Whatever Happened to Nuanced Thinking and Patient Discourse?
Inquiring minds want to know
When I was a kid, I remember a conversation between two of my buddies. One asked why the other was doing something. The second kid replied: “‘cause.” Not “because.” Saying the full word would have required too much effort. Just “‘cause.” And he pronounced it “cuzz.”
This went back and forth for a few minutes. It never got any deeper than that. Of course, this wasn’t necessarily unusual. It just happens to be one that I remember.
Kids have “conversations” like this all the time.
In some cases, kids settle disputes through yelling (who can scream the loudest?) or the opposite (giving each other the silent treatment). Or insults. Or shoving, kicking, punching, or biting (if they’re really little).
You expect that lack of nuance and sophistication when it comes to children.
Unfortunately, it’s becoming like this more and more with grown-ups.
This is particularly evident when conversations pertain to politics, religion, sex, relationships, or anything into which we invest our emotions.
Dr. Susan Krauss Whitbourne, a renowned psychologist and author of the book The Inconvenient Truth About Adult Development, has also…
