Ever since I was a kid, I've
talked to myself. Generally, I've done it to solve a
problem, but I also often do it nowadays to determine how something will sound aloud (this is particularly important if you are trying to do anything
poetic, possibly
upsetting, or a case where tone and wording is otherwise extremely important). It helps me solve
problems because it's like putting the
information and
situation down on paper; it lays everything out to look at (it's not as good as paper for hard problems, but it is much faster).
So then why is it so
frowned upon when it is so
useful? It causes
funny looks to be flashed or quickened walking by those around. People who know me and hang around with me tell me to stop because it's a really bad thing to do. Why is that?
For some reason,
talking to yourself has grown associated not with problem solving, but with
insanity.
Schzophrenics and the
insane in general are
stereotyped as
mumbling,
whispering, or
speaking to themselves.
It's
annoying how a group of people
disliked or
feared by
society have caused a whole activity to be deemed only for the
mad.
Of course, that sort of problem has parallels in other activities, like, say, using
Napster: "Oh, many
d00dz use
Napster to download
copyrighted music, which is bad, therefore all people who use
Napster are bad!"
please forgive me for that last; Napster was just the first example to pop into my head for obvious reasons