Seemingly pointless conversation/greetings...

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Emettman - I think you watch way too much startrek

Nah, I just pick up associations and references from everywhere, including Trek.

I wonder if I should have used WW2 army slang instead?

If ya don't like seemingly pointless greetings ya should move to rural Texas. Those folks there, they don't talk much to outlanders. They're what I call "Grunters."

My least favroite greeting is, "What's new?" I just tell that person that there haven't been any changes in my Life, since they've last spoken to me. That usually ends the conversation. What am I supposed to do? Make up a story that's not true?

"What's new?" "Nothing under the sun, according to Ecclesiastes" should be a nice stopper.

Good one.

it depends, most the time i'm 'friendly' otherwise people think you're rude(no one knows about my AS). But other times (like today) when i'm tired or stressed i'll just give one word answers and people get the hint!

Surely you've always got something new to share?

Everytime someone asks me whats up, how are you, or whats new.... I tell them about a recent thought, or project, or development I've been having, sure they might not be interested, but believe it or not almost everyone is interested in learning things they don't know, just not to the same degree...

Sure I can't work out whether I'm having a "good day" or not, because every day is the same sort of battle, but surely you are in motion, everybody has something to share!! !!

Tonight I managed to share about 5 facts that interested a group of 4-5 people, I was terrified, I went silent and left once they started blabbing, BUT I managed to make them laugh and take part in my own way...

I hate when people ask me that too! I never know what to say.

I think people say seemingly meaningless things like "how are you" or "what's up" because they don't know what else to say and are hoping that your response will contain some information that can be used to start a conversation. However, I don't know how to respond. I just say "good" or "nothing." I wish I knew how to converse. It seems to come so easily and naturally for most people and I don't know how they do it.

I usually respond with "hi", and a slight smile. But there's no point in carrying on the conversation from there, unless it's one of my friends or someone interesting who I want to talk to. Even then it's strained.

i've just learned to say hello all the time when someone says hello to me. problem fixed

I always try my best to respond to those sorts of greetings. The two-second nature of these "conversations" does bother me a bit, but not so much that I actively seek to drag information out of people.

Well I do respond but it pains me to be false.

When someone says "hello" to you, say hello back. It is considered rude if you don't.

Why is it considered rude?

They're making an effort to acknowledge your existence and be friendly. Being ignored in response makes them feel rejected, whether you are meaning it that way or not.

Not just that, but you are breaking the social norms here... the "script" if you will. The script is relatively easy to learn. Don't think of it as being "false", think of it as interacting with a seriously old-school 1950's computer. If you don't input the appropriate response or variable, you just get back gibberish and the computer doesn't do what you want.

Person1 : Hello. (or hi, or heya, or the equivalent)
Person2 : Hello. (mimics first input)
Person1 : How are you doing?
Person2 : Alright. You?
Person1 : I'm doing ok.

Either one of two things will happen at this point.

Person1 : See ya.
Person2 : Bye.

or,

Person1 : I'm pretty tired, though. (Or some other minor complaint.)
Person2 : <briefly sympathizes with person 1>
<conversation drifts to other matters>

This finally ends with one of you saying:

"Well, I've got to get back to <task>, see ya."

and the other saying

"Ok, see ya."

I always thought that saying hi was a way of getting a person's attention, and so you can see their face and try to figure out the best way of phrasing the thing you're about to say, but if a conversation doesn't follow, I really don't like it. A second of eye contact and a smilish twitch are sufficient.

One of friends' dad said "What do you say?" as a greeting. The first time I heard it, I stopped walking and had to really think of a response. I think I said "Uh...good?" At least with "what's up" I can reflexively belt out a very genuine-sounding "Oh, not much".

Our daughter pulls this one on me a lot. She's learning not to, tho, hehehe.

"Know what's funny?"
"Oh, sweetie, I know so many things that are funny it'd take me days to list 'em. Did you have something particular in mind?"

or

"Know what sucks?"
"Well, kiddo, the current federal deficit, for one thing. Kim Jong Il's domestic and foreign policies come to mind as well..."
"Dad..."
"...but what, specifically, did you mean?"

or, my personal favorite

"Guess what!"
"Uh... you're actually male and all this time you've been cleverly fooling your mother and I."
"No...god dad"
"Um... oh, oh, I know this one. You're actually the brains behind the US administration."
"No, if that were true I'd run it bet... you distracted me again."
"Sure did. How 'bout you just tell me instead of making me guess, because I clearly suck at that."

As far as that "Whaddaya say?" guy goes, I'd have to answer "Well, I say a lot of stuff. Some of it's relevant, some of it's not. Was there something specific you'd like me to say?"