B. S. ing

I was raised up in the deep south, and taught by my Grandma to be proud of my southern heritage. There are so many southern traditions that I have made part of my life: southern rock, grits, the cross of Saint Andrew that it would be easy to make the case that I'm a prototypical southern county boy. I have decided that this is not the case, however. There is one talent  (apparently essential ) that most southern men possess, that has eluded me all of my life, the art of Bull Shitting.

I have found that the "best" bull shitting is most likely to occur when more than two good old boys find themselves in the same place at the same time. When three or four of these guys get in the the bs mode the mind numbing stories about how grand daddy did things, or about what the government is screwing up, or about a million other things that don't add up to any thing, can go on for hours. The great catch is, if somebody knows where I'm from they expect me to not only take part in such babble, they expect me to enjoy it as much as they do. The truth is, I find it a waste of my time in most cases. If I engage a person in conversion more often than not I have a reason or a place I would like for the conversation to go. But when the Bull Shit starts any chance a person might have for directing a conversation is gone. More than gone, often times I can't even remember where I wanted it to go with it in the first place.What good can come of this? 

I don't mean to sound anti-social. In a one on one setting I can talk to someone that I care about for hours on end. However, I find the dynamics of a one on one conversation or a conversation among close friends much different. When close friends get together, something similar to bull shitting can get up and going, but the difference is there is unspoken and sometime unconscious meaning: a deeper understanding of someone you care about. However similar these conversations might be to bs a simple talk among friends will always have a purpose, a goal, an outcome: a more meaningful relationship. I'm in on that.