Talk to strangers
Summary
A writer with a dog named Variety Magazine has a take: talk to strangers. She's had New Yorkers approach her and share intense stories, from casual dog compliments to "Oh, my daughter died" within minutes. She loves it. As a writer, she wants the trauma, calling it better than being on her phone. Kareem's skeptical at first but gets won over by her strategy of complimenting random people, especially working men and old folks with canes, in the "compliment zone" between 72nd and 110th Street on the Upper West and East Sides. They agree New Yorkers should give at least one compliment daily. She's already doing fifty.
Full Transcript
So, what's your take? Talk to strangers. 100% disagree. Don't do not talk to strangers unless they speak to you first.
Yeah. Well, since I adopted Variety, so many New Yorkers just walk up to me and tell me their life stories, which makes me think they want to talk. Who's Variety? My dog. His name is Variety Magazine.
That's a good name. So, people come to you and they talk to you because of the dog. But yeah, they start with him and then they're like, "Oh, my daughter died." And they go on for like 30 minutes talking about stuff. And you like that? I like listening. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's trauma dumping. I'm a writer. And so you want the trauma? You want to absorb it? It's good for me.
It's not good. It's better than being on my phone. That's not better than being on the phone is the best feeling in the world. Can I just talk to people on the internet? Why would you move to New York if you don't want to talk to people, real people? I like when people don't know anything about me and they approach me and they go, "Nice dog. My sister died."
Yes. I think that's great. I also compliment people. Random street in my neighborhood from like I say feel like Upper West Side Upper East Side from 72nd to 110 specifically.
Yeah, that's the compliment zone. Yes. Especially people that I assume maybe they don't get that many compliments, you know, like working men. I'm like, "Oh, that outfit looks good on you." You say that to a guy that looks like he's just a plumber.
Yeah. Or like a an old person with a cane like, "Oh, nice cane you got there." Nice cane? Yes. That's so nice of you. Change someone's day. Look at that man eating from a bag.
Yeah. What about that man? I would compliment his tie and his glasses.
You would compliment his tie and his glasses. I think it would make him happy for the day and he would tell somebody, you know, that is really beautiful. Hopefully, he has somebody that he can tell like, "Oh my god, somebody told me that my tie is really good." Honestly, I think I'm with you. I I think I don't want to talk to strangers, but I will be complimenting strangers moving forward.
New Yorkers. Everyone should do it. I think everyone who's listening to this take should start it cuz they're free. At least one New Yorker a day. I I'm not even doing one a day. I'm doing 50 a day.
Okay, good. You look great. The thing I hate receiving compliments.