4,000 Questions for Getting to Know Anyone and Everyone, Second Edition
Copyright © 2004, 2015 by Barbara Ann Kipfer
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kipfer, Barbara Ann.
4,000 questions for getting to know anyone and everyone / Barbara Ann Kipfer.
p.cm.
ISBN 978-0-375-42624-7 (trade pbk. : alk. paper)
eBook ISBN: 978-0-375-42625-4
1. Questioning. 2. Interpersonal communication. I. Title: Four thousand questions for getting to know anyone and everyone. II. Title.
P95.52.K56 2004
302.2—dc22 2004046847
v3.1
DEDICATION
Thank you to my inquisitive
family and colleagues.
Life is about keeping those
questions coming and
continuing to seek answers.
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Introduction
The Latest Scoop
Childhood & School
Family & Friends
Fun & Sport
Habits
Love & Sex
Outlook
Politics
Spirituality
Work
About the Author
INTRODUCTION
In the Internet age, have we forgotten how to talk and really get to know each other? We interact all the time electronically … but how well?
4,000 Questions for Getting to Know Anyone and Everyone was first published 10 years ago, filled with questions for conversation starters, small talk, interviews, and major discussions. I wrote this book because it was fun for me. Back when I first started compiling questions, my son and his girlfriend used the developing manuscript when they talked on the phone. Once published, many others have found the questions to be fun and entertaining, too.
You will find this 10th anniversary edition contains a new chapter to include subjects we talk about in our increasingly digital world. Even though we are still speaking the same language as before, sharing information and opinions with one another, this book helps us to do that even better than social media sites.
Use this book to reclaim the lost art of conversation. 4,000 Questions for Getting to Know Anyone and Everyone is fodder for the dinner table, as an alternative to watching TV or videos, for an interesting night with your partner, for parties, for discussions with classmates or coworkers, for getting to know someone you are dating, and for making friends and developing deeper friendships. Please do write in your answers as well as your own questions to personalize your copy of the book.
Do you like working with a tablet computer? Do you like it better than a laptop or desktop computer?
Do you prefer e-mail, telephone, texting, or talking through social media?
Are marijuana and alcohol equal in their effect? Should marijuana be legalized?
Do you have a landline telephone in your house?
If your parents used a social media site, would you still use it?
If you lived in a state that legalized marijuana for recreational use, would you use it?
Do you text using your thumbs?
Do you buy energy-efficient lightbulbs?
Would you drive a hybrid or electric car to save energy?
Will you sign up for The Affordable Care Act/Obamacare or pay the penalty?
If you record a television show, do you fast forward through the commercials or watch them?
Do you listen to voice mail or just call the person back?
Do you watch reality television? If yes, how many shows?
Do you think reality television will last for a long time?
Do you think reality television people should be considered stars?
How many people do you follow on Twitter? Who do you follow—friends/family, celebrities?
Do you get your news from Twitter or other social media?
Do you use Facebook or other social media?
How much time each day do you spend using social media on the Internet?
Do you watch videos online? For what reason(s)?
Do you read books in print or electronic format?
Do you like traditional sports (baseball, basketball, football, soccer) or extreme sports (BMX, Motocross, hang gliding, snowboarding) better?
Do you rent DVDs or stream movies or programs online or through your television?
Are you a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fan?
Should magazine covers use Photoshop techniques to make models perfect?
Can a person have too many tattoos?
Do you think energy drinks are healthy or dangerous?
Do you think climate change is a real phenomenon? Do you think people should shoulder responsibility for climate change or there’s nothing we can do?
Do you worry about identity theft?
Do you feel safe using a credit card in a store? Online?
Do you think there should be term limits for all public offices? Will political term limits make our politicians more effective?
Do you believe there should be campaign finance reform?
Are CEO salaries too high?
Should people with mental health issues be allowed to own guns?
Should leakers of government information be stopped and prosecuted?
Is it constitutional for the government to spy on American citizens?
Would you post a selfie online?
Have you ever put something up on the Internet that you later regretted?
Do you back up files on your computer and other electronic devices?
Should victims of terrorism and mass shootings be compensated?
Should banks be bailed out in future financial crises? Should a bank or company be too big to fail?
Do you think our attention spans have increased or decreased due to technology?
Do you think that things you delete from the Internet are really deleted?
Have you ever participated in sexting?
Would you pay more in order to use renewable-energy sources?
How do you view the current drug addiction debate, that we should focus more on treatment and support or punishment and incarceration?
Do you want to know if someone you are intimate with is taking Viagra or another erectile dysfunction medication?