[amphibian]

I knew Worry was a Sufi.

[worry]

I run the Whirling Dervish Twirling Servish.

[Andorion]

QuickTidal, on 16 October 2015 - 06:45 PM, said:

Egwene, on 16 October 2015 - 06:19 PM, said:

To everyone here who has been talking about people obstructing etc... why not try giving them a smile for a change and a cheerful 'hey there, mind letting me pass?' It takes equal amounts of energy to do that then to exchange stares and un-pleasantries. Chances are that in most of the previous describe encounters the other party has also gone home and said, 'you never believe what happened, but I was minding my own business when this guy just brushed past me... never even said 'excuse me'..." Think of the world as a massive mountain range where your actions come back as an echo... if you smile, the chances of a smile coming back are much higher And if someone stares nastily at you but you smile back at them, well, you will have re-written their transmission

This person who smiles at others and gives the benefit of the doubt to random strangers...was me 20 years ago before the level of rudeness in my city wore me down to the nub that I am now. I'm a product of an urban metropolis full of people who are selfish, rude, and ignorant.

I've taken to holding my folded elbows out to the side as I exit the subway when people are trying to rush on, like a cow-catcher...because saying excuse me...does not work. Ever. They simply don't care and shove their way onto the car.

I no longer am willing to give random people the benefit of the doubt. For city-dwellers, their default setting is "selfish and rude" until otherwise noted. I doubt this will ever change.

@QT Exiting the subway... Yeesh (shudders) makes me feel like the last Spartan at Thermopylae

@Egwene: I understand and respect your opinion. In fact I do this occasionally and it works, in very specific contexts. Where? If I am in a moderately crowded shop. Note Moderately. This is important.

Where else? Rush hour. This may seem odd, but once I am actually inside the train, and its rush hour I am with what we here call the "office-time" crowd. These are the people who commute regularly for their entire lives and they have sorted out some unwritten protocols.So, say I am getting out at a much later station, I mention that, the crowd parts to let me into the middle of the carriage so I don't obstruct the door and the passage of others.

Where doesn't it work: Anywhere outside the carriage, if its crowded, If you ask, in 80% cases people will ignore you.
Shopping crowd. My god the shopping crowd. Wherever they are, in trains, buses, shops, that insane crowd in the shopping/discount/festive season. They obstruct doorways with the tenacity of concrete, they ignore your requests or are outright rude, they fight over seats (literally)

Last year, I was sitting in a bus. A bunch of girls in their 20s rush in, laden with shopping bags and giggling. The bus was empty, but before they all got seats, the bus started. This girl who hadn't caught a handle tottered and literally fell on my lap. And instead of trying to get up, apologizing or anything sane at all, she continues to sit on my alp and just laugh. The sexual harassment atmosphere here is a bit tense, so I just sat there uncomfortably, looked out the window and pretended it wasn't happening.

[Messremb]

Egwene, on 16 October 2015 - 09:04 PM, said:

Are there pictures of your on the board anywhere, Puck? Because I am now envisaging the male dread version of Rapunzel!!!!

Why a male version?

[Tiste Simeon]

Briar King, on 17 October 2015 - 12:38 AM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 16 October 2015 - 07:04 PM, said:

A police officer has been shot in London. This is not going to end well.

Fatal or not?

Not yet afaik but I think he's still in hospital. They haven't released much info yet.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

The manners on approaching people thing is one of the reasons I treat London with a mixture of surprise and loathing every time I go. I'm pretty outgoing and will chat with anyone, but I find most people wherever you go in the capital (with the exception of specific attractions like the museums where they need the tourist factor) tend to look at you like you're mad if you try and start polite conversation.

Also, the Tube. It's my own personal version of hell (claustrophobic in crowded spaces) and I think there is an unwritten law that you never speak to anyone!

[King Lear]

Well, there was me thinking 'staring at people is rude' is something that's taught to children.

[Dutch]

Don't get me started at the train crowd.

Last year my now wife and I came back from holiday and decided to take the train from the airport towards home instead of asking one of our parents to pick us up so that they wouldn't get caught in traffic jams.

Turned out that the direct train to the station close to our home was out of commission and that we had to switch trains somewhere in between.

So we both decide to stand close to the entrance of the carriage so that we don't take up four seats because we both also had our luggage and there weren't even much seats left.

The train gets packed during the stops towards the station where we have to switch trains and we near that station. We let the people around us know that we need to get out there and they make room for us like we did when they came in during the stops before.

The train stops at the station, a crowd already had formed to get into the train. I ask if they want to give us room so we can get out, no response. I yell that they need to give us some room and the girl in front of me who wants to get on the train suddenly looks up from her phone and tells me that I shouldn't be so rude.

I'm glaring at her, trying to stay polite while thinking, well b**ch if you wouldn't had the music playing so loud on your earbuds you would have heard me the first time.

Her not knowing that me being rude would have been me tucking my suitcase under my arm and busting through her Running Back style.

[QuickTidal]

King Lear, on 17 October 2015 - 05:47 AM, said:

Well, there was me thinking 'staring at people is rude' is something that's taught to children.

For every one kid who IS taught that, there are 5 that aren't, or ignore such teachings.

It's unavoidable KL. there is simply no way to expect everyone to behave in a good manner. It will never ever happen. Expecting it to...is a losing game.

[Illuyankas]

worry, on 16 October 2015 - 09:21 PM, said:

Uh some of us shut our eyes and gambol around the sidewalk with no regard for others FOR RELIGIOUS REASONS!

I think it's time we had an intervention for your obvious gamboling addiction.

[Maark Abbott]

Illuyankas, on 17 October 2015 - 02:35 PM, said:

worry, on 16 October 2015 - 09:21 PM, said:

Uh some of us shut our eyes and gambol around the sidewalk with no regard for others FOR RELIGIOUS REASONS!

I think it's time we had an intervention for your obvious gamboling addiction.

Are we going on a quest to save Worry from the neon claws of Gambolor? I'll be DPS.

[Itwæs Nom]

Maark, on 17 October 2015 - 02:40 PM, said:

Illuyankas, on 17 October 2015 - 02:35 PM, said:

worry, on 16 October 2015 - 09:21 PM, said:

Uh some of us shut our eyes and gambol around the sidewalk with no regard for others FOR RELIGIOUS REASONS!

I think it's time we had an intervention for your obvious gamboling addiction.

Are we going on a quest to save Worry from the neon claws of Gambolor? I'll be DPS.

New gear would come in handy. Whats the loot and drop-rate?

[Gnaw]

My Brother in Law is an idiot. He apparently has decided that Fox News is too liberal and now reads only worldnetdaily.

I require at least a 6 pack after spending 10 minutes with him.

[worry]

How can he be your brother-in-LAW when this illegitimate government has no true authority to enforce that law? Guy sounds like a total commie to me, relatively. Also fiat currency Cliven Bundy false flag Sandy Hook crisis actors etc.

[Gnaw]

Gawd I hate puking. Mac and cheese. You can't get much more bland than that.

[worry]

One time I ate a hot dog at Applebee's and I puked later that night and what came up was lots of little sticky chunks of partially digested bread. They got all in my mouth and in my nose, just a bun's worth of sticky gooey white lumps.

[A Demon Llama!]

worry, on 19 October 2015 - 11:09 PM, said:

One time I ate a hot dog at Applebee's and I puked later that night and what came up was lots of little sticky chunks of partially digested bread. They got all in my mouth and in my nose, just a bun's worth of sticky gooey white lumps.

Stop it, you are making me hungry.

[EmperorMagus]

I encountered a lovely community of people (the term is very loosely used) a couple of months ago on reddit.
Now, every couple of days I see something on TV or during the day that reminds me of them and I get fucking pissed. I don't even know why, it just makes me angry that people like this exist.

This post has been edited by EmperorMagus: 20 October 2015 - 06:06 AM

[Morgoth]

EmperorMagus, on 20 October 2015 - 06:06 AM, said:

I encountered a lovely community of people (the term is very loosely used) a couple of months ago on reddit.
Now, every couple of days I see something on TV or during the day that reminds me of them and I get fucking pissed. I don't even know why, it just makes me angry that people like this exist.

Ah, Reddit, the cesspool of the internet. Redpill, MRA, that whole gamergate stuff. I found my hapiness to increase by a lot when I stopped going there.

[Macros]

People suck in general, expect nothing else then be pleasantly surprised when you encounter non douchebags.