There’s a story, possibly apocryphal, about the Israeli Cabinet, after the surprise attack that started the Yom Kippur War, always requiring a “tenth man”. The theory is that if nine people agree, then it is the duty of the “tenth man” to disagree, no matter what and no matter how much the other members pressure them. They are considered irritating but necessary to avoid dangerous group think.

I’m not sure I completely understand what you mean by a jabroni. Do you think they are the “tenth man” of our communities?

Some companies laser etch and track their natural diamonds, too. It’s to distinguish them from blood diamonds.

I work with nurses. The vast majority of them are lovely people, but I’ve seen the nurse cliques you are talking about. So has my wife, who also works with nurses. I’ve seen departments of nurses with that “mean girl” vibe that require long-term HR intervention because they are so toxic to one another.

If you see this kind of behavior, run for the hills. However, if you are just talking about normal human interaction to pass the time and socialize, then it is you who are not conforming to normal social expectations. You don’t have to conform, of course, but there are consequences to being anti-social.

The question is, are you an introvert or a misanthrope? An introvert needs alone time to recharge and that’s fine. A misanthrope doesn’t like people, no doubt because of some childhood trauma. If the latter, then therapy might help.

If you truly are an introvert who needs alone time to recharge, I’d suggest “going home to check on the dog” during your break. Even if you don’t have a dog. The point is that you need alone time and that’s perfectly valid.

If you are generally sociable, but simply find their particular conversation boring or insipid, I’d suggest training for something where the work culture is more professional. Regular hospital floor nursing almost always has a “break room culture” and it is easy to get trapped in it, but there are lots of alternatives. Learn surgical assisting, for example, or become a nurse practitioner. Street nursing, public health nursing, and home care nursing are all examples where there is no real break room culture. Or get into management, where there are no breaks.

This blackmailing of Biden by threatening to facilitate another Trump presidency is such bullshit. As Biden has rightly said, democracy in America is on the ballot, and that is a far, far, FAR more important issue than a temporary flare-up in a decades-long conflict in the Middle East. Biden has to appease moderates if he is to prevent Trump from winning. He, therefore, doesn’t want to engage in a MAJOR foreign policy shift that would scare moderates and distract from Trump’s legal woes. You don’t have to love Biden or the Democratoc Party, but Biden has been doing politics practically forever, which, if nothing else, means that he knows better than anyone on Lemmy how to beat Trump. Don’t make perfect the enemy of good.