I have always been and always will be a natural hermit. I very much enjoy being alone, and I am not the kind of person who would strike up a conversation with a stranger for the sake of it. However, I also recognize a couple of important disclaimers: first of all, not everybody is like me, and secondly, there are times when others have to talk to you no matter how you feel about it. Sometimes it’s even fun!

One situation in which I like to think I would always try my best is when somebody is performing a service for me. I know the dude scanning my groceries probably doesn’t give two hoots how my day was, but being amenable to the question is all part of the social contract.

If the comment section of one TikTok is anything to go by, though, the way I see things is becoming increasingly unpopular. Twitter had a heated discussion recently when presented with screenshots in which multiple TikTokers whined about having to exchange pleasantries with cashiers in places like Trader Joe’s. Needless to say, few people were willing to defend this impoliteness. This probably says something quite bad about society today.