For my mom, feigned surprise is one of her main communication styles, as I think it is for many people. This is closely related to the rhetorical device of "I j

For my mom, feigned surprise is one of her main communication styles, as I think it is for many people. This is closely related to the rhetorical device of "I just can't believe..." to express outrage about something which you can, in fact, believe. Eliezer Yudkowsky expresses that aspect of expression well: "The principle extends beyond physics. Have you ever caught yourself saying something like, "I just don't understand how a PhD physicist can believe in astrology?" Well, if you literally don't understand, this indicates a problem with your model of human psychology. Perhaps you are indignant - you wish to express strong moral disapproval. But if you literally don't understand, then your indignation is stopping you from coming to terms with reality. It shouldn't be hard to imagine how a PhD physicist ends up believing in astrology. People compartmentalize, enough said." http://lesswrong.com/lw/hs/think_like_reality/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/hs/think_like_reality/ My mom doesn't express indignation so much as she expresses surprise. She is hyper intelligent, but prefers to use surprise to talk about things in a certain way. Me: "A majority of college educated people in the Red States voted for Trump." My mom, surprised: "But how could they vote for Trump when they have such good educations?" Me: "From 1860 to 2008 the majority of all college educated people voted for the Republican candidate. It is normal for college educated people to vote for the Republican candidate. 2008 was the first year the pattern was broken." We've had exactly this same conversation many times before, so she's not really surprised by the information. But she feigns surprise as a stylistic choice. It's the personal manner in which she is most comfortable expressing herself. Likewise: Southerns who grew up watching televsion no longer speak with Southern accents. I introduce a friend to my mom and mom says "She doesn't sound Southern at all!" My mom is aware that the South has changed since the 1950s, but my mom prefers to feign surprise over this issue, every single time.