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An undiagnosed alcoholic (IMHO) I used to know, would happily spend 6 hours any evening, drinking with anyone, gossiping about completely useless things. They
by profsummergig 1y ago
An undiagnosed alcoholic (IMHO) I used to know,
would happily spend 6 hours any evening, drinking with anyone, gossiping about completely useless things.
They could be doing this with complete strangers whom they would never meet again,
they could even be doing this with someone visiting to let them know that they were going to sue them (actually happened at least once).
They thought they were very "social".
Yeah, if this is what "sociality" means, please spare me its gifts.
- ido 1y agoAside from the drinking, what is wrong with the social activity you just mentioned? Or was your point that they only used it as an excuse to drink? Cause it would have surely been easier & cheaper to just drink at home on their own.
- saulpw 1y agoIt's hollow and doesn't lead to any kind of friendship or bond. You might as well walk around blazed out of your mind and saying hello to everyone you pass on the street. It feels friendly but no connections are made.
- ido 1y agoI don't think leading to long term connections (although a big bonus) is a requirement for socialization to be positive. The alternative we discuss in this context is to being home alone.
- saulpw 1y agoBut then, what is really the difference between chatting with a person on the street without a connection, vs an LLM without a connection? I guess I've had enough of the former to value it not much differently.
- ido 1y agoWhenever I visit a “chatty” country like the US or UK I enjoy the small talk and casual chit-chat and really miss it in grumpy and silent Central Europe :)