I hate small talk
Sure sometime it is necessary in order to build a bridge or to take care of the daily mundanity we are all forced to deal with at some level but FFS can we navigate out of shallow waters for once!?
I hate it most in a group setting/ party of some sort, I'm not saying it's wrong to be light hearted and have a good time, but being asked endless quizzes of mundane questions or talking about trivial shit that leaves nothing at stake is soul crushing imo when it goes on beyond just an initial icebreaker.
I try my best to steer conversations to deeper places, but there are some people who just have a knack for bringing it back to small talk and it drives me nuts!
ALSO, on a side note, I think the whole "americanism" of asking " how are you?" and answering "good" is insincere and a total BS social norm, Ive visited some other countries and in there cultures when you ask someone how they are doing they actually expect that you want to know and they proceed to tell you stories. I much prefer using language in the most sincere forms of its meaning.