everybody i talk to encourages me to agree with some combination of words they have strung together and voiced. the topic does not matter, it is my agreement that matters. it could be an articulation about abstractions like the weather, the economy, the conservatives or conservationists; it could be an exposition of some sort with a conclusion or moral, about how that jerk who parked too close to my car got his comeuppance or why inviting jesus into my heart is the right thing to do. the topic does not matter. agreement with the assertion, and thereby validation of the speaker vis-à-vis me, the listener, matters.
it is a handshake for people who have left their clubs, knives and flintlocks with their hide clothing in favor of abstracted aggression under the finer veneer of language.