Conference Networking

I attended my second academic conference in two months this weekend.  I presented at this conference, but while my paper was relevant to the wider community, it did not fit with the recent trends this conference focussed on (GIS and complex computer modelling).  I have really tried to keep my methodology simple and intuitive, which has the benefit of being very evocative and easy to understand.  It also means that I was out of my depth when it came to talking to the other attendees.

None of the other attendees were people I was desperate to meet, but I wanted to get to know other PhD students in order to build up a support network.  I also wanted to get some ideas of where to go with my work.  While I accomplished both of these things, I always felt very awkward once the conversation had passed the initial 5 min introductory mark where things would naturally fall into a discussion of some technical detail.  At this point, my knowledge runs dry and I tend to fall silent.  

This is bad for networking.

So, while I think my presentation went over well generally, and I met some great people, I know that I still have some work to do when it comes to carrying on conversations at conferences.

Sigh.

Stupid learning and growing.

Engaging with the Community

As I walked home last night with a few friends, we passed a restaurant where a man was smoking outside with his son.  We had had an unexpected snowfall that day, so the boy was entertaining himself by making snowballs and throwing them at passersby.  The three of us were on the other side of the street ignored the boy (he was about 10 - no need to encourage him) and he proceeded to come and throw his snowball at us.  I am no wilting flower so proceeded to give the kid a hard time about throwing snowballs at people, telling him that a snowball was *exactly* what I needed to top off my evening and thanking him sarcastically for it.  (Note - father said nothing).

I then walked face first into a pole.  Ouch.

Of course, kiddo thought this was frickin' hysterical and what I rightly deserved for having the gall to tell him it was inappropriate to throw snowballs at strangers on the street.

I got home, sore and my face throbbing, and I was really pissed.  Not at the boy, really, but at the adult who stood and let his kid throw snowballs at strangers with no regard to his relationship with the community.  I can only imagine what sort of holy terror this kid will grow up to be.

This is a common problem where I live, parents do not seem to be engaged in their children's relationship with the community around them.  No one bothers to teach their children how to interact with strangers and how to be a functioning member of society.  This might explain the number of rude and infantile adults around here as well.  

It can be truly unpleasant to go out into the world some days when common decency seems to have fled.  So what can we do?  My husband thinks that if every single person who had been hit by that kid's snowballs had taken the time to tell him off, he would have eventually gotten the idea, but I also think that he was probably looking for the attention.  Also, is it our responsibility to teach kids manners?  In some cases I think it probably is society's responsibility, but it is also a parent's responsibility.  

What do you think?  How can we engage with our community and deter undesirable behaviour?  Can we teach kids good manners when the parents don't seem to care?  Should I have kept my nose and dignity intact by not talking to the kid (and therefore not walking into the pole)?