HN user
Or maybe that's why they're well-off? Because they're career-minded and prefer to talk about important things rather than wasting time talking about weather and sports (sports actually being a possible land mine topic as well).
Small talk for small minds...
Even between states. What many people define as "black" culture and language in the US has its roots in southern culture, regardless of race. Cultural and linguistics strategies between people from Washington and Mississippi are pretty stark, regardless of race.
I even remember the main character in Ralph Ellison's "King of the Bingo Game" complain about how "cold and unfriendly" he found other black people from the North compared to where he was from in the South.
What a completely vacuous crock of shit. There are important differences to understand in cross-cultural communication, but none are inherently superior. Something inane in one culture could be awkward and insulting in another, no matter what it is.
For example if a date or someone I was out with said to me, “Whatever oil well you own, I hope it keeps pumping!”, my cultural background would lead me to believe this was implying I was spending outside my means, as I'm clearly not an oil-tycoon and shouldn't be spending like one. I would then be forced into the situation of trying to downplay my financial situation, the opposite of what the comment intended.
In the case of someone asking me what I do when I'm unemployed, I'd give the answer I've heard many people from my similar background give, "I'm between jobs.", which often results in polite condolences and moving on. “So how do you spend your time?” would be somewhat off-putting as well, as it could imply that you assume I don't work, which would be insulting in my culture.
Cross-cultural communication doesn't have some one-size-fits-all correct answer. It requires effort on the part of all parties.