I think the amount of personal space is in direct inverse proportion to a country’s population density.
The other reaction I have when somebody moves in too close to me to talk is that my insincerity meter goes off the scale. I find people that do this are the same types that wear shiny suits, like to give two-handed handshakes, and use my name too much in conversation.
So glad to know I’m not the only grouch who grinds his teeth at people who cluster and chat in busy places.
A peeve of mine is the travelator - like an escalator but horizontal, y’know? Sydney airport has a series of these, to make the long trip down those hallways shorter. Perfectly healthy people get on and decide, “lets rest!”, and stand in clumps, so the fast walkers can get nowhere.
But I have developed a sort of weapon. Even though these people are somewhat thoughtless, they still have a healthy sense of personal space. I invade it.
I stealthily move right up close behind them, lean over to their ear and with my lips only millimeters away from their necks I whisper in my sexiest voice “Excuse me please!”
They whip around, horrified. What maniac is stalking them now? They draw back in fear.
“Thank you” I sing with a radiant smile, and charge past.
See - no nasty vengeance or actual bodily harm. Just psychological terror indistinguishable in appearance from friendly courtesy.
Well, it helps me get through the day.
Redboss
Mind poker.
Fucking with psyches, if you’ll excuse the vulgarity.
Oh. Sorry. It’s the Pit–much worse has been said.
::ponders glumly::
I can see how this’d work but in theory but it requires overcoming my North American dread of violating personal space–MINE, to be specific.
Not to be whiney, but isn’t there a way of torquing off cretins that doesn’t actually involve getting near them?
Forgive me but ICK! Gaaack. Ptui.
Yeah, yeah, I’d love to confound the confounded. Maybe my pioneer spirit has pooped out. Don’t WANNA get that close, even to drive the varmits outta Dodge.
Squirming,
Veb
TheLoadedDog, I agree with everything you said in your OP but I think you missed the most important rule:
KEEP TO THE LEFT!!
The Olympics are over so, chances are, you are not a tourist. You know which side of the road we drive on here. Do the same when you walk. It’s not that hard.
TLD may appreciate this Australian in London story.
My regular commute finished at Liverpool St Station. Myself and about a thousand others would come streaming out of one particular exit like water out of a firehose, only to be partially blocked by these pricks who would deliberately stand in the exit, so that everyone would have to come close to them so that they could hand out brochures or whatever. I just could not believe the deliberate rudeness, but even more so I could not believe how these proper English people would put up with it. So I would just come roaring up the stairs, in the middle of this flying scrum of humanity, front these wankers standing in the way giving out irrelevant trash, and yell “GET OUT OF THE BLOODY WAY!” right in their face. They would back off quick. And all around me were appreciative glances and secret smiles of these repressed English sods who would have loved to have done the same thing, which of course only encouraged me to keep doing it, every morning as necessary. Hee hee!
TLD did appreciate it. I’d like to have been there to see that - or better still to DO it.
MrWhy, you’re spot on about the keeping left thing. Strange though, back in the 80s, I used to commute from Bondi Junction Station, and the escalators there had big signs on them saying STAND TO THE RIGHT. Never did understand that one.