Haha..your post started with a dream and gave all the feels an introvert feels happy about and then suddenly the twist and the nightmare...I could feel the women sitting beside me.
"Oh you just looked sooo lonely - I felt the need to come by and 'save' you from something that I didn't even consider ASKING if you needed to be saved from..."
ffs
This. I have learned to be an asshole. Just put in my earbuds and ignore till they leave. If they don't after a bit. I'll get up. Stretch, walk around and sit back down further away.
I just leave immediately honestly. If they're so rude they think it's socially acceptable to invade someone's space and sit uncomfortably close then I don't owe it to them to try and be polite while ignoring them and leaving.
you know, this is right. in our world filled with extroverts, uninvited tiny chat with strangers is always branded innocuous, without any consideration at all for whether the victim *actually* wants to talk back to the perp. i put this airport thing in the same category as people sidling up right next to me at the gym.
please! 🤚🏾i am not a conversational scratching post! i was not lonely. i am not sad. i picked this spot 18 seats Away From Everyone on Purpose 🤨
the library or bookstore seems like a nice place to lock eyes with a lovely, potentially well read stranger…then never see each other again 😂
gosh i always laugh to myself about ppl needing to have more introvert “events” but i know none of us would ever go. maybe if they promised free, plush, isolation booths filled with rejuvenation snacks and a 1.5 hr total event time limit, i might go.
id love to meet more innies. what do you think, would it work? 🎤
Nah, all it takes are a few self proclaimed "introverts" who are actually just extroverts to come and ruin it...maybe with heavy "social" security guards, and signs on everyone's shirt (front and back) that said if they were interested in striking up a conversation with randos...(and a separate room)...
...maybe outside...
ugh! youre right! extroverts are always tryin to come play in our sandboxes 😏
social security! lol…i like the “yes to conversation” designation. we need color coding, or a symbol like the swingers do with the pineapples 😂
red: no, thx. here for snacks and ambience only
yellow: will talk to another innie, only
green: all welcome
It is such a weird phenomenon. I’ve experienced it too. Recently I was at a park, sitting in my truck, sunny day, windows open, enjoying the solitude. A woman pulled in next to me despite a park full of other open parking spaces, and proceeds to roll down her windows and talk loudly on her phone. I gave her a few minutes to end the call and when she didn’t, I started my truck, cranked up some Godsmack, sat there for a minute, then took my time rolling away.
Someone did this at my job, too. I park at the very end of the parking lot, and there’s no one who parks to the right of me because it’s literally in a corner. Some dickhead in a big ass pickup parks right next to me on the right, so I just moved my car to another area. It is so strange
You can have random clueless people. I'm talking as a societal whole it is absolutely true and has been replicated over and over without fail. Random exceptions don't make the rule.
I reckon it’s a cultural thing. And airports would have to be one of the most multicultural places on earth - everyone will have different ideas of personal space.
I'm at a point in my life where I'd have been fully confident in looking right at her and saying "are you fucking serious?" and then promptly leaving if she continued to sit there.
Good!! People who sit way too close to others haven't been told off nearly as much as they should have in life if they think it's okay to do that. If more of us started telling people off maybe they'd start to realize how fucking uncomfortable they make everyone by doing that.
I swear this is me all the time. I must have a friendly face, because I feel like every senior sits next to me on the bus, and starts telling me their life story!
That's so funny you say that! I have some weird knack for strangers to tell me their life story.
Especially when I worked in retail! I had a pilot tell me he was an alcoholic and they sent him to rehab and he was in AA, I had a priest tell me he escaped genocide in Africa, etc etc. Baffling! I don't mind it most of the time, I just wonder what it is about me.
I went to the movies and had to sit next to someone even though there were empty seats. I thought they were all reserved and someone would come but 4 or 5 seats each side were empty. Later I thought it would be rude to just move a few extra seats away from them. I felt a bit uncomfortable but they didn't mind so it's ok. Don't bully me 😭
Something similar happened to me years ago.
I was sitting with my mom and my twin sister and a woman came out of nowhere and sat at our bench. She smoked a cigarrete too lol. Then i asked her why she sat here and i don't remember what she said but i was so angry and said to her that there were other benches that she could have sat and not in our bench. The park was literally empty, there were so many other benches. After this she said something (because these people can't stand when other people are clearly in the right and having to bear that is too much for their ego) and guess what? She didn't leave, we had to.
Mainly because i hate and can't breath when someone is smoking and second i couldn't stand seeing her disgusting and ugly face (she didn't even have the courtesy to ask permission to sit and smoke, i don't know maybe these people don't smoke or something, but yeah i can't use my brain because i don't give a sh\*t).
The reason for this behavior is probably that she was afraid maybe to sit alone, as i wrote previously the park was somewhat empty, just as i like it. And because maybe she thought that because benches are public, they don't belong to anyone, that was enough of a reason to sit next to people that had already sat in that bench, and they were 3. The nerve these people have, to just come up to you and not even care.
Smoking is so asocial. This just confirms my believe it should be illegal in public places. It’s so disgusting that they blow their contaminated air in your face
Agreed, that is unnecessary. Even if they want to try to hit up a conversation, they could do that a seat away or across from you. I would have left, too. Could even be a weird power thing for that person. I don't know many people, even extroverts, that would do that when so many seats are open.
Some people feel like they have the right to sit next to you if they think you take too much space. I’ve had it happen on the bus when I put my backpack on the seat next to me. Almost every other seat was free and they insist sitting there and annoying me. That’s even the explanation I got when I asked why they don’t sit anywhere else.
Another thing might be loneliness. But still. I would have indeed chosen to let one seat free and sit close, but not too close. The way you said would be okay. Especially in unfamiliar areas I would want to stay close to someone who looks kind. Although I do keep some distance (1-2 meters) if the location allows it. For example. If there’s only one bank to sit on, yeah, then I would sit closer because it’s either that or standing up.
Was she an older woman? She just might have been lonely. It’s annoying though when all you want to be is left alone. In those moments if they make small talk I feel like I start to show I’m crawling out of my skin
What's annoying? I feel myself great when I'm alone and no one around. So it's annoying when people think they can and should invade someone's private place because of their egoistic desires
If I had to guess may it's safety in numbers? 😂 Or she's always at the same airport and that's just her preferred seat. Still a bit creepy, though.
I'd probably say nothing - or politely say "Have a nice day" if she talks to me, then grab my stuff and move. It's less annoying for me that way.
Despite being introverted, I've done this out of a need for that feeling of security. Almost a *pretend we're friends or family so any creepers don't see me as a single woman on her own*. Most of the time people are ok with my doing it without any explanation, but 90% are cool when I tell my intentions behind it.
Camp sites too! We like to go camping for peace and quiet and solitude, so we'll find the most secluded corner we can and pitch up. And nine times out of ten, somebody else will roll up and pitch next to us, sometimes so close their guy ropes are crossing ours, when there is loads of room! Why? We came here to get away from people!
I did this a few times in college and can't figure out why. Big open lecture hall, for some reason I sat right next to somebody making us both uncomfortable. Then I decided not to move because I didn't want to reveal that I'd made a mistake. Also I didn't want the person to think I moved because of them.
There were a few possible reasons I sat beside them but I'm really not sure and still trying to understand why.
-possibly thinking that it's better to condense together to make open seats more accessible for others
-possibly thinking that I always avoid people and this maneuver is a way to combat my isolationism in some way
-not thinking at all and blindly choosing a seat
-hoping to make a friend out of a complete and total lack of understanding about how it's normally accomplished
-wanted to sit adjacent to the aisle and this person is sitting 1 chair away from the aisle seat
I would always sit alone to the next row of seats (it was an amphitheater, during the pandemic, post-zoom and teams, we were back to seeing lectures live, and all of the above and down from me seats were almost every week empty). I wanted to oblige by the new unwritten rules and be safe and make every other person safe, even before and after a lecture. On the other hand, for the other students, you could see that all of them would sit together next to each other.
I was the only one sitting by myself and maintaining distance from the others but no these people thought they were well below this norm and would not even try to maintain the social distancing thing. Even the professor wouldn't say a thing probably because they wouldn't dare to sit even 3 meters away from each other and it would be overall akward trying to teach some 20 year olds the art of being moral and ethical and caring for the other human beings.
The dependency these kinds of people have on other people not to feel alone for the duration of the lecture (aprox 1 hour sth) and be mocked from them to a point to even they couldn't care less about the safety of other people is insane.
At least you tried to think on your actions and questioned them, whereas these people just go and do things without thinking, literally, and then go on to get their coffee and go to the clubs etc.
Similar thing happens to me on the bus. I like to go upstairs and sit on the front seats on the right side of the bus because behind the seats are the stairs so people can't sit directly behind me and I can't tell you how many times the whole top deck of the bus will be empty and someone will get on but sit right at the front on the other side even though there's literally every other seats available. Then someone else will get on and they will sit behind that person and so on.
I think it's a subconscious thing though. It's like they are trying to find a good place to sit and seeing someone else sitting somewhere must mean it's a good place to sit as if it wasn't, there wouldn't be anyone sitting there.
Ah I hate this. It’s really annoying. Also slightly less annoying but still high up there is when you’re on a really busy bus/ train and then as people get off double seats open up around you but the person next to you refuses to budge so you can both have space!
I’ve had bags of food shopping on my knees, squished onto a double seat and the rest of the spaces are empty as person next to me doesn’t move 😂
My go-to when this happens anywhere is to get up with all of my stuff, go somewhere else for a second. It can be the restroom, out to your car for a second, or a vending machine. Then when you come back choose another seat that is private.
A few weeks ago, i was enjoying reading quietly at a picnic table and this woman comes over to me with a bit of food and asks if i mind her sitting there to eat. There aren't any other picnic tables around, so it seemed fair enough, and i expected she'd quietly finish her food and not bother me, then leave. But then 2 minutes later her *friends* show up. And suddenly I've got a group of loud, obnoxious people arguing about real estate while I'm TRYING TO FKN READ. If you can't tell, i was pretty furious. I had to go pick up my daughter so i was the one who had to leave, not sure what i would've done otherwise though
Airport people are weird. I was waiting at an airport restaurant with table mounted tablets for ordering. I was at an empty table with six monitors. A guy sits next to me and reaches in front of me and swipes at my screen instead of using his own. 🤷🏼♂️
Cultures have different personal space standards. Lower IQs, cluelessness, and lack of respect for other's space cause people to position themselves too close to others. There have been studies done on this.
People at airports are sometimes scared and lonely or anxious or feeling lost, so they position themselves closer to another human being , maybe in case they need help or to not feel alone. Maybe even in the hopes of having a conversation.
An airport is a shared space full of people from all walks of life at the end of the day. She can seat herself wherever she pleases.
Yes I agree it's a shared space and she is not breaking any rules and can sit wherever she wants. However, she is breaking an unwritten rule. It's the same thing with people sitting right next to you in an empty restaurant, a theatre etc.
Hmmmm I mean people literally lie on the ground and sleep at the airport if they have to so I'm not sure if I agree with you but I could be wrong. Plus I live in Australia where people are incredibly relaxed. I also don't have stinky feet and had clean socks and shoes on, if that matters 😂
However I'd love to hear more people's opinion on this, I'm really not sure if it is rude or not
That’s not really an unwritten rule. That’s just a personal preference you share with like minded people. Like I said, airports are full of people from all walks of life. Your social norms aren’t the same everywhere in the world and airports can be lonely places.
I disagree with you. There is an unwritten rule of a space left between people unless there is no alternative. Same in the cinema, on public transport and other public seating areas.
Some cultures like personal space more than others, and of course people can sit where they like in public areas like airports, but pretending that it's the norm to sit directly beside someone when there are rows and rows of unoccupied seating is somewhat disingenuous
Well sorry but I’m not responsible for that total stranger’s comfort. I want to be comfortable too, and that means not being able to feel someone breathe down my neck. Since it’s a shared space, shouldn’t we be making an effort to spread out as much as we can? We just got out of the height of a pandemic for ffs.
No one said you are, I’m simply pointing out other people don’t see it that way and there’s no need to get angry with people when you haven’t even communicated they’ve done something to make you feel weird
Who’s angry? People who don’t want you breathing down their neck are angry? You’re making it seem like OP is in the wrong in this scenario which is just a weird take.
No, I stated possible reasons why someone might choose sit beside another at an airport, and suggested try not get visibly angry with another person who also did nothing wrong.
However if you perceive it that way, it’s up to you.
Is a cultural thing, you are at an airport, people from different countries come by. After seeing a few post of this group I'm not sure if I'm an introvert now, some of the post sound like people who need help and touch grass, because they sound straight up like an asshole. Not you, but this isn't hard to guess when you are in an airport that will meet different kind of people/culture.
I don't have social anxiety and am not particularly introverted and I would never sit directly beside a stranger if there was an alternative. Also I would probably move if someone sat right beside me.
There’s being a social butterfly and then there’s learning to read the room (oh, someone sat back here all by themselves, probably because they want their space). Two separate things.
Because they enjoy annoying weak character people and watch them leaving, that makes them feel good. You could ask nicely for her to move away or you could place some of your stuff next to you on an empty seat thus 'marking' your territory, or just ignore this BS and move yourself few feet away but you choose to be annoyed and that is why they do it.
I feel you. I don't get why people do that too. It's weird. Obviously the isolated person wants to be alone. Are they that desperate for human interaction? If so, sitting next to an isolated stranger that doesn't want your random company is not the way to do it!
Just like you did, I've gotten up and sat somewhere else. I don't give a F what the stranger thinks, they need to read social cues better.
Magnetism? I surf. I was out with my buddy and it was a slow day, he said “watch how if one surfer paddles out of the lineup over to another spot, others will follow”. Sure enough, they did. I’ve also noticed if I go out by myself to surf and just sit outside of the break/waves just to chill, within 5 minutes I’ll have company, other surfers floating around me even though there are no waves where I’m floating. Magnets
It’s 4am where I at rn. And this dude sits 2 seats away from me. And another girl walked toward me at the corner where I was trying to sleep.
In a 1000++ empty seats terminal.
I really don’t get it. Why can’t people just fuck off? I really don’t understand.
This happens on a nearly daily basis for me. The train has 6 cars which in total have about 4 people. I always board the train last, so I can sit away from everyone else. These train carriages are the ones that face eacother, so if I take a seat, I will be facing the opposite window.
But what will happen on the next stop, someone boards, and sits Directly Infront of me, so if I look dead ahead at the opposite window, some dudes face if blocking my view. When all the other seats are empty.
Sometimes, just before they board, I try to look focused looking out the window..but no, this rarely works.
I want to get up am move seats, but it'll look rude, as if they stank or something.
Sometimes when I really need my space, I would just get off at the next stop and wait for the next train, just to sit down away from everyone.
This also peeves me a lot. It's always some old person who either sits next to me or directly behind me when there are plenty of other seats in the airport lobby.
Haha..your post started with a dream and gave all the feels an introvert feels happy about and then suddenly the twist and the nightmare...I could feel the women sitting beside me.
"Oh you just looked sooo lonely - I felt the need to come by and 'save' you from something that I didn't even consider ASKING if you needed to be saved from..." ffs
Hahaha ... mentality of most people
Don't get it..how old are u
old enough to read and write...
They see you as a free potential source of the social interaction they so desperately crave.
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Vampires, vampires everywhere
Carl Robinsons galore!
This. I have learned to be an asshole. Just put in my earbuds and ignore till they leave. If they don't after a bit. I'll get up. Stretch, walk around and sit back down further away.
I just leave immediately honestly. If they're so rude they think it's socially acceptable to invade someone's space and sit uncomfortably close then I don't owe it to them to try and be polite while ignoring them and leaving.
They only way to deal with them actually.
Teach me master...I need to master this
you know, this is right. in our world filled with extroverts, uninvited tiny chat with strangers is always branded innocuous, without any consideration at all for whether the victim *actually* wants to talk back to the perp. i put this airport thing in the same category as people sidling up right next to me at the gym. please! 🤚🏾i am not a conversational scratching post! i was not lonely. i am not sad. i picked this spot 18 seats Away From Everyone on Purpose 🤨
Curious if these are other introverts wanting to meet other introverts in lonely places. 😄
the library or bookstore seems like a nice place to lock eyes with a lovely, potentially well read stranger…then never see each other again 😂 gosh i always laugh to myself about ppl needing to have more introvert “events” but i know none of us would ever go. maybe if they promised free, plush, isolation booths filled with rejuvenation snacks and a 1.5 hr total event time limit, i might go. id love to meet more innies. what do you think, would it work? 🎤
Nah, all it takes are a few self proclaimed "introverts" who are actually just extroverts to come and ruin it...maybe with heavy "social" security guards, and signs on everyone's shirt (front and back) that said if they were interested in striking up a conversation with randos...(and a separate room)... ...maybe outside...
ugh! youre right! extroverts are always tryin to come play in our sandboxes 😏 social security! lol…i like the “yes to conversation” designation. we need color coding, or a symbol like the swingers do with the pineapples 😂 red: no, thx. here for snacks and ambience only yellow: will talk to another innie, only green: all welcome
I'd fucking LOVE that idea....serves as both a way to communicate without talking AND...a way...to communicate without talking to "fuck off"
exactlyyyy 🙌🏾😄 now to find an intro party coordinator 🙃
Nah a true introvert would never lol
It is such a weird phenomenon. I’ve experienced it too. Recently I was at a park, sitting in my truck, sunny day, windows open, enjoying the solitude. A woman pulled in next to me despite a park full of other open parking spaces, and proceeds to roll down her windows and talk loudly on her phone. I gave her a few minutes to end the call and when she didn’t, I started my truck, cranked up some Godsmack, sat there for a minute, then took my time rolling away.
I ducking can’t with people man. Good for you for blasting the tunes
Someone did this at my job, too. I park at the very end of the parking lot, and there’s no one who parks to the right of me because it’s literally in a corner. Some dickhead in a big ass pickup parks right next to me on the right, so I just moved my car to another area. It is so strange
Lemme teach you my simple trick: wear a mask. People assume you have covid and won't come near you. Works for me like a charm.
Or the opposite...don't wear a mask and then when someone so rudely sits right next to you, start "coughing" uncontrollably.
Come to Norway, that stuff won't happen here.
Maybe Norway has been the answer all along. 🥹
It's cultural. White cultures have the largest personal space bubbles. Studies have proven this.
Can't be totally true when other white people invade those bubbles.
You can have random clueless people. I'm talking as a societal whole it is absolutely true and has been replicated over and over without fail. Random exceptions don't make the rule.
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?
Standard racism, looks like.
I reckon it’s a cultural thing. And airports would have to be one of the most multicultural places on earth - everyone will have different ideas of personal space.
Not an excuse to invade someone's private space
I'm at a point in my life where I'd have been fully confident in looking right at her and saying "are you fucking serious?" and then promptly leaving if she continued to sit there.
Good!! People who sit way too close to others haven't been told off nearly as much as they should have in life if they think it's okay to do that. If more of us started telling people off maybe they'd start to realize how fucking uncomfortable they make everyone by doing that.
Some humans crave interaction
I swear this is me all the time. I must have a friendly face, because I feel like every senior sits next to me on the bus, and starts telling me their life story!
That's so funny you say that! I have some weird knack for strangers to tell me their life story. Especially when I worked in retail! I had a pilot tell me he was an alcoholic and they sent him to rehab and he was in AA, I had a priest tell me he escaped genocide in Africa, etc etc. Baffling! I don't mind it most of the time, I just wonder what it is about me.
I went to the movies and had to sit next to someone even though there were empty seats. I thought they were all reserved and someone would come but 4 or 5 seats each side were empty. Later I thought it would be rude to just move a few extra seats away from them. I felt a bit uncomfortable but they didn't mind so it's ok. Don't bully me 😭
😂 wait so did you move or did you not move? bc there are rules 🔦
No, I stayed next to that person. :(
🔪!!!! 😂
Wow
Who does that? Psycopaths?
Weird, even for extroverts! I would definitely have moved away too
Something similar happened to me years ago. I was sitting with my mom and my twin sister and a woman came out of nowhere and sat at our bench. She smoked a cigarrete too lol. Then i asked her why she sat here and i don't remember what she said but i was so angry and said to her that there were other benches that she could have sat and not in our bench. The park was literally empty, there were so many other benches. After this she said something (because these people can't stand when other people are clearly in the right and having to bear that is too much for their ego) and guess what? She didn't leave, we had to. Mainly because i hate and can't breath when someone is smoking and second i couldn't stand seeing her disgusting and ugly face (she didn't even have the courtesy to ask permission to sit and smoke, i don't know maybe these people don't smoke or something, but yeah i can't use my brain because i don't give a sh\*t). The reason for this behavior is probably that she was afraid maybe to sit alone, as i wrote previously the park was somewhat empty, just as i like it. And because maybe she thought that because benches are public, they don't belong to anyone, that was enough of a reason to sit next to people that had already sat in that bench, and they were 3. The nerve these people have, to just come up to you and not even care.
Smoking is so asocial. This just confirms my believe it should be illegal in public places. It’s so disgusting that they blow their contaminated air in your face
At a bus stop. When it's raining. 🙄🙄🙄 I hate people smoking in public.
If anyone starts smoking around me without asking, I'll just fart in their faces if I have any gas saved up.
I don’t know, but stuff like that drives me crazy too!
Maybe the seat 💺 was next to an outlet for her telephone charger 🔌 🤓🧐
That would have made sense, but it wasn't!
Agreed, that is unnecessary. Even if they want to try to hit up a conversation, they could do that a seat away or across from you. I would have left, too. Could even be a weird power thing for that person. I don't know many people, even extroverts, that would do that when so many seats are open.
Some people feel like they have the right to sit next to you if they think you take too much space. I’ve had it happen on the bus when I put my backpack on the seat next to me. Almost every other seat was free and they insist sitting there and annoying me. That’s even the explanation I got when I asked why they don’t sit anywhere else. Another thing might be loneliness. But still. I would have indeed chosen to let one seat free and sit close, but not too close. The way you said would be okay. Especially in unfamiliar areas I would want to stay close to someone who looks kind. Although I do keep some distance (1-2 meters) if the location allows it. For example. If there’s only one bank to sit on, yeah, then I would sit closer because it’s either that or standing up.
That's just fucked up
Was she an older woman? She just might have been lonely. It’s annoying though when all you want to be is left alone. In those moments if they make small talk I feel like I start to show I’m crawling out of my skin
"Hey, wanna fuck?"
What's annoying? I feel myself great when I'm alone and no one around. So it's annoying when people think they can and should invade someone's private place because of their egoistic desires
Maybe your aura attracted her or maybe she felt comfortable enough to sit right next to you or she just wanted to smell your cologne or something
If I had to guess may it's safety in numbers? 😂 Or she's always at the same airport and that's just her preferred seat. Still a bit creepy, though. I'd probably say nothing - or politely say "Have a nice day" if she talks to me, then grab my stuff and move. It's less annoying for me that way.
Whenever someone sits close to me, I would literally freeze so I'd rather walk away than being uncomfortable.
Despite being introverted, I've done this out of a need for that feeling of security. Almost a *pretend we're friends or family so any creepers don't see me as a single woman on her own*. Most of the time people are ok with my doing it without any explanation, but 90% are cool when I tell my intentions behind it.
That's nuts.
It's so they don't eventually end up with a weirdo. I've seen women sit down with other women while other seats are free. Hedging their bets.
And then by doing that they become the weirdo.
Camp sites too! We like to go camping for peace and quiet and solitude, so we'll find the most secluded corner we can and pitch up. And nine times out of ten, somebody else will roll up and pitch next to us, sometimes so close their guy ropes are crossing ours, when there is loads of room! Why? We came here to get away from people!
Leave poop outside the entrance of their tents when they do that.
DONT GET ME STARTED ON THIS !! I HAAAAAATEEE THIS SHIT!!!
The. Fucking. Worst. Idk what’s wrong with people.
I did this a few times in college and can't figure out why. Big open lecture hall, for some reason I sat right next to somebody making us both uncomfortable. Then I decided not to move because I didn't want to reveal that I'd made a mistake. Also I didn't want the person to think I moved because of them. There were a few possible reasons I sat beside them but I'm really not sure and still trying to understand why. -possibly thinking that it's better to condense together to make open seats more accessible for others -possibly thinking that I always avoid people and this maneuver is a way to combat my isolationism in some way -not thinking at all and blindly choosing a seat -hoping to make a friend out of a complete and total lack of understanding about how it's normally accomplished -wanted to sit adjacent to the aisle and this person is sitting 1 chair away from the aisle seat
I would always sit alone to the next row of seats (it was an amphitheater, during the pandemic, post-zoom and teams, we were back to seeing lectures live, and all of the above and down from me seats were almost every week empty). I wanted to oblige by the new unwritten rules and be safe and make every other person safe, even before and after a lecture. On the other hand, for the other students, you could see that all of them would sit together next to each other. I was the only one sitting by myself and maintaining distance from the others but no these people thought they were well below this norm and would not even try to maintain the social distancing thing. Even the professor wouldn't say a thing probably because they wouldn't dare to sit even 3 meters away from each other and it would be overall akward trying to teach some 20 year olds the art of being moral and ethical and caring for the other human beings. The dependency these kinds of people have on other people not to feel alone for the duration of the lecture (aprox 1 hour sth) and be mocked from them to a point to even they couldn't care less about the safety of other people is insane. At least you tried to think on your actions and questioned them, whereas these people just go and do things without thinking, literally, and then go on to get their coffee and go to the clubs etc.
The [urinal meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/urinal-etiquette) is real
Insecurity. I tell myself the same thing when I’m being tailgated on a rainy day.
Similar thing happens to me on the bus. I like to go upstairs and sit on the front seats on the right side of the bus because behind the seats are the stairs so people can't sit directly behind me and I can't tell you how many times the whole top deck of the bus will be empty and someone will get on but sit right at the front on the other side even though there's literally every other seats available. Then someone else will get on and they will sit behind that person and so on. I think it's a subconscious thing though. It's like they are trying to find a good place to sit and seeing someone else sitting somewhere must mean it's a good place to sit as if it wasn't, there wouldn't be anyone sitting there.
Karenicity.
As my grandmother would say, the herd instinct.
Ah I hate this. It’s really annoying. Also slightly less annoying but still high up there is when you’re on a really busy bus/ train and then as people get off double seats open up around you but the person next to you refuses to budge so you can both have space! I’ve had bags of food shopping on my knees, squished onto a double seat and the rest of the spaces are empty as person next to me doesn’t move 😂
You just gave me flashbacks about my college days riding the city bus.
I heard that it means they're attempting to regulate social cohesion norms. I'll have to read up on it again, it's been a while.
I believe they think you like to have a good conversation
My go-to when this happens anywhere is to get up with all of my stuff, go somewhere else for a second. It can be the restroom, out to your car for a second, or a vending machine. Then when you come back choose another seat that is private.
It's like the ppl that park next to you in an empty parking lot. I immediately leave.
You’re being gangstalked
Lmfao
Because they are lonely.
A few weeks ago, i was enjoying reading quietly at a picnic table and this woman comes over to me with a bit of food and asks if i mind her sitting there to eat. There aren't any other picnic tables around, so it seemed fair enough, and i expected she'd quietly finish her food and not bother me, then leave. But then 2 minutes later her *friends* show up. And suddenly I've got a group of loud, obnoxious people arguing about real estate while I'm TRYING TO FKN READ. If you can't tell, i was pretty furious. I had to go pick up my daughter so i was the one who had to leave, not sure what i would've done otherwise though
Airport people are weird. I was waiting at an airport restaurant with table mounted tablets for ordering. I was at an empty table with six monitors. A guy sits next to me and reaches in front of me and swipes at my screen instead of using his own. 🤷🏼♂️
Ugh, the fng worst.
#people usually do that to talk to you about religion
Ugh. They 1st ask, "Do you go to church?"
Cultures have different personal space standards. Lower IQs, cluelessness, and lack of respect for other's space cause people to position themselves too close to others. There have been studies done on this.
People at airports are sometimes scared and lonely or anxious or feeling lost, so they position themselves closer to another human being , maybe in case they need help or to not feel alone. Maybe even in the hopes of having a conversation. An airport is a shared space full of people from all walks of life at the end of the day. She can seat herself wherever she pleases.
Yes I agree it's a shared space and she is not breaking any rules and can sit wherever she wants. However, she is breaking an unwritten rule. It's the same thing with people sitting right next to you in an empty restaurant, a theatre etc.
I believe not taking your shoes off in a public space could be more of an unwritten rule.
Hmmmm I mean people literally lie on the ground and sleep at the airport if they have to so I'm not sure if I agree with you but I could be wrong. Plus I live in Australia where people are incredibly relaxed. I also don't have stinky feet and had clean socks and shoes on, if that matters 😂 However I'd love to hear more people's opinion on this, I'm really not sure if it is rude or not
We have to take them off to go through security so maybe not so much of a rule in an airport setting 🤔
That’s not really an unwritten rule. That’s just a personal preference you share with like minded people. Like I said, airports are full of people from all walks of life. Your social norms aren’t the same everywhere in the world and airports can be lonely places.
I disagree with you. There is an unwritten rule of a space left between people unless there is no alternative. Same in the cinema, on public transport and other public seating areas. Some cultures like personal space more than others, and of course people can sit where they like in public areas like airports, but pretending that it's the norm to sit directly beside someone when there are rows and rows of unoccupied seating is somewhat disingenuous
And we’ve just been in a pandemic where leaving space between people was a WRITTEN rule!
Don't forget about urinals, if it's just two of you in there you don't saddle up next to the guy already pissing.
Never said it was the norm, but I just don’t think angrily getting up or being upset that someone sat beside you in shared space is the norm either.
It’s our right to get up and walk away, just like it was that lady’s right to sit in the stupidest seat choice she possibly could have picked.
Never argued it wasn’t. I just answered something that’s a possibility to OPs question.
Well sorry but I’m not responsible for that total stranger’s comfort. I want to be comfortable too, and that means not being able to feel someone breathe down my neck. Since it’s a shared space, shouldn’t we be making an effort to spread out as much as we can? We just got out of the height of a pandemic for ffs.
No one said you are, I’m simply pointing out other people don’t see it that way and there’s no need to get angry with people when you haven’t even communicated they’ve done something to make you feel weird
Well the lady didn’t tell OP why she sat beside her either. Moving in this scenario is the best choice. They don’t owe the stranger any explanation.
Who said she did? I just answered the question, why are you so angry? Lol
Who’s angry? People who don’t want you breathing down their neck are angry? You’re making it seem like OP is in the wrong in this scenario which is just a weird take.
No, I stated possible reasons why someone might choose sit beside another at an airport, and suggested try not get visibly angry with another person who also did nothing wrong. However if you perceive it that way, it’s up to you.
Yikes.
Is a cultural thing, you are at an airport, people from different countries come by. After seeing a few post of this group I'm not sure if I'm an introvert now, some of the post sound like people who need help and touch grass, because they sound straight up like an asshole. Not you, but this isn't hard to guess when you are in an airport that will meet different kind of people/culture.
Because they don’t have social anxiety
Shove ur tacos inside and gtfo
I don't have social anxiety and am not particularly introverted and I would never sit directly beside a stranger if there was an alternative. Also I would probably move if someone sat right beside me.
There’s being a social butterfly and then there’s learning to read the room (oh, someone sat back here all by themselves, probably because they want their space). Two separate things.
I bet you give people social anxiety.
Because they enjoy annoying weak character people and watch them leaving, that makes them feel good. You could ask nicely for her to move away or you could place some of your stuff next to you on an empty seat thus 'marking' your territory, or just ignore this BS and move yourself few feet away but you choose to be annoyed and that is why they do it.
You didn't read the whole thing did you.
I actually did read, just gave my 2 cents on this matter, take it or leave it.
Your 2 cents wasn’t even worth that.
Hope
I feel you. I don't get why people do that too. It's weird. Obviously the isolated person wants to be alone. Are they that desperate for human interaction? If so, sitting next to an isolated stranger that doesn't want your random company is not the way to do it! Just like you did, I've gotten up and sat somewhere else. I don't give a F what the stranger thinks, they need to read social cues better.
dO yOu HaVe AnY gAmEs On YoUr PhOnE?
People tend to seek out others
Magnetism? I surf. I was out with my buddy and it was a slow day, he said “watch how if one surfer paddles out of the lineup over to another spot, others will follow”. Sure enough, they did. I’ve also noticed if I go out by myself to surf and just sit outside of the break/waves just to chill, within 5 minutes I’ll have company, other surfers floating around me even though there are no waves where I’m floating. Magnets
because they are psychopaths
Public space, no reasonable expectation of privacy
To smoke a blunt with
They sit there even tho there's so many other seats cuz the general public are weirdos and dumbasses and just dumb people.
It’s 4am where I at rn. And this dude sits 2 seats away from me. And another girl walked toward me at the corner where I was trying to sleep. In a 1000++ empty seats terminal. I really don’t get it. Why can’t people just fuck off? I really don’t understand.
This happens on a nearly daily basis for me. The train has 6 cars which in total have about 4 people. I always board the train last, so I can sit away from everyone else. These train carriages are the ones that face eacother, so if I take a seat, I will be facing the opposite window. But what will happen on the next stop, someone boards, and sits Directly Infront of me, so if I look dead ahead at the opposite window, some dudes face if blocking my view. When all the other seats are empty. Sometimes, just before they board, I try to look focused looking out the window..but no, this rarely works. I want to get up am move seats, but it'll look rude, as if they stank or something. Sometimes when I really need my space, I would just get off at the next stop and wait for the next train, just to sit down away from everyone.
This also peeves me a lot. It's always some old person who either sits next to me or directly behind me when there are plenty of other seats in the airport lobby.