Because I don’t, and pretending to feels dishonest. I’ll listen if they want to talk about it, but I’m not going to act interested, and I certainly won’t ask about it on my own. What I’m trying to figure out is whether people actually care, or if they’re just playing a social game that I’m simply not interested in.
I’m probably on the autistic spectrum, which likely explains this to some extent. But that’s not an excuse - being an asshole is perfectly compatible with autism, so before dunking on me, please realise I probably agree with your criticism.
Small talk is a skill that you must work on to get better at, which then makes it easier for you to be more talkative about your own passions. I used to be a quiet person who didn’t like talking, especially small talk, but as I got older I realized life is way too short to hold myself back on forming connections, however minute they may be, and to share passions or experiences with others that may give me some ideas to further get the most of my own life simply by hearing how much fun or how cool this certain thing was. You can enrich yourself by others experiences.