I did something pretty rude today. What would you have done?

I'd find a better place to work than a busy public coffee shop

Same as above.
I always laugh at those people who have their laptop out in coffee shops. Such a cliché.
I don't go in those sorts of places but you can see them being all 'casual professional' when walking past the window. Cringe.

There sure are a lot of anti-social people on ATS.

I talk a lot, but then again I can read social cues and exit a convo when I know to.

originally posted by: dogstar23

originally posted by: nonspecific
a reply to: Atsbhct

10 years ago I would have humoured him and not got my own stuff done.

5 years ago I would have made an excuse about having to be somewhere.

Today I would have told him to go away because I was busy and if he did not take the massive hint I would tell him to go away because he was interfering in my personal space and then growl at him.

It is one of the benefits of getting older and having a big beard in my opinion.

You've aged into those ideal years, like a fine Cabernet...but be careful, a few years too long and it turns to vinegar!

5 more years and you'll be watching Murder, She Wrote re-runs

10 more years and you're waving a cane screaming "Get off my lawn!"

I actually watched the enirety of Murder she wrote a few months ago!

Only reall because I had run out of Columbo's and Quincy's

I should buy some slippers really.

Why didn't you just be straightforward with him?

I mean, I would have looked him in the eye, trying to be as sincere as possible, and told him, I really don't want to be rude or unkind, please don't misunderstand me- you seem like a really nice person, and normally I would enjoy talking this over with you! But right now, I am really busy- I am on a deadline and rushed to get this done, so I just cannot pay attention to anything else right now. I'm sorry.

That's how I talk to people... but then on second thought, it doesn't always work that well for me. I am often told I make people uncomfortable with my way of being very direct and honest. People don't know how to respond, and that makes it undesirable.



Now that I think about it, there's probably nothing you could do in that situation to make it comfortable for everyone, so, that's life. But surely, it doesn't sound like you did anything you should feel guilty about!!!!

That was indeed incredibly rude ... of him, not you.

You did nothing wrong, he did. Just because you're in a public setting doesn't mean anyone's ripe for the pick-up attempts (IMO, he was failing miserably at flirting)

My husband's best trick for getting rid of people encroaching on his space is to act crazy. Mumble to yourself a lot, fidget jerkily, glare at the person and accuse them of trying to siphon your life energy, mumble more. If you have another person with you (me) hope like hell they keep a straight face & play along ("Sorry, sorry, it's new meds, and they're not quite working as hoped...") Most people generally do not stick around long enough to get cocky.

Lol! For some reason I was picturing you as a guy and I agree with Lysergic's theory that it was a miserable failure at hitting on you. So in my imagination it was a gay scenario, but you're a female so I had to correct that in my mind. But that just reinforces the theory.

Homeboy probably went on the internet to learn how to pick up chicks and someone told him to go to a coffee shop and strike up a conversation about music. He just has no charisma and no clue that he's annoying.

You were not rude at all. I probably would have done the exact same thing, and I'm really tolerant of people...until the B bomb got dropped. At that point it would have gone downhill for him real quick.