“Chiacchiere da bar” (that literally translates into “bar talk”) is an idiomatic expression we use in Italy when the conversation derails from the specificity of one’s domain. It’s the typical case in which people feel they would be better at managing a football team than actual football managers, or at leading a country than actual politicians, or at manufacturing products than actual manufacturers.

You get the idea.

We all get involved in “bar talk”, some with more passion than others. Wanting to share one’s opinion is probably very human, and nowadays we do not even have to go to the bar (and risk reputation, relationships, status) to let the world know what we would do if only someone would put us in charge of the task force responsible for fighting the coronavirus crisis.

People who have deep knowledge of one or two domains are also prone to this. It’s not a matter of education, gender, profession or race. It’s just something (apparently) incredibly difficult to avoid.

Nonetheless, it’s important to remember that “bar talk” is a choice.

Sending yet another uninformed tweet or getting tangled in yet another bottomless comment section are actions we can avoid. We could spare the time, the energy, the passion for what really matters.

And of course, this begs the question.

What does really matter (to you)?