Admittedly, I'm not the most patient person in the world but I am outgoing and friendly, and I usually enjoy introducing myself to new people. Except for when I get one of the following questions about my work...if I never had to answer any of these ever again, I think I could die in peace.
1. So a Ph.D huh? What do you want to do with THAT?
What do you think I want to do with it? Cashier at Wal-Mart? Be your IT person? Sing on Broadway? There aren't a whole lot of options outside of academia (especially outside of STEM fields) so what else would does it seem likely that I'd want to do?
2. Oooo linguistics....how many languages do you speak?
The bane of career questions for most linguists...but I never get sick of being sick of answering it. I'll be answering this one for the rest of my life.
3. So will that actually pay money?
Thanks for your concern about my future finances, but I've got it under control.
4. So you basically study ebonics? I mean, why would anyone bother with THAT?
See: ignorance, racism, and Standard Language Ideology
5.You must be really smart, huh?
How the heck am I supposed to answer this without sounding like an arrogant jerk or a person completely devoid of self-esteem? Not that I spend a lot of time quoting bad movies, but see Natalie Portman's character in No Strings Attached for my perfect response: "Sometimes my neck gets sore...because my brain is so big".
Stay tuned for the (Personal) Questions I Wish Strangers Would Stop Asking Me
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