This is Phil Runkel adding a tidbit to the discussion of peceiving a discussion.
When I was new at the University of Illinois, someone told me of a faculty member to whom I might like to talk because of common interests. I called him on the phone, and we agreed to meet for coffee. The meeting place was an informal restaurant with long tables each meant to accommodate more than one party. I sat at one table, and after a short time, a man came in and sat opposite me. I told him a little about myself and my professional interests, and he made encouraging replies.
After perhaps fifteen minutes, I began to feel there was something odd about the conversation. It turned out that the fellow was not the person I had invited to coffee. He said he, too, had been finding the conversation odd. Considering all the remarks that might have raised suspicion but didn't, I thought it remarkable that the discussion went that long (instead of one or two minutes) before collapsing. Maybe my memory of 15 minutes is inaccurate, but I feel clear about my astonishment.
Whose discussion?