being so last isn't "bad", so the thread title seems a bit odd to me... i will say that it is a bit inconvenient when it comes to meeting new people however... i don't really know what to say to people that i don't allready know in most circumstances, and i don't like creating artificial scenarios to ease the process... i think that is one of the reasons i like things like rainbow gatherings... the whole environment is conducive to meeting new people, and i am like a fish in water there... most often in groups i listen and watch, and there are a few reasons for that... i sort of like analyzing people, guessing what they will do/say, and putting things i observe in a mental filing cabinet... by the time i do want to say something, conversation isn't leaving a ton of easy gaps for me (as often as not, the conversation has changed topics before i found an opening i liked)... i guess that is one of the reasons i enjoy talking online... i can type as someone else types; talking while someone talks is sort of a mess... there is also more time in which i can format my thoughts... even online i have trouble with meeting folks though... i don't have much trouble keeping up with social rules, pecking orders, and the like... however, i just don't find things like that interesting to discuss... to me it is like discussing the weather... there are conditions that are favorable or disfavorable, but why some person is an asshole is like talking about how much snow fell last night... i think a lot of people interpret silence as intelligence, fear, plotting, agreement, evasiveness and any other number of things that suit their assumptions... it can be a handy thing to see how people react when you are quiet... i don't really like parties much... i used to think that i did, but the more i went to, the more i realized that i only like the idea of them... most of the time i end up listening to someone complain about something while other people have fun... i notice some of my friends work super hard to have me participate in group disscussions, but most are used to me not speaking... anyhow, i am not as socially awkward as this makes me sound... it's not so much that i am incapable of any of these things; it's just that it is uncomfortable and feels like work... i really like being sx first (most of the time)...