The always helpful School of Life offers helpful advice about limiting one’s verbal opinions about specific subjects so as not to make people uncomfortable enough to run away. While healthy discussion is usually welcome, excessive conviction about an issue can get rather onerous and boring, particularly when the subject is pointed, divisive and/or delicate.
Bores can be found harbouring any manner of obsessions: they may be deeply concerned about grammar (and the ever increasing misuse of the subjunctive) or believe that modern architecture has alienated us from ourselves; they may be horrified by the predatory nature of contemporary capitalism or disgusted by the whingeing of the environmental movement; they might hate feminism or see misogyny in every corner of life. Bores aren’t necessarily wholly misguided, they may be making some very good points along the way; but our discomfort in their company arises from the intensity and relentlessness of their manner. We long that they might fall silent or, more realistically, allow us to run away.