It seems like certain people-with-clipboards types are more drawn to me than most people. They seem to home in on me when I get near them. (and yet I am the type of person who has the least time for them. Being quite proud of my lack of tendency to be influenced by others)
The ones most likely to do it are the young men (probably about 20-25) with white shirts, usually American. (who the feck are those people anyway? Part of me is tempted to oblige them to find out what their agenda is)
Do I give off some kind of vibe? I like to think they seek out people who look intelligent but that’s just wishful thinking. The other, self-degrading part of me thinks they actively seek out people who look like pushovers.
I get them all the time. It is like I have a negative clipboard in my pocket that attracts them. Unfortunately (to them), although I am seldom in a rush, I have zero patience for this kind of non-sense and I just politely say “I am not interested” before they have a chance to mouth the second word they were going to say.
I attract all types of strange people. It’s weird though - I am big and can be scary looking, and the real scumbags pick up on that and leave me alone (I have seen professional “beggars” ask everybody in the train except me, for example), but people like pollsters seem to have no fear of me. Also mad people, drunk people, children, and dogs.
A typical trip for me:
I walk to the station. A dog starts following. I try to shoo it home. It follows more. Somebody stops and asks for directions. I get to the station and get clipboarded by somebody selling mobile phone plans. On the platform, 23457687 people ask me for a smoke. On the train, a toddler will spend the whole trip staring at me, occasionally pointing and saying, “Man. Man. Manafmanoobwaaaaanumnum. Haaaaaaaaaaaaa. Man.”
