People are crazy, lazy, and gross at times.
It's one thing if they do it at their own home, but people are out and about asking this way. In public!
I should probably just come to terms with it, already.
But that doesn't mean I'm not going to call you out.
I will follow you out of the bathroom to shame you if you don't wash your hands.
Also, pick up after your dogs.
And your kids.
Have you no decency?!
Redditor Quiet-Reference5135 wanted to discuss some bad behavior, so they asked:
"What is something people do in public that gets under your skin?"
People who DON'T use turn signals.
WHAT IS YOUR DAMGE!!
Make a Choice
Walking GIFGiphy"People who keep passing me and then slowing down so I have to pass them. I'm on cruise control going the same speed all the time. Pick a speed, we don't need all this lane changing!"
dan1101
Hang Up
"Watch Tik Toks or videos LOUDLY!!"
Artistic-Anybody-434
"We have a girl that does this in the bathroom at work. More than once I've thought about turning the light off on my way out."
Creative_Tea_269
"A guy I used to work with used to sit there and run the hand dryer anytime someone was in the bathroom watching videos or talking on the phone while in a stall."
Imnotabadman
MOVE!!
"Oblivious to their position or how they are blocking an entire aisle."
CommanderAndMaster
"This is one of my biggest pet peeves. Not being aware of the space you take up in public places."
avocadoplease
"Yep. The worst one is person A knows person B, so they are just having a conversation in the middle of the aisle."
"They are completely oblivious to you, too, and act like it's an inconvenience when you ask them to please move."
ServiceCall1986
Look Around
"Having no situational awareness at all."
True-Mousse4957
"I worked in a large hospital in the amount of people that did not treat the hallways like roadways and we’re just popping out of nowhere at any time with no idea of what’s around them was maddening!"
lonecactus777
"I try to be aware of where I am and I work hard at it but between my spatial awareness and situational awareness I tend to get in the way a bit. I also run into a hell of a lot of door and wall and you name it. I’m very disgraphic and it is my constant and at times real fear that I’m in the way."
Pretty_Horsey08
Cover Up
sick tyler james williams GIF by HULUGiphy"Coughing or sneezing without covering their mouths."
Responsible-Ad6103
"I feel like people are so much worse with this since COVID restrictions disappeared. Like they’re making up for lost time."
KayDashO
In this day and age how are people still NOT covering their mouths?!?!
Save your Business
Nervous Laughs GIF by Apple TV+Giphy"Speakerphone calls. Seriously, just hold the phone to your ear. No one wants to listen to your conversation."
DenturesDentata
The Audacity!
"People who litter."
CoffeeLoverChick
"I worked at Taco Bell as a teenager and one day I was working the drive thru and this man was at the window and I could smell his cigarette smoke."
"After he drove off, I could still smell it very strongly so I looked out the little window and he had dumped his whole ash tray out of his door right in front of our drive thru window. The audacity."
pineappleprincess_13
"Yes I hate that, the world isn't their trashcan, they're making things worse for everyone. Just hold onto the trash and throw it away later."
dan1101
Move Aside
"Groups that walk 5 wide on a sidewalk chatting away like they're the main characters."
corneliouswafflebot
"I’ve started doing this move where I walk to the side, so they can give me room, I walk deliberately, but I look up and to the right or left so they can’t make eye contact. They always realize they better move or it’s gonna get real awkward. I also scuff the bottom of my shoe if someone is walking right toward me with their face buried in their phone. It works."
Unit_79
RUDE!
"Leaving their shopping carts out in the middle of the parking lot, rather than taking the cart to those designated spots the store puts out."
Lazy-Enthusiast16
"But they walked all over the store, they can't possibly have the energy to walk 20 more feet!"
SymphonyForTheDevil
"Had to deal with this last night. Butthole left the cart behind my car, with the freaking corral not 10ft away."
Kitsune_Scribe
Out First
train help GIFGiphy"Not letting people off the train before trying to cram themselves into a full car. Just let people off and there will be more room!!! How do you live/work in the city and not learn this by day 3!?"
brightnessys
As a New Yorker, that train issue is the WORST!
Okay, sound off? What indecent behaviors get under your skin? Let us know in the comments.
People Share The Worst Ways They've Been Embarrassed By A Child
Wait until we get home!
I love the reactions of parents when their little precious one utters its first words; it's like a high holy holiday. Parents can't get over that moment. From the second we are born we're trained to start gabbing. Communication is key in life, and once that milestone takes off, it's all pride and fun... until it's not.
My favorite parent reaction is when precious spits out some naughtiness in public, then parents cower in shame. And I'm like... what'd you expect, that's what you asked for, their using their words. That's you fault.
Redditor u/Great-Plateau wanted to hear from parents about those times kids have left them wanting to throttle by asking... What's the worst way you've been embarrassed by a child?"Lowkey"
If I were a parent I wouldn't teach my kid to speak until they were a teenager. That is an appropriate amount of time for them to learn what is appropriate when engaging in public dialogue. I get frustrated when my dog barks out of line at the dog park or in the yard past sundown so I can't imagine my reaction of a toddler shaming strangers with sass, that they probably lowkey picked up from me.
I'm 5
Hide Reaction GIF by florGiphyI was bagging a lady's groceries and her kid asked me, "why are you so fat?"
My brilliant comeback was, "why are you so short?" To which he replied, "I'm not short, I'm 5."
No Donuts for you!
When my son was six, walking through LAX and he's complaining that I wouldn't get him donuts (running late for our flight).
I'm holding his hand and walking along and all of a sudden he stops and starts screaming... "STOP IT I DON'T KNOW YOU! SOMEBODY HELP ME I DON'T KNOW THIS MAN!"
I'm snarling at him under my breath "dude you gotta stop that right now you can't say that crap, that's not funny". But oh no he keeps it up until the cops show up...
Missed flight... everyone staring like I was some piece of crap trying to kidnap an innocent kid.
Did not get him donuts.
Lions Oh My
I don't remember this story but my mom tells it all the time. When I was five my mom took me into the stall in the women's rest room because she had to go. She had been in there awhile and the bathroom had been crowded so she asked me, "can you take a look and see if there is a big line out there?"
I excitedly screamed, "A LION?!?" And flung the stall door open.
There was a big line.
Big Terry
Shocked Bbc Three GIF by BBCGiphyWhen I was a kid, I was fascinated by how grown ups went to the bathroom, to the extent that I would demand to accompany any adult so that I might observe their technique.
One day, at my "uncle" Terry's house (so named because he was close friends with my dad, not an actual blood relative), I watched him pee, then ran back into the living room with my parents and proclaimed "Dad! Uncle Terry has a much bigger pee-pee than you do!"
The Stench
I'm a preschool teacher, we were on the outside playground and it was a hot day. A kid fell off the swing-set so I rush over to check on him. He's full on sobbing, leans against my body then pulls away suddenly yelling "Eew! I don't like the smell of you!"
I couldn't even laugh it off.
"HaHa"
Now that is a lot of funny, for the single and childless bunch. I can give credit where credit is due, every now and again kids do say the darndest things and they do often espouse some knowledge. But a majority of the time they turn adults ten shades of red. But observation is observation. You just have to stress about utilizing the inside voice. Here are some more examples of championing the "hush."
Ahoy....
My little sister is ten years younger than me. When we were maybe 5 and 15 or so respectively, we were walking through a restaurant parking lot when a big group of bikers exited to their bikes. These guys had the leather get-up, the bandanas on their heads, chains, the works. My sister pointed to them and exclaimed "LOOK, PIRATES!"
They didn't think it was funny.
Keep Smiling
My child was 3 while we were waiting in a doctor's office. An exquisitely dressed elderly woman was sitting next to us and started talking to my son. Kid is fascinated by all the sparkly jewels and such, and says, "I love your shiny necklace, and you're pretty earrings...and your yellow teeth."
The Queen
Disney Princess Beauty GIF by DisneyGiphyMy wife was out with my 2yo daughter who pointed at a lady wearing a traditional Indian dress and stated "piss-ed." The lady probably heard "piss-head", but what daughter was trying to pronounce was "princess."
The Webs...
I had some people over and my 4 year old nephew starts shouting "is anyone here afraid of spiders?" Once he had everyone's attention, he told us all that if anyone was afraid of spiders they needed to leave because he found cobwebs, and cobwebs mean spiders. He then proceeded to point out every single cobweb in the house to our guests.
Full of It
Tired Work GIF by TV LandGiphyMy little brother likes to tell people that my tummy may look like it's full of fat. But it's actually full of love. It's both sweet and awkward.
So Emotional Baby...
I had to take my four year old to the doctor and while we were in the waiting room a nearby toddler started crying VERY loudly, like scream crying for whatever reason. My son waits until the other kid stops, does a very dramatic lowering and shake of his head then YELLS "He has problems with emotions huh mom?!?!" Which is him trying to talk the way I talk to him when he's coping with big emotions but good god the way it came out and the volume was... mortifying.
Don't Say THAT!
When my sister was 9 she shouted "white power" while waiting in line at Dorney park. We are Hispanic.
My brother yelled this out at a black owned bbq restaurant. The Clayton Biggsby Dave Chapelle skit had just been released and we were laughing about it at home. My bro thought it would be funny to quote in public not knowing at all why it was funny.
Wow. Really?
braxton family values traci GIF by WE tvGiphyMade myself lunch yesterday, two sandwiches because one wouldn't cut it. My eight year old asked me if I was a bear eating to get ready for hibernation. Sick burn.
It Wasn't Me
When I was 8 years old, I had a girl in my class with down syndrome. I always made it a point to be friendly with her and include her in things, and I even went over her house a few times. Halfway through the year, she would make up these bizarre scenarios and stories, and would drag me into them for some reason.
The teacher would constantly call me out in the hall, and have these "meetings" with me about things I wasn't even involved in or knew anything about. I was a painfully shy 8 year old, who didn't have a ton of friends, and hated all this unwanted attention.
So I started to distance myself from the girl after that. She told her mom that I was leaving her out things because she was different. The mom told the school. The school called my mom and told them I was bullying her.
But no one believed me, when I told them she was making things up. I was 8 years old at the time.
I'm 29 now. My mom constantly brings it up to random people and family members how I used to "bully" a girl with down syndrome. But when I try to explain my side of the story, no one ever believes me. And also, I was 8. It was 21 years ago. Give it a rest.
No Poo Please
At a cafe with my eldest daughter, who was 4 at the time, the waitress comes over to our table and asks my daughter if she would like a drink or some food. My daughter looks up at her and says "The parts of my drink that my body doesn't want come out as wee. The parts of my food that my body doesn't want come out as poo."
That's Big!
This was about a year ago, right before things started closing due to covid. I forget exactly where I was, but I needed to pee so my son and I went to the bathroom. We went into the handicap stall so there would be room. We'd been teaching him body parts at home, and right as I start to pee he yells out, "Daddy your penis is way big! Mine's little but yours is so big. Daddy! Daddy! Your penis is big!"
I was all like "sshhhhh, yes it's bigger than yours because my body is bigger than yours." When we came out of the stall, everyone was averting their eyes. I don't think they were embarrassed or anything, I think they were just trying to pretend like they didn't hear anything for my sake.
That Damn 15!
Upon seeing my younger cousin for the first time since I left for college, she shouted, "Oh my god! Are you having a baby?!" in front of my entire family. I wasn't pregnant. I gained that freshman 15. Instantly stopped drinking as much and started going to our campus gym every weekend when I returned to school.
Not Now!
I was on a plane trip with my three year old. He used the tiny restroom then I did. There was a line. I thought I'd secured the door but hadn't. He slings the door open to tell me something he was excited about. There I sat in open humiliation for all the line to see. I had to convince him to let me shut the damn door!
"Ned"
Not me, but I once lived with two friends of mine when we were about 27. One friend had an 11 year old brother, and he was staying with us for the week while his folks were out of town. Not being used to hanging out with little poophead 11 year old boys, my one buddy "Ned" would joke around with the kid whenever he asked a question, and he asked a LOT of questions. One day the kid asked Ned what he did for a living. Ned, trying to be funny, told him he was a doctor (he was not). The kid calls his bluff and asks what kind of doctor he was. Ned jokingly says, I'm a butthole doctor, a response that naturally got an incredulous reaction out of the kid.
Flash forward to a few days later and we are all out having lunch together. Ned runs into a girl he met on tinder, and introduces her to all of us, the kid included. When she meets the kid, she asks him jokingly "Oh! So what do you think of Ned?" To which the kid responds "He's a weird guy. He told me he's a butthole doctor." I don't really know if he ever saw that gal again.
Sweet Kisses...
season 3 love GIF by OutlanderGiphyMy 3 year old son was with me in Macy's at a jewelry counter. I asked the clerk a question.
My son asked why does she have such a huge mark on her cheek? The color draining out of my face, I quickly recovered and said, "That's where God kissed her." The woman said, "Congratulations. That's the best one I've heard so far."
"Inside Voice"
Kids are cute. They are also a whole world of trouble. I think that when it comes to the words that fall out of our mouths, we all can be kids. Who hasn't spoken out of turn and not realized until it was too late? See, behavior does carry over. Inside voice people. Learn that lesson early.
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Whatever happened to depending on the kindness of strangers?
Often times it feels like every stranger is my own personal comic book villain.
It says a lot about us as a society when something as simple as a "good day to you" can spark a riot.
Redditor Mizuazura wanted to discuss the times we've all been accosted by a total rando or three that left us baffled by asking:
"What is the stupidest reason a random stranger was mad at you? What happened?"
A Time for Battle
"I bought the last cream-filled doughnut at a jolly pirates and the old lady behind me in line took this as a declaration of war saying that I took it from her. The worker chimes in saying they making more and they'd be ready in about half an hour, but she wasn't having it. I hope she's doing ok, it was such a silly thing to get mad over."
AlphaThing
GiphyStupid Mom
"This would sound stupid to some of you. I was 10, and I was playing at a public park. Suddenly, a 6 year kid came near me and started confronting me, she said I was too old to play in the kids area. I wanted to ask her 'Who the hell are you??' It was embarrassing because a kid was scolding me in front of so many people."
"Her mom thought that I was harassing her and started running towards us. She shouted at me without knowing what actually happened. And, people was praising that freaking kid for being 'brave'. I did nothing wrong, the swing wasn't her mom's property and she talked as if she's the Mayor of our town."
Watermelon_Yeet
I work at Target...
"Had some lady get mad at me last night in a Walmart because I wasn't an employee there and couldn't help her. Last I checked Walmart employees don't wear bright crazy yellow shirts with reflective safety striping, faux badges on their sleeves, or wear slippers while on duty."
Witchy_Ghost
SHUSH!!
"I once had a guy at the beach yell at me to stop laughing. I wasn't laughing at him at all. Just laughing to myself because I was happy and having fun."
PrankyButSaintly
GiphyLooks Weird...
"A guy yelled at me from balcony because I didn't pick up after dog. He couldn't understand that my dog only peed. I had to explain to him that female dogs need to squat to pee. He also couldn't accept the fact that she is a female dog, because she just 'looks like male.' (American akita)."
Ives_cro
Evil Lives
"I was 8 years old, swimming in a swimming pool and a women nearby frowned at me and said, "UGH! Lose some weight!!" I didn't know how to respond, I just started crying."
1BoiledCabbage
"Man, this could be my grandmother. She liked to say things just to shock people. We were in the mall one day when a little boy strolled by, and my grandmother said, 'What a fat little boy!' This, from a woman whose body shape could best be described as an apple on stilts."
"Also the same woman who visited us while we were living in Germany, and while at a cafe, would not stop talking loudly about the Nazis. I know it doesn't help, but when people say crap like that, it usually has nothing to do with the target of their ire and everything to do with their own misery. I'm sorry you had to go through that."
koookoookachoo
T'was a pleasant experience.....
"Me and a friend were around 13. While we were waiting to cross the road, we started talking about the sushi that we were about to eat at her place, both very excited. After not even a minute, this HUGE bald man standing in front of us whips around and just yells at us to SHUT the F**K UP, with the look of a man who would not Hesitate to Punch a Child. So we did. And then had to walk in the same direction as him for the next 5 minutes. T'was a pleasant experience..."
mydadlefttenyearsago
These Conspiracy Theories Are Easy to Debunk | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
There are some bizarre conspiracy theories out there. Like Australia isn't actually real... seriously? Any conspiracy theory that requires many people to kee...Gotcha!!
"At McDonald's once. Some lady was mad at me for knowing how to work the touch screen ordering kiosk but not actually being an employee there. She acted like I had wilfully bamboozled her for a sick laugh."
MacualayCocaine
GiphyOk Bye...
"I said hi to her. This was back when bluetooth was a semi-new technology. She was wearing a BT ear piece and I didn't see it. I was walking home from school and she was standing out in her driveway. She said 'hi' and started talking."
"I turned and looked at her, didn't see anyone or her phone so I said 'hi' back while continuing to walk. She got a disgusted look on her face, pulled her hair back from her ear, and snapped 'CAN YOU NOT SEE I'M ON THE PHONE????' I just left and didn't respond."
ursaggybutt101
Dog Park Crazies...
"Brought my big dogs into 'big dog' side of dog park. Two ladies with SEVEN chihuahuas started screaming at me and then tried to tase me. Needless to say that the cops got involved."
jinxpinchpoke
Giphy“dirty money”
"I found a coin and put it in my pocket, some dude called me poor because I picked up 'dirty money' and all I said was:'richer than you' he beat me up and nearly broke my neck If you’re reading this, f**k you and get help."
"Edit: for anyone wondering, the guy was 20-24 and I was 14, I called the police but they didn’t do much. For anyone saying: 'shouldn’t have replied' don’t blame the victim alright." ~ MlCHlEL
XMAS '20
"It was Christmas Day 2020, I was at work at the register (gas station) while a customer walks up to a food warmer. Customer asks if all we have is pizza, advised we had more food like burgers etc coming up in about 10 min. Customer yells ' Great, now all I get is this f**king pizza' and proceeds to pick a slice then throw it on the counter at me." ~ Linisaria
Middle Finger
"Waiting at a bus stop after school some random guy sits next to me and tries to sell me weed. I tell him I'm not interested and he gets up and stands away near the curb as a bus approaches and he gets on then he sits at the back of the bus and looks out the window at me and just starts throwing me the middle finger while aggressively mouthing some words haha." ~ SunKing210
then/than
"It was on here. I used the word 'then' instead of 'than.' I got a message from this guy saying I'm a f-ing idiot and not to breed. Also that I must be fat and my husband is cheating on me. I laughed it off and blocked him." ~ Amie80
sign language GIFGiphyOh Karens...
"Working in retail/fast food in high school. That's all you need to say, right? But really - Karens existed well before 2020. One time working at a fast food chain, I was asked for one extra honey mustard sauce. Our particular franchisee had strict limits and we had managers all over the place. I needed my job at the time, so I told them there was an extra charge for more sauce. They wouldn't pay, left in a rage and said when I get off work, they're going to shoot me." ~ DaveyJonas
I do not miss you one bit...
"I used to work at Sainsbury's Local (supermarket chain in the UK) and some drunk dude tried to start a fight with me because I told him we don't sell individual cans of beer, only a 4 pack or more. I told him I don't make the rules and if you just want one can we have charge for four."
"He starts getting more and more irate and eventually clenches his fist and squares up to me (keep in mind I'm just 19 and this dude is like 40). Luckily my manager saw this escalating and stepped in before it kicked off and asked the guy to leave. Oh retail work, I do not miss you one bit. I have so many horror stories." ~ TheJuic3
Spoof...
"My phone number got spoofed and who ever did it called someone and then hung up after not saying anything. A**hole then proceeds to call the number (me) back, screaming about how I'm a horrible person for hanging up on them and wasting their time. I tried to explain it to him, as I had been receiving confused voicemails for a while, but he wouldn't let me get a word in. He was screaming so loud his voice was breaking, over what was probably a 5-10 second scam call. It was unbelievable." ~ JCV-16
Smirk
"I smiled at him. He was angry when he found out I wasn't the only person he smiled at. I worked in retail at the time. Customer service, mate." ~ Hellevan
Happy If You Say So GIFGiphyPlants
"Myself and some friends were walking home from some underage event, we were probably 16 or so, we took a shortcut through some estate and this absolute Karen confronts us backed up by what I can only assume we're fellow PTA members, and accuses us of stealing potted plants from their gardens."
"We had literally just arrived and tried to explain this but she was having none of it and threatened to get the police involved. Eventually she gave us a stern warning and left so naturally we then did the mature thing and stole her potted plants, left them down the road, peed on em a little and headed home." ~ Brian_Gay
I only hit the ground...
"A couple of years ago in a parking lot, my brother and I were goofing around on our way back to our car. I accidentally tripped and fell right next to someone else’s car, and the owner of said car was sitting inside of it. She got out, gave us the dirtiest look, and inspected the rear end of her car, thinking that I had run into it or damaged it in some way. I hadn’t even touched it. I only hit the ground. Literally no reason for her to be mad." ~ BootsLookinGood
Now granted, some are really struggling, so they may not have ill intent, they may not know any better.
But there are a bunch of people out there that are just plain ornery, on a good day.
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Humans are annoying. That is just the most truthful, simple fact about life. When people leave the sanctity of their homes it often feels as if all control of morals and behavior are lost into a void of despair. Between all the Karen, Chad and mask aversion videos running on loop, we have irrefutable proof of public bad behavior. And nothing can ruin a person's day (mostly my day) more than having to witness the public petulant nonsense on display.
Redditor u/Impaling-Heads was hoping we could all calmly discuss the actions we witness from humans that test all our nerves by asking.... What is something a lot of people do in public that angers you?MOVE!!!!
mr bean move GIFGiphyWhen they block walkways so you can't get around them such as at malls and amusements parks. And, I especially LOVE IT when they suddenly stop for no reason!!
Taking Space
Take up the whole sidewalk. Especially if they are walking in a group.
Its even worse when they look at you with disgust that you wont move out of their way, like they lack so much self confidence that they cant walk behind their group for ten seconds to let you pass in case they feel left out of the conversation.
stay dry
watching arrested development GIFGiphySpit on the sidewalk. ewwwwwww!!!!
Yes.
You have street on one side and/or bushes on the other you can lean over two feet and spit there. Don't make me and my dog wade through your phlegm.
Quiet Please
Talk on speakerphone.
I blame reality tv. People see people talking on speakerphone (so the viewers can listen in) and decide that's how everyone should use a phone. (this may not be the actual reason, but it's my theory).
Don't be that person....
Litter.
I must be an anomaly then. Was raised to never drop litter & it annoys me no end to see people littering. Consequently my bags and pockets are usually full of rubbish! I also smoke and I have a container for my tab ends. Yes, I am that person who will either tell you that you've dropped something, pick it up myself and give it to the offender or simply point out where the bin is.
Enough Paparazzi
Just people that feel like they need to be on their phones videoing everything. i went to a wedding recently and the officiant asked that no one use their phone during the ceremony (pretty standard right?)
I saw 4 different women pull out their phones to record the bride walking down the isle even though the wedding already had a dedicated photographer/video guy.
No one wants to see your low quality freaking video!
Brats!!
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory Tantrum GIFGiphyLet their kids be rude.
People who let their kids scream and yell in a store or worse... the restaurant. Control your freaking kid.
QUIET!!
Try to talk to me even when I'm giving clear signals that I want to be left alone or even when I literally say leave me alone.
I'm awful at picking up cues like that unless it's very obvious. I normally will say hello and be friendly or ask if they're having a nice day. Just a quick friendly talk while we pass each other. Just hoping to lighten someone's day with kindness if they're having a bad day.
A Pause.
Debt Benefits GIF by INTO ACTIONGiphyStand in the middle of the aisle.
Or park their shopping cart in the middle of the aisle and then walk the heck away from it to grab something.
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Learning new things are the best part of daily life. And so many of us take the information we absorb for granted. People on the autism spectrum and autistic people in general are so much more attentive and appreciative of the simple things. When they have realizations and awakenings they take them to heart and implement them with so much more respect and ease, especially when in regards to adjusting to others.
Redditor u/_uncle_phil wanted to see if the autistic people writing and reading on Reddit would be interested in sharing some of their new found wisdoms by asking.... [Serious] Autistic people of Reddit, what is a social norm that you've just recently found out about?Look Away
the rock wrestling GIF by WWEGiphyI found out that holding extended eye contact is pretty much universally unappreciated. I always thought that giving full attention was respectful, but recently was told it comes off as the opposite. I've had to practice looking away at appropriate times. It's frustrating because I watch people for hyper-detailed body language, but conversations go better when I look away briefly for their comfort.
So Many ???????
For the longest time I never realized that when someone asks you a bunch of questions it's because they're trying to make conversation with you. I always just answered as briefly as possible like if it was a q&a or something. It kind of confused me that every new person I met was so interested in my life that they all wanted to know where I was from and what my favorite color of seven was. Now I realize how much of an ahole I actually came off as and why not many people wanted to talk to me.
Body Language
Most recently, I realized that when I look down and hunch my shoulders inward, people think I don't want to be approached. Apparently it's not enough to have your body faced towards people, you also have to hold it a certain way or they think you don't want to talk to them.
I've had people comment on my body language, thinking I don't want to speak to them, when it's typically me just existing. If I don't want to talk someone I usually just respond with "yeah/no/haha" or something. I rarely ever use my body to express something. Nobody ever bothered explaining that to me!
Weather Chat
windy bill murray GIFGiphyPeople talk about the weather a lot with strangers because everyone has it in common, and lots of people have opinions on it and from there it's easy to switch the conversation to something else so the conversation doesn't die.
"Say something. Anything"
I learned a few weeks ago that small talk and the occasional silence are okay and perfectly acceptable. Also, offering my input isn't always appropriate.
Being somewhere without someone talking unnerves me in a way that I don't know if I can ever describe. Like, we could be talking about whatever, sunshine and rainbows or whatever, and we run out of conversation, and they're totally fine with that, meanwhile, I'm about to have an anxiety attack if someone does start talking immediately. It feels like I'm about to be murdered right there and maybe worse.
It happened at a bar a few years ago where everyone had just stopped talking and I was freaking out.
I think the best example is from SpongeBob where he goes to Sandy's house and he starts thinking to himself "I don't need it" over and over again. Just change "I don't need it" to something like "Say something. Anything" and that kinda how I feel. Also, change the person I'm talking with from someone trustworthy and good to a poor Christian Grey and that's how I feel when no one is talking.
How to Talk
Both my parents have disabilities, while I don't.
My childhood and adolescence was weird as I had to unlearn a bunch of behaviors that were "normal" in my family, but which most people don't do.
Nobody in my family hugs, they prefer isolation and go without talking to one another for days, when they do talk it's a lot of "talking at", rather than "talking with".
We rarely left the house, we NEVER had people over.
High school was great for me because suddenly I found out I didn't have to feel lonely and bored all the time: I could have conversations and color and excitement and even just being out and about was so great.
Participation Points
Participating in conversations when introduced to new people. I don't really meet tons of new people, but sometimes a friend of mine will bring me to a place full of some friends I don't know. I was always just trying to be polite and not intrude. also drive-throughs. obviously I knew about them, but God do I hate them.
Until this year i couldn't even speak in a drive-thru. i found its something to do with being unable to see the person I'm talking to, which is probably why i cant call and order food or call a place to verify hours/inventory. good to know others struggle with this, and again used a persona to deal with the uncertainties of meeting new people.
being 21....
GiphyI only learned how to respond to "how are you" when I was 21, and I still feel stressed by it every time to this day.
"big kid"
No so much newly discovered, but as someone who just started a professional "big kid" job, passive aggressiveness and me being expected to do more then asked of me drives me nuts. If I screwed up just tell me I screwed up and I won't do it again. That's how I learn and grow. But subtly hinting at me about something is going to go right over my head. Or instead of coming to me directly about a problem gossiping about me to your co workers. :/ that one sucks.
Also you ask me to do a task I will do said task, I'm not psychic, I can not predict what you need before you need it unless I have been working with you for a long time.
I also don't know how to argue stand up for myself very well. Like if I'm being criticized for something that was actually not my fault I always just nod and take it bc otherwise I feel like I'm just making up excuses.
Okay fine....
real housewives of atlanta ok GIFGiphyI found out that when someone asks you to go do something with them, and you sound hesitant, that when they say "Okay fine, don't come then"... they still want you to go. I thought they changed their mind but apparently it's just something people say when they're emotional.
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