Redditor chickenoodlesoupp wanted to hear about some of the times we've been asked something that left us a bit uneasy.
So they asked:
"What’s the most uncomfortable question you can ask someone?"
I've been asked so many stupid things I can't even begin to remember.
Siblings
Parks And Recreation Nbc GIF by HULUGiphy"Do you have a sister by chance?"
umpalumpamonkey
"This is made worse if the asking person is male and the receiving person is female and both are single."
BlandJars
Hold Me
"Where’s my hug?"
Lalalalanay
"Lol this gives me some flashbacks. After work on a Friday I was saying goodbye to ones of my friends and a gave her a hug. Here comes Brett 'Hey, where's my hug?' So I give him the biggest bear hug, the kind that traps their arms at their sides, and picked him up off the ground."
"There's your hug Brett. My friend said he didn't ask much after that, but you bet your b*lls I'd tell Brett 'Hey Brett, I got your hug right here buddy' with outstretched arms. He would give me an uncomfortable look like ew gross. Yeah Brett, that's how you are making everyone feel."
myusernamebarelyfits
Findings
"Hey, can we have a talk about your search history?"
SumoSamurottorSSPBCC
"For my generation that is 'Can we have a talk about what I found under your bed?'"
"I'm an adult now tho so I leave porn mags on the coffee table. Nothing funnier than watching a guest look through the magazines in your living room while you serve coffee only to find a Hustlers in the middle of the pile and not know what to say as you sit and stare at them."
P00PY-PANTS
Don't Ask
"Why don't you have any children? I was a chronic miscarryier. My son is a super duper miracle."
kcooper1214
"Came here to say the same thing. I have one child, during the labor they both were very close to dying. The doc said if she gets pregnant again she will lose the child and possible die in the process."
"I ended up getting a vasectomy very shortly after. We’re incredibly grateful and happy with our little family; but without fail, we always get the same question: 'So when you getting a little brother or sister?' I don’t mind as much when people ask me or my wife, but ask my son? Why?"
Danfu777
Ouch
Will Smith Reaction GIF by Red Table TalkGiphy“How come I wasn’t invited?”
Real_sg4bomb
"I was once invited to a party... at the end of which the hostess asked me 'How do you keep finding out about these?'"
"That freaking stung. Never talked to them again."
Well, that is just a step above cruel.
Teeth Getting Up GIF by Paddington BearSpeak!
"'Why are you so quiet?'"
spamcritic
"This makes my blood boil. I’m a fairly quiet person in social settings and have received this question a few times. It makes you AND the people around you feel awkward. Like... let people be quiet if they want to be. Not everyone is a social butterfly!"
justaregularderp
Loathing
"Why does everyone hate you so much?"
"I hate this one so much. I lived in a small town so everybody knew everybody. High school was rough, I didn't know how to stick up for myself and soon became the scape goat for bullies and rumors."
"Once our Sr. Year people matured a little and started being nicer to me. I made a lot of friends suddenly and all of them would ask 'Why does everybody hate you, you're not like they say.' It was awkward because most of those people were the ones contributing to the rumors/bullying."
PlanBaccount0987
Shots
"If you come in the back office with me right now, just you and me, are you gonna be cool about it, or be a snitch? Asked by my old boss at a grocery store, he just was offering me shots of fireball because it was almost closing time on New Years Eve, but that phrasing."
pdxblazer
"White male privilege here, but that wouldn't make me uncomfortable at all. Like, I'm game, if we get back there and it is something super sketch, I'll just dip out."
TeleKenetek
Let's Chat
Scrolling Michelle Obama GIF by ObamaGiphy"Hey we need to talk. This is the worst, especially over text."
SubnautGames
"My boss texted me the other day, 'Call me.' My blood turned to ice. Of course it ended up being some inconsequential thing he had a question about."
coffeeordeath85
Sometimes silence is best.
Do you have similar things to add? Let us know in the comments below.
Redditor ConstantPlastic100 wanted all of the quiet people to give us all a shout out about how they respond to an oft asked question.
They asked:
"What are some best responses to 'Why are you so quiet?'"
I am a raucous human being.
But I also study human behavior as part of my job, and to do that, I must sit back and just watch.
That is also what my introvert friends tell me they do.
That is how they participate.
No Energy
"I say I'm tired. I'm never quiet when I'm actually tired but people seem to understand that excuse and leave me alone about it." ~ jus1tinsuggested this also!
"I don't think I've every had anyone question this one. You're just tired etc. But STILL made an effort to attend a social even is pretty nice I reckon most people would think." ~ ompster
"I have a friend who i often talk with on discord while we're playing video games, and every time any of us want to quit we use this excuse. and since we both use it, we both also know when the other person is using it. and we still keep using 'I'm tired, I should go to bed' every. single. time." ~ pineappletarzan
Coolidge the Comedian
"A woman once told President Calvin Coolidge, 'I bet you I can get you to say more than two words.' He responded: "You lose.'" ~ Hysterical_Realist
"This story is even cooler once you realize that Coolidge stayed completely silent for the entire evening after she said that, and then hit her with that line when everything was over. Man was a G." ~ NoLifeMax
Backfired!
"To quote an answer to a similar question, 'very rarely do you get in trouble for saying nothing.'" ~ Exactly_Sandwich
"I would actually say this is rarely true. It’s hard to make new friends/you lose friends, people think you are being rude, it negatively impacts your job performance, it’s hard to get second or third dates, etc. I dated a girl for like three years who would basically only give one or two word answers to any sort of question my family asked her."
"They all hated her because they thought she was just being insanely rude to them (and she actually was, she was an extremely narcissistic person who didn’t feel like she needed to answer people’s questions or engage in conversation because everyone was beneath her)." ~ Zabuzaxsta
Y'all are funny.
Maybe everybody should just be quiet to give them a break.
It's just me...
"'I just don't talk much' has always been my go-to. You don't really owe anyone conversation beyond a greeting if you're feeling polite, much less an explanation of your personality. 'I don't know. I've always been this way'."
"Some people can't take the hints and won't accept any answer you give. It starts to feel like they're entertaining themselves by trying to see how long they can keep your mouth moving. It's usually those situations where I end up excusing myself." ~ nehswu
Good Question
“…you can see me?” ~ rrrrrrrrric
"The worst thing is that people who question your calmness won't understand that joke." ~ clint_elijahwood
"Anyone remember that WKUK sketch where you see Darren sprinting down a promenade for like 30 seconds to finally slap a guy, who rightfully freaks out, and Darren just goes 'wait… you can see me?' and sprints back the way he came? Because this reminded me of it." ~ chazfinster_
Gotcha
"Sorry, I didn’t know that was an issue and I will try to correct this. So I would first like to talk about your cars extended warranty…“ ~ KarloReddit
"Hi, it's Dave from Sweetwater. I see you bought a set of guitar strings 15 years ago. How are they working out? Is there any other gear you need?" ~ NDaveT
Sit back, relax, listen and enjoy.
Not everybody wants to use their vocal chords 24/7.
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It's all fun for one!
Try it sometime. Don't be afraid to just sit with yourself.
Redditor Aprilias wanted to hear about all the fun some of us have when in solitude, so they asked:
"What is something that you like to do when no one else is around?"
I do everything alone.
I eat, write, sing, dance and cry.
I cry a lot. But never because I'm alone.
LOUDER
"I like to sing, try to reach high notes without tripping on my own voice or being shy in front of others." ~ aleatorygirl9
GiphyMove Alone
"Dance." ~ nobody3_5_4
"I'm a 33 y/o introvert and I live by myself with my cat. I dance like there's no tomorrow every single day."
"It really takes a lot of pressure, makes me feel good and happy. No way I'm doing that with people around, it feels so weird. I suck at dancing really really bad though." ~ Liamcitoo
Spicey
"My wife is not a big fan of spicy food, so generally if I have lunch or dinner solo, I go for some stupidly hot food." ~ BitPoet
"Same, but for Vietnamese or ramen. My wife doesn't DISLIKE that food, but it is never her top choice when we go out so if I'm on my own for dinner I'll always grab something, even if I have perfectly good food at home."
"Take out + a cheesy action movie like 'Mortal Kombat' is always my solo dinner ritual." ~ Dragon_Small_Z
Hello Lovely
"I talk to my animals like a crazy person." ~ Very-Big-Rat
"They probably appreciate the mature topics. When everyone says, 'Aww, hello bootiful, how are you? I love my Icklekins,' the cat is probably like, 'Seriously, Bob, this again? I'm on my fourth life already.'" ~ artaxerxesnh
"I just assume my cats appreciate being told how things like weather, rockets, and hydroelectric dams work, even if they can't understand a word of it. At least they're being talked to." ~ RenaKunisaki
All great things to do with an occupancy of one.
Sing out kids.
Sing out loud and dance like a nut.
my ears are happy
"Listen to music." ~ stoker15524
"I never listen to music unless I'm alone." ~ UngusBungus_
GiphyScrub Scrub
"Clean, I don't like cleaning while everyone is moving around, stepping on the newly mopped floors or using the sink while I am still drying it after cleaning." ~ TokwaThief
"I do this too, almost to a fault. As a teen I was known to put off chores until everyone left. My parents actually thought I was paying someone to do it for me. Nothing makes me angrier than having dirty shoes step on my clean floors or seeing one utensil in the sink!" ~ SteveRogersA**
Yuck!
"Pick my nose." ~ Connect_Ad_6635
"One of my favorite feelings in the world. I honestly get bummed if it comes out on the tissue. I have a routine where I blow my nose, roll each end before I stick it in [my nostril] and twist and then I dig around with my finger for any stragglers." ~ caitejane310
"I thought I was the only one that did this!!! The only thing I don't like is the continuous sneezing afterwards." ~ Orange_Hedgie
Darekness
"Sit in darkness. I'm not depressed or edgy or anything, it's just... light is so bright, and so difficult to block out."
"I've never needed much light to see or read so when no one is around it's really nice to just turn everything off, shut the curtains and have some nice non-overload time." ~ Zeruvi
WOOF!!
"I talk to myself, like so damn much. I carry out entire multi-act stories playing every character with individual backgrounds, motivations, and quirks that are all in a world I've constructed spanning decades at this point. My dogs love this time and make a great audience." ~ amalgamas
GiphyPets are always good company. It's humans you want to hide from. Enjoy the quiet.
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Campuses are full of different student demographics trying to co-exist, and when there are those who feel like they do not belong to a community, the lack of a connection can lead to a tendency of avoiding social interaction.
Curious to hear from those who actually acknowledged introverts, Redditor BuhnanaSlug asked:
"People who've befriended 'the quiet kid' in school, what things did you wish your other classmates knew about them?"
Adverse situations can influence people to be introverted.
Problems At Home
"He was sitting on a rock at school by himself, I said if I see him there again I'm ganna tell him he can't, he's gotta come hang out with us cause I didn't want to see him by himself anymore. He didn't have to talk to us if he didn't want to. I wasn't going to let him be a target to anyone."
"He intergrated into our group nicely and quick. We all joked that because he's quiet he'll murder someone mostly being me for making him be social and he ran with the joke, his social skills weren't on par with the rest of us."
"One day we both got to school early and we sat down where our group hung out together and he turned around and told me his dad went to jail the night before. His father had been belting his mother for a few years and I think it stunted a lot of his social skills. We've been best mates for the past 15 years now. He's often the life of the party when we all catch up! I'm very proud of him!"
Unpopular Friendship
"He was brilliant, ahead of his time, and the best friend I have ever experienced. He was tormented for being so smart. Our friendship was frowned upon because we were a boy and girl. He treated me like that didn't matter (1956). When his family moved, I looked into their empty home and cried."
Home Life
"He was nice enough but even more strange at home. His parents were clearly the issue but he was very different and telling anyone what his home life was like would have been a curse."
People with undeveloped social behavior are withdrawn because they are not given fair chances.
A Speech Impediment
"She was just shy because of her stutter. She didnt smell like they said and was insanely smart. She got married last Saturday and I was her MOH"
A Different Social Pace
"He took his time talking. It was unnerving at first but then kind of cool. Like he actually thought about every response he made and how those responses could be perceived."
"People can be cruel and pushy though because he seemed slow. It could be pretty bad..."
The Regular Customer
"I wish my classmates knew that this quiet kid now visits me weekly at the restaurant I work for and orders his usual. He was the kid with a special instructor in each class, made fun of for it, among other things. Now he is independent and works/lives on his own. We bond over anime and kingdom hearts, which I tend to play the music of over the loudspeakers at work when he comes by."
Former Flat Earthers Explain What Finally Made Them Come Around | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
The Transfer Student
"In eighth grade there was a new student who was extremely shy and sat next to me in History class. Little by little, I became one of the only people who he'd open up to. I learned that he had Aspergers and had recently transferred from a school where he was consistently bullied."
"I wish people knew how intelligent he was; he was one of the smartest people I had ever met. He told me he dreamt of working for NASA one day and how passionate he was about physics and math. We parted ways after middle school because we ended up going to different high schools. I am now in college and was curious on what he was doing one day so I did a small google search."
"He's studies physics at MIT and lectures prospective students on differential equations."
"He's still one of the smartest people I have ever met."
Wealth does not always result in avarice or greed. Sometime, rich people are just quiet.
The Super Fan
"The quiet kid at my school was 1 stupidly rich 2 was wicked into superheros 3 he was just a allround good kid."
A Different Class
"One of the quiet kids at my school was also super rich, it was weird. Said he just didn't like most people and didn't enjoy talking to them. Wasn't social awkward either."
"All the richer jock types bragging about their 5 year old cars their parents gave them then there was this single brand new AMG always parked in the front that he never bragged about. He constantly had on a different ultra expensive watch. To this day the only time I have seen someone wearing a Patek Philippe was on him freshman year of high school."
The Cautious Friend
"I befriended a shy, hard-working, and really smart student named Elizabeth (Beth for short). After a year of hanging out and her coming over to my house, she finally invited me to hers."
"I was stunned by what I saw."
"She was absurdly rich and wealthy. Her house wasn't a house at all, it was a mansion and she lived in the wealthiest part of town."
"I was shocked and asked her why she was so quiet in school. She said, 'I don't want to be friends with people who only see me as a free bank card."
"We're still friends to this day."
Bullied Rich Girl
"Had a friend like that in 5th grade. She was quiet and was getting bullied, but I became friends with her after trying to help her out of it (ended up getting bullied myself though) but I did not expect her to have so much money.. it was nice to know she didn't use it to her advantage and just wanted some friends. I heard she changed though.. but I can't say for certain and it's not nice to assume. Hope she's doing well."
Being quiet also does not mean there is cause for concern.
"Weirdo Rocker Phase"
"I feel like I was the quiet kid, but kind of on accident. I wasn't shy or anything, I just didn't have a lot of friends and in eighth grade I went through kind of a weirdo rocker phase so I think I intimidated a lot of my classmates."
"I think I became the pet project of one of the nice cool girls, because she became super friendly in our last hour. She noticed that I spent a lot of time writing and started asking about it. She thought it was fun and I was eventually comfortable enough to share some of it with her, but she never badgered me about it or made fun of it."
"I don't know if she ever went back to her friends and made fun of me. If she did, I never heard about it (it was a small school. I would have.)"
Leave Them Alone
"They're not 'up to something' just because they're quiet. and yes, they're fine so stop asking them if they're ok or mad at you."
Egregious Assumptions
"Being a quiet redhead growing up made me not ever want to speak to strangers for any reason lmao women wanted my hair color/volume and men thought I was kinky. Couldn't go anywhere without comments about it from someone."
"And people wondered why I dyed the sh!t out of my hair as a teen."
You never know what people are going through.
So instead of making assumptions about the reticent, being kind by acknowledging their existence with a smile or a wave is better than asking, "Are you okay?" or "What's wrong with you?"
Because it's those who make assumptions about other people who are socially challenged.