Western Culture seems notorious for analysing, judging and criticising others and not oneself.

Is this because it is the new socially accepted mode of conversation, a form of idle chatter, or is it done to make ourselves feel better by putting others down and being able to congratulate ourselves on being such good judges of character?

Is it because we are so uneducated or uninterested in politics, economics, world news, literature, philosophy, etc, that all we have left to discuss are the personality characteristics and dress sense of people we know or people we think we know (such as popular personalities projected into our lives by media and social media links).

Is it our right to judge? Are we above others on a self proclaimed pedestal? For what purpose or outcome do we instigate or participate in such critical and judgmental discussions?

What do we achieve – a boost in our egos, the wasting of time? Surely it can’t be considered a workplace social team building activity? I have a concern that such discussions are unconsciously colouring the lens through which managers informally and formally evaluate their team members and their work performance.

I suppose it is up to each of us to consider if we instigate or participate in such conversations at work and why.