Because I honestly can’t. I can barely talk with the very few people I know. Is just so out of my range. That’s why I don’t have friends or a partner and I don’t see that changing.
EDIT: no, responding comments here or asking this question ISN’T having a conversation for me. So I don’t feel this as “progress”.
No. Between being really poor about remembering names and whether I’ve met someone before, and always being suspicious about their motives for approaching me, it never goes well.
This past summer I travelled down south and it was a strange experience - people were friendly and wanted to chat, and even be helpful, and not once was there an obvious scam. I’m too old to be discovering something like this but I’ve always been with family or friends or something, or visiting tourist spots, but this time I was wandering in “normal” places. After a week, I was finally open to small talk without suspicion, but what an experience!
I live right below the dividing line between north and south. People here are definitely southern in attitude and habit. All the bullshit small talk drove me crazy as a kid. As an adult I tolerate it but I still don’t care for it.
On the other hand for my work I travel extensively. I love working in the north because nobody bothers me or asks what I’m doing. This can be a serious problem in the south because if I don’t indulge people they may decide I’m rude and then complain about me.