So, I was at a Barbeque the other day and a situation occurred that, well, I'm getting tired of. It happens almost every time I meet a new group of people.
When you meet someone, eventually you come down to finding out what they do for a living.
I'm an engineer and work in the space industry, and after explaining that no, that doesn't mean I'm an astronaut and no, it's not as exciting as it sounds... I seem to end up as a go-to point for anything that they don't understand.
As an example from the weekend, I had to patiently explain why the flat earth movement is nonsense (sorry-not-sorry believers) due to concepts like gravity which I understand - this individual didn't, so I had to explain that.
Luckily I was saved by a 7 year old asking what causes lightning =]
Kids I'm fine with, it's adults who either weren't listening in school, or perhaps didn't get the education I did, that perceive "has a degree" as "knows everything and wants to discuss it at length at every opportunity".
I don't, I'm having some beers in the sun, and while I fully encourage people to learn more... I'm not a teacher.
How can I, as politely as possible, escape from these kind of situations without playing dumb?
It's a vicious cycle when answering one simple question leads to another, to another - and before I know it a group of people are hanging onto my every word until I run out of steam. It then becomes almost awkward to have a "normal" conversation afterwards - once someone sees you as a font of knowledge the balance of power shifts.