Random strangers talking to me

[muses_nightmare]

Seriously, this seems to happen to me all the time. I mean, usually people are pretty nice, but I'm pretty shy and it's uncomfortable for me to be talking to strangers. I can be standing with my headphones on 20 feet from a person, with 5 or 10 other people between us with no headphones, and they home in on me! WTF! I guess I could take it as a compliment, cause maybe I just look friendlier than the other people or something, but dammit, I have headphones on I'm trying to enjoy my music. LEAVE. ME. ALONE. and the worst of it is, I'm too polite to tell them to go away.

The other day a woman just started talking to me, and decided that she should tell me all about her troubles with her boyfriend. I mean I get wanting an unbiased opinion, but damn, talking to strangers probably isn't the best method. I mean, she was a nice lady and all, but I wasn't looking for a conversation about relationships!


I'm going to have to do something to look less friendly.

[Hobbs]

Ugh, I have the same problem. Apparently my uniform attracts the crazies like moths to a flame

[crashhelmet]

I had that problem living in the south. There were 5 kids in my family, so we often lived off-base rather than in housing. When in Southern California, we usually lived in or near the barrios. My mom was Mexican, so it helped us fit in easily. but there, everyone looks at the ground when they walk down the street. people seldomly talk to each other, and people mind their own business for the most part. Living on base, it's kind of the same. Every keeps to themselves or within their friendships.

In both Florida and South Carolina, it felt like everyone I met while walking down the street, waiting for a bus, standing in line at McDonalds, or whatever wanted to be my best friend. It was like going from one extreme to another. It was very difficult to adjust to.

Southern Hospitality is one thing... Southern Space Invasion is another

CH

[MaggieTheCat]

A friend of ours has had similar experiences as CH. He's originally from Oregon and nobody talked to anybody else around there. They just mind their own business and ignore each other if they're strangers. In Texas, people are a lot..."friendlier." He said it was very, very strange the first time he went shopping at an HEB and somebody in line next to him just started chatting with him. He's used to it now, since he says it happens all the time, but he's no less annoying to him.

I haven't experienced it as much, because I don't go anywhere without my husband. I guess people who want to talk to someone tend to pick out people who are by themselves. Except there was this one time, my husband and I were shopping, and a little old woman came up and started jabbering at us. Something about how people should be grateful for what they have, because where she was from (somewhere near Russia) she had to eat grass and dirt and her people were persecuted by the Nazis during WWII.

My husband and I just politely smiled and nodded and made the occasional, "Oh, really?" "Wow." "You don't say?" comments, and after about 10 or 15 minutes she seemed to run out of steam, thanked us for talking to her, and walked away. I was a little annoyed at the time, but looking back, she just wanted someone to listen to her for a little while and we seemed to make her happy, so whatever.

[KellyHabersham]

This sort of thing is why I will usually have my Ipod on when I'm at the bus stop.........not that I'm unfriendly, but I'd rather encourage people waiting for the bus to NOT talk to me. (at least, until I can figure out what seems to attract drunk/mentally off people to want to talk to me)

[muses_nightmare]

This sort of thing is why I will usually have my Ipod on when I'm at the bus stop

Yeah that's the thing, I do have my Ipod on me. They usually stand in front of me and just start talking oblivious to the fact that I can't hear them. I end up taking my headphones out because I want to make sure they're not saying something important or whatever, then I end up in a conversation with a stranger, again. Like I said I'm too polite for my own good, damn my small town Canadianness!

[powerboy]

I really do not mind, if someone will start chatting with me. I sometimes do mind. Sometimes, I just want to just be thinking about things. Once I was on the phone and someone started chatting with me

[telecom_goddess]

This sort of thing is why I will usually have my Ipod on when I'm at the bus stop.........not that I'm unfriendly, but I'd rather encourage people waiting for the bus to NOT talk to me. (at least, until I can figure out what seems to attract drunk/mentally off people to want to talk to me)

Now I don't normally like to talk to people at the bus stop or on the bus or train. BUT I have made some lifelong friends from the bus stop or on the bus itself...believe it or not. So sometimes it pays off

[Pagan]

Yeah that's the thing, I do have my Ipod on me. They usually stand in front of me and just start talking oblivious to the fact that I can't hear them. I end up taking my headphones out because I want to make sure they're not saying something important or whatever, then I end up in a conversation with a stranger, again. Like I said I'm too polite for my own good, damn my small town Canadianness!

I had some guy just start babbling at me about roma tomatoes that we were standing in front of. I had my iPod on. He seemed surprised when I pulled the earbud out. Like everyone has things stuffed in their ears and wires running out of them.

[AdminAssistant]

In both Florida and South Carolina, it felt like everyone I met while walking down the street, waiting for a bus, standing in line at McDonalds, or whatever wanted to be my best friend. It was like going from one extreme to another. It was very difficult to adjust to.

Southern Hospitality is one thing... Southern Space Invasion is another

When I was working retail in AR, it was common to strike up quick conversations at the register. It was kinda pleasant and helped time go by faster. Quite a shock for me in KC when my cheerfulness was met by cold stares and rudeness. I wasn't ever trying to be nosy, just nice.

[Giggle Goose]

This sort of thing is why I will usually have my Ipod on when I'm at the bus stop.........not that I'm unfriendly, but I'd rather encourage people waiting for the bus to NOT talk to me. (at least, until I can figure out what seems to attract drunk/mentally off people to want to talk to me)

Same here. I know people with their headphones on are seen as rude but I'd rather give out that signal than try to carry on an extremely awkward conversation. Don't get me wrong, I always give a smile and a friendly "good morning/hello", but I just don't like to carry on long meaningless conversations when I have to think about all I have to do after a long day at work. Or what I have to do AT work that day. (Public transportation frequenter, in case you haven't guessed )

[KellyHabersham]

Same here. I know people with their headphones on are seen as rude but I'd rather give out that signal than try to carry on an extremely awkward conversation. Don't get me wrong, I always give a smile and a friendly "good morning/hello", but I just don't like to carry on long meaningless conversations when I have to think about all I have to do after a long day at work. Or what I have to do AT work that day. (Public transportation frequenter, in case you haven't guessed )

For me, it's not the conversations I mind so much as I've had some really awkward/creepy experiences with being at a bus stop, and having some drunk guy try to hit on me. Sucky part was that these incidents happened when I HAD to be at Macy's at a certain time, I didn't have the option of taking a different/later bus, nor did I have someone who'd be available to come give me a ride at that hour of the day.