On Being Talkative

People are of two sorts. Some are born extroverted and some introverted. "Men are born free and equal", suggested the French philosopher Rousseau, but does this maxim illustrate the reality? So much attention has been drawn to issues regarding gender, few of us bother to confront the inequalities between extroverts and introverts.

Extroverts are by definition usually very talkative; they love sports; they acquire excellent communication skills; they are generally happier. Introverts, on the contrary, are quiet; they prefer solitude; their allegiances are to the arts and books rather than outdoor activities; very often they are of a melancholy temperament.

In modern society there exists a certain tendency which people condemn the latter rather than the former. If introverts are undesirable, it is because the assumption is premised on the fact they lack good communication skills. When they are viewed politically, one may suggest they often opt more for individualism rather than collectivism. Introverts seem to aim at violating the fundamental law of human nature, rather than recognise the value of friendship, they are liable to grow contemptuous of what most anthropologists suggest. But why are they so quiet? Why can't they enjoy companionship?

If being introverted is deemed offensive to the societal convention, it is perhaps because they clearly understand value of silence in the art of provoking agreeable conversation. There exists a peculiar yet paradoxical attraction from the majority for the silent. In certain academic spheres, particularly in philosophy and social science, laymen seem to develop a distaste for clarity and respect for unfathomable texts. No one ever wishes to wonder what "post-modernism" or "post-colonial constructivism" means. No one wishes to think that Hegel's "The Phenomenology of Spirit" is composed of intolerable nonsense. Rather than condemn it as contorted tangles of language, a sensitive reader may start to worry at length about his intelligence. The fact that a text which is impassable to lay reader may actually be regarded as profound and wise. Yet a text that articulates with immense clarity and fluidity that can be easily understood by an untrained mind may be condemned as invalid because it is more susceptible to criticism.

Similarly, why, then, can't we say the same for introverts? The fact that an introvert smiles without uttering a word in the midst of a serious political discussion may suggest there is something inherently inferior about the others and therefore raise the silent to a status of intellectual superiority. Because all introverts defy our ease of understanding. On the face of it, they appear mysterious and offer well-grounded reason for curiosity. Introverts are capable of getting people to talk by not saying a word, so they can easily go with the flow of the conversation, hence become masters talkers.

Silence, when used intelligently, compels others to speak. Introverts urge people to talk without doing the effort themselves. They are all at heart talkative. It is time we should do them justice.

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