I went on a date with a guy who for nearly a month had been pestering me to meet. Then he literally did not let me finish a sentence. I pointed this out and he said, grandly, “That’s because I already know what you are going to say.”
I explained to him how self-perpetuating this fallacy is. He would never hear all the stuff he’s not learning from other people. I said, you’ve been at me to spend time with you for a month. Now here it is. Your big chance to get to know this woman. Tell me one thing you know about me that you didn’t already know at the beginning of the evening.
Sulkily he said, “Well I can tell you’re a bit of a feminist.”
Poor guy. I was trying not to laugh with pity. So I continued to interrupt his interruptions until finally he stopped and said, Right then. What is it? That’s so important that you’ve just got to say?
I explained to him the deteriorated version of my original thought that had now survived the eight interruptions and side-swipes.
He sat with his arms folded. Then he said, “Are you done?”
And I said, “Yes. I’m done. Thanks for the drink!” and picked up my bag and walked away.