talk, talking, talked

Last evening, I was sipping my beer at the bar. At one table, there were four guys enjoying their happy hour session. They were chatting away for hours, and the more beer was poured into their tiny beer glasses (NOT mugs!), the louder the conversation became. Naturally, my ears attempted to catch the topic of their conversation. What suprises me most was not the topic. I heard more noises emitted from their mouths than the meaning of the words spoken. None of the guys actually listened to each other. They were talking to each other at the same time! Amazing! How is it possible to regard this as conversation when everyone's talking and no one's listening? And even if one of them paused (to breathe, not to listen), another pounced on that opportunity to assert his grand ideas!

Then, I realized this is not unique in our society these days. It seems like no one asks inquisitive questions anymore. Instead, questions are often asked when one needs to test the other person. In other words, the questioner knows the answer to his own questions. The good articulators tend to flash extra jargons into their conversation, thus endowing it with power. Once this power is achieved, the one who talks more get the upper hand over the others in the battle of conversation -- "you see, I told you so!"