and I want to know this because........?

I'm feeling old and cranky. Not old as in 'oh my aches and pains' but more like old as in 'what in the hell is the matter with people today?'

I can clearly remember a time when you could meet someone at either a social or business event and NOT find out within 5 minutes everything about their religion, political party of choice and sexual preferences.

I can even remember working very closely with people, day after day, for months or even years and not knowing these things; or caring.

I recently heard it said that when you begin a conversation with someone and they assert their religious affiliation within the first 30 seconds, they are grabbing the moral high ground for the duration of the conversation. Hopefully you weren't planning to voice an opinion.

We have become a very divided country in more ways than red and blue states and we seem to be working very hard to find things to be contentious about.

Just for the record, I most certainly do not want to hear about your religion, I don't want to hear about your political leanings unless we are having a civilized discussion about the upcoming national elections and I never want to hear about your sexual preferences or your opinion about this whole topic.