I am linking to an insightful and hilarious article called Caring for Your Introvert by Jonathan Rauch. Here's a teaser:

The worst of it is that extroverts have no idea of the torment they put us through. Sometimes, as we gasp for air amid the fog of their 98-percent-content-free talk, we wonder if extroverts even bother to listen to themselves. Still, we endure stoically, because the etiquette books—written, no doubt, by extroverts—regard declining to banter as rude and gaps in conversation as awkward. We can only dream that someday, when our condition is more widely understood, when perhaps an Introverts' Rights movement has blossomed and borne fruit, it will not be impolite to say "I'm an introvert. You are a wonderful person and I like you. But now please shush."

It's well-worth reading, but please....do it quietly.

4 comments:

Catherine said...

Introverts, Unite!
(although, I must confess that I am both an introvert and a verbal processer...)

Dave Carlson said...

Oh. About that....we're actually only allowing "pure" introverts into the revolution. Mudbloods such as yourself will just have to be content with our table scraps.

Catherine said...

Hey now! That's like saying you're an introvert and a blogger -- just because you are two things doesn't make you an "un-pure introvert!" I'm the real thing!

And may I mention...I post way more comments on your blog than you do on mine. Its time you step up to the plate, buster. Or I'll have to start using INSIDE JOKES in my comments....yes, yes. I would do that.

Dave Carlson said...

That is low. Real low.