# I Don't Play Well With Others **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 6, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-play-well-with-others/166876 "2003-04-06T15:45:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![welby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@welby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-play-well-with-others/166876/41 "2003-04-08T11:42:24Z")
There was a whining committee at my last job, and I refused to contribute. Granted, a lot of the whining was not only repetitive, but petty. There was one guy who actually complained that we had a 40 hour work week. Any wonder I spent as much time away from the office as humanly possible? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-play-well-with-others/166876/42 "2003-04-08T12:13:23Z")
You’re all approaching this the wrong way. The problem isn’t that you don’t play well with others. It’s that **they** don’t play well with **you**. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-play-well-with-others/166876/43 "2003-04-08T12:43:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by welby \* > \*\*Chiming in as an anti-social bastard at work. It’s mainly because I can’t stand mundane and pointless small talk. Not even a little bit. I don’t give a crap about your latest take on the weather, don’t follow any local sports teams, and reserve my political talk for gatherings with friends. > > Lunch is spent reading a book. > > Breaks are spent reading a book. > > Even the occasional staff meeting is spent reading a book. It’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that I prefer to do my job and go home. \*\* This could have been written by me. I used to participate in office parties and all that crap; for a while I was even in a “birthday club.” Then I decided that I really didn’t have anything in common with most of the people I work with and just stopped taking part in any non-mandatory office activities. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-play-well-with-others/166876/44 "2003-04-08T15:56:52Z")
I wanna be a hermit. Hermits are cool… We wouldn’t have to deal with the whole “Weather conversation” thing. I hate the weather conversation… grr… ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-play-well-with-others/166876/45 "2003-04-08T21:35:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBeer \* > Heh. I was called “abrasive” at my last performance review. My unspoken thought was, “You noticed? Good. I fully intend to be abrasive at times.” Double heh. My last review included “has a sarcastic streak and uses it to highlight concerns and make jokes”. The comment was in the “Good Things About [Balance]” section, along with “stays to himself and does not require much supervision”. It’s nice to be appreciated for what you are. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-play-well-with-others/166876/46 "2003-04-08T22:34:14Z")
I don’t socialize much at work either. Takes away from my SDMB time. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![heresiarch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-play-well-with-others/166876/47 "2003-04-08T23:57:56Z")
I wanna work for **Algernon**. He makes a good point, being an introvert does not equate to “does not play well with others.” I don’t like after-hour picnics, parties, whatever. Especially since it’s about an hour and a half drive to any of my coworkers homes. Luckily, the boss doesn’t grade my job performance on party attendance. I work in a fairly small shop and get along with all my coworkers. I’m a good listener, I don’t talk about people behind their backs, and I’m always willing to help them out. If conversation turns to the Final Four and I don’t have anything to contribute, it doesn’t seem to matter much. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-play-well-with-others/166876.md?page=2)