Clarification
“There’s gonna come a time when young people will look at you, in the middle of telling you something, and stop to explain what they mean.”
“Hm?” I asked, looking up from the piano. The melody wasn’t coming, so I closed the lid and turned to face her.
“I’m saying that there’s this threshold, this gap, a tangible generation gap, where you’ve gotten old enough that younger folks will start assuming that whatever they’re telling you is going over your head.”
I considered that. I’d been guilty of doing the same with my elders, but— “Doesn’t that depend more on body language than a simple difference of age? I mean, if someone’s eyes start glazing over while I’m talking to them, I’ll stop and clarify.”
She seemed stymied at that, as though I’d just destroyed some great sociological discovery. “You’re right, of course, but that depends on the speaker’s observation levels too. I’d be willing to bet that some people will push on with unnecessary clarifications, just because—”
“Because they’re dicks?” I asked, and she laughed.
First draft: 140919
Published: 230515