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I started greeting people more in the last year or so. Some people at work have started saying Good morning, etc. as well.
Most of the time in public I find that my greeting is ignored. This bothers me because I assume people are starting from a negative assumption about me: I want something from them, I need a conversation, I'm hitting on them, etc. I am not trying to do any of those things, just wishing people a good day. It seems that we as a society have allowed our fears and social awkardness to overcome being polite.
It should not be an issue for two strangers to say good morning to each other but apparently it is for most.
You kinda are tho, you're expecting them to interact with you and you're assuming negative things about them based on them not being interested.
No. I am not.
I am surprised that anyone would equate a simple greeting with requiring a conversation or asking someone out.
All I ask is a same or similar Hello, tiny smile, whatever simple human acknowledhement you care to give. One does not even have to slow their pace to do this.
Ignoring someone that just wished you a good day is rude.
You have no idea what they’re experiencing at the moment though. Maybe they’ve just been served divorce papers or pulled the plug on their mother. Or maybe they were just sold to/hit on by someone with the exact same approach. People live in too high a density in most places to expect patience from strangers, because it will be taken advantage of and used up.
You just said "no" and then proceeded to explain exactly how you are doing it and again assume negative things about people.
I try not to take it personally, because I have NO idea what's happening in that person's life, or what's happening in their head.
What if some of those people are deaf or mute? What if their parent just died and they're doing their best to not break down in tears? What if they had the most infuriating day/night of their life, and they are so upset that they can't be polite? What if they speak a foreign language? What if they have in-ear headphones that are tough to see?
There are many situations where I would feel silly for expecting a response, and realistically, many of them would be invisible to strangers.
For example, you're probably not going to tell someone who wished you good morning that you can't talk because you just found out your baby is going to be stillborn. You're probably going to try to shut things out while you process the intense emotions.
Please don't take it so personally, and maybe try to be a bit more empathetic to strangers. Neither you or I likely even have a chance of knowing their reasons.
I don't know about you, but I would honestly feel like a terrible person for getting annoyed at someone for not talking in the example above. One you say something, it's too late to undo it.
Please please please remember that a LOT of people likely have things going on that you're unaware of.
you realize some people might not want to even make eye contact because in some places, acknowledging randos can get your ass whipped in the streets.
At least where I'm from, it's just more polite to let people get on with their day. Being randomly greeted by strangers, while not exactly an imposition, isn't exactly not an imposition either.
There's a lot of "it depends", I think. Crowded sidewalk? No, I'm not going to try to greet anyone. Only two people walking on this block in my neighborhood? Yes, I will say good day.
What is the point of meaningless social niceties? Does anyone actually enjoy these encounters?
I'm guilty of that sometimes, but it's not you and it's not anger/disgust. It's pure, uncut social awkwardness and adhd overthinking. Or I'm just upset about something and lost in my own head. I'm not rude on purpose. 😖