# Why all of the stigma on quiet people? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 15, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-of-the-stigma-on-quiet-people/168783 "2003-04-15T01:29:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-of-the-stigma-on-quiet-people/168783/101 "2003-04-18T03:18:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by shy guy \* > \*\* I don’t talk to my roomate a lot, and this being my freshman year, I’m not too sure what the standard level of interaction is. > > If I’m watching TV or something and he comments on it, I’ll respond, or if he asks me a question or asks me to do something, I’ll obviously respond, but other than that we don’t really talk. And really, I don’t want to. My room is one of the places I expect to be able to not have to deal with anyone if I don’t want to. He’s a very talkative person, so he gets his fix from the other people in the hallway. Fine by me. \*\* No, that sounds normal to me. I never had many deep, meaningful conversations with any of my roommates. It’s when your roommate doesn’t ever respond to your questions/comments/greetings (or offer any of her own) that it gets kind of weird. It’s like your “hi” gets sucked into a black hole in the middle of the room. If your roommate turns off the light upon leaving (like **Laurasia’s** did) and otherwise refuses to acknowledge you exist, it’s very weird. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-of-the-stigma-on-quiet-people/168783/102 "2003-04-18T04:08:52Z")
> [@](#): > > If your roommate turns off the light upon leaving (like Laurasia’s did) and otherwise refuses to acknowledge you exist, it’s very weird. Okay, then yeah, never done anything like that. He did it to me once before, but came back like 3 minutes later and said, “did I just turn that light off?” ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-of-the-stigma-on-quiet-people/168783/103 "2003-04-18T11:06:57Z")
I was voted the most quiet in my high school year book. ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-of-the-stigma-on-quiet-people/168783/104 "2003-04-20T08:14:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Payne N. Diaz \* > \*\*Coming rather late to this gabfest(!), let me add that I am also an introvert. Sometimes not by choice, and sometimes because I am tired of trying to insert a comment into the conversation, and having my attempts to join in swept aside by those who will not shut up. It seems the only way to make myself heard is to jump up, smack the table, and yell,“Hey I’m talkin’ here!!” which I won’t do. So I just shut up myself and ignore the loudmouths. It was hurtful the first few (million) times it happened, but now I just bring a book when possible, and they can have their petty little chitchat while I entertain myself. \*\* My familly is the same way, they even have the gall to say its my fault they dont pay attention to me. ---
**Author:** ![Honeydew\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@Honeydew\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honeydew_1)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-of-the-stigma-on-quiet-people/168783/105 "2003-04-20T11:14:24Z")
I am an extroverted introvert… in that, once I make friends with people, I’m extroverted with them… but when I meet people for the first time, I am very quiet. I am not great with social situations and big crowds and me do not match. Those who know me, know I can talk the hind legs off a donkey (why I’d want to do that, I have no clue)… but if you brought me to a party, I’d be the one in the kitchen helping out 😛 ---
**Author:** ![regurgit8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58f4c7/32.png) [@regurgit8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/regurgit8)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-of-the-stigma-on-quiet-people/168783/106 "2003-04-22T17:02:28Z")
‘Silence is golden.’ ‘Still waters are deep.’ And my personal favorite, a great sign that one of my coworkers has posted on her wall: ‘It’s not that I’m rude; it’s just that you’re insignificant.’ ---
**Author:** ![regurgit8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58f4c7/32.png) [@regurgit8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/regurgit8)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-of-the-stigma-on-quiet-people/168783/107 "2003-04-22T17:05:33Z")
A paraphrased saying by, I think it was Heinrich Heine, but I’ll have to verify it: ‘A smart person notices everything; and a stupid person has a comment about everything.’ ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-of-the-stigma-on-quiet-people/168783/108 "2003-04-22T17:57:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by monstro \* > \*\*I never know how to respond to “What’s up?” Out of all the questions someone can ask me, that has to be the most annoying. I don’t know why. \*\* I hate “What’s up?” People use it a greeting nowadays. They don’t say “Hi,” they say “What’s up?” and then turn and walk away. Okay, if you’re going to indifferently ask what’s up, at least stick around for my answer! I’m satisfied with a “Hey” or “Hello” while passing someone in the hall, and then going our separate ways. The only time I ever ask what’s new with a person is if we’re sitting and it’s actually a good time for conversation. I’m an introvert like most everyone else in this thread, but for some reason I always mention the weather. I normally don’t like small-talk, but I like talking about the current weather for some reason. Like I’ll say “Hey, we haven’t had rain for a while” or “What a nice day it is today” and that could be the end of the conversation or the beginning, it doesn’t matter to me. I hang out with a lot of extroverts so a lot of times I find silence unnerving, since it seems unnatural for _them_ to be quiet. Sometimes I try and get a conversation going just so I can listen to them talk again. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-of-the-stigma-on-quiet-people/168783/109 "2003-04-22T19:27:20Z")
Sometimes I talk about the weather when it’s obvious the other person wants to talk and I don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable by not saying anything. It’s better than talking about stuff that I know nothing about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-of-the-stigma-on-quiet-people/168783.md?page=5)