Stop Asking This Question

Have you ever met someone new and to strike up conversation they ask, “So what’s your story?” I’m sure you have. We have all been asked this at least once in our lives. I don’t know about anyone else but this question always drives me absolutely INSANE. Why, you ask? It’s such a simple, innocent question right? Nope, wrong. There are a few reasons why I hate it.

1. It’s open-ended as fuck. The person on the receiving end of this question could take their answer down 93,754,792,490,853,689,549,058 different roads. The possibilities for potential answers are endless.

2. It gives the person ZERO inclination as to what you actually want to learn about them. Childhood details, family makeup, educational background, hobbies and interests, travel adventures, professional life, dating history, weird habits, favorite foods, musical preferences, phobias, allergies, medical history, obsessions, religious background, political views.

3. It’s a lazy way of showing interest in the person in front of you. It shows you have no idea what you want to say to the person and cannot think of one single direct question. So you throw out this general question and hope for the best to come of the conversation.

FAAAAAAIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I may be totally overreacting to a very simple question that people use to launch a conversation with a new person, but I think if you are taking the time to talk to someone and want to get to know them better, be a bit more specific and intentioned with your interaction. I never know what the hell to say to people who ask me this question. I always have to ask the person to be more specific, which for some reason that I cannot comprehend, confuses some of them. What’s wrong? Is actually directing the conversation that you have initiated, a foreign concept to you? Is it too difficult to come up with ANY other way to start this conversation?

I am probably the problem here and just have yet to realize it. It’s clearly working out for other people or they wouldn’t continue asking this (or would they?). I wish I could wipe the use of this question from the mouths of everyone on Earth. I really cannot stand it. Do you feel the same why I do or am I alone on this one? Let’s talk about it down in the comments.