Of the 34 hours since I left work Friday evening, I have spent 8 at home and the rest out.
1. Female - any girl who asks me what I do for a living - I just assume the worst. It's amazing, when you think about it, how underdeveloped the social skills of socially-popular attractive girls can be.
2. Male - there are times when it is appropriate to display your fondness for freestyle rap - but I have yet to be a party to them. So please shut up.
That's less than all...
4 comments:
"What do you do?" is the most irritating question at parties etc. Even when I "did" something interesting or enjoyable, I ended up either making shit up, or answer "masturbate, sleep, watch TV all night and drink too much" to make them go away.
It's such an alienating question, it forces you to realise that what you "do" (work as) doesn't have much to do with who you "are". When I've tired to answer politely, I can feel a 'ghost' self leave my body to do the talking.
The last sentence nails it. I hate that feeling.
I was too honest when I answered, saying "nothing interesting". I wanted to deflect further inquiry but that answer only invited further questions. I'm not one who places a premium on social status, but, forgive my male bluntness, I feel a bit dissatisfied basically saying "don't fuck me" any time anyone asks me what I do even if the mere fact that someone is asking that question, and usually, in NYC, trying to determine my standing in the world, makes me not want to fuck them, even if they would let me.
I think I need to make up a standard, off-putting response like yours. Then I can say "I don't want to fuck you!"
I should add to anyone thinking I am being a bit harsh, that there is a difference between the question coming up in normal conversation between people who have met recently versus this question being the very first one asked.
Yeah I took it to mean that. It is a class based thing, I think. less 'aspirational' (or working class) people never ask me that by way of introduction. In fact I've had some friends who didn't bring it up for months (and even then it was a funny anecdote or something). They're less likely to treat all social occasions like auditions. They talk about subjects, not promotions. But sadly 'courting rituals' use promo-speak more than ever.
It's the extension of the domain of the struggle as Monsieur H. says. Though I wonder if it would somehow work in reverse? Maybe I should ask that question and any girl that gives me a sarcastic, witty and obviously false response... but then I would still be the guy that asked "so, what do you do?".
But, now that I think about it, I did provide that sort of response once and I think the recipient was made to feel a bit sad. It didn't have the desired effect. Either she believed that I sold lighters at a subway entrance and felt sorry for me or she took the sarcasm of my answer too personally. Regardless, she was somebody who probably just asked me about my job as a means of making small talk without actually having any interest in judging my suitability as a lover via my capacity for earning money (the girl this past weekend who prompted this post was visiting from London and quite posh and her intentions were obvious).
So drunk girl whose friends made obnoxious requests of my DJ friends whom I was visiting while they were playing at a bar somewhere in Brooklyn this past summer: sorry for being cynical. You're really sweet and I'm sure your love is out there waiting for you.
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