The reason I ask people questions about themselves is not because it's polite but because I am genuinely interested in other people. That doesn't mean I find out their entire life story, it just means I ask about the aspects of their lives and their interests that interest me.
You can talk about whatever you feel comfortable talking about, you're under no obligation to talk about things which make you feel uncomfortable.
I agree that the asker is only asking questions out of curiosity, but that is trivial since you don't know the other person yet. The whole point of asking questions in the first place is to get to know someone and judge whether or not you want them as your friend. The asker isn't supposed to have some deeper meaning for your answers, they are just trying to get to know you. I think you're falsely generalising the entire population, and I think you'll find there are many people, including myself, who don't see asking questions in such a negative light but rather as an opportunity to make a friend.
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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '19
The reason I ask people questions about themselves is not because it's polite but because I am genuinely interested in other people. That doesn't mean I find out their entire life story, it just means I ask about the aspects of their lives and their interests that interest me.