Maeve Higgins

Time and energy are resources, and New Yorkers never have enough of either because of capitalism and self-absorption. Their technique is to get straight to it, and that can be off-putting. Besides, believing and acting on this no-nonsense “who exactly are you?” school of conversation neglects the fact that small talk, when done correctly, is actually an extremely efficient way of getting acquainted with people.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/03/opinion/americans-are-terrible-at-small-talk.html