Pretending not to recognize someone in public?

[Anonymous]

I'm usually focused on what I am doing and fairly oblivious. Even more so during Covid, so I can walk past someone and be totally clueless they were there.

[Anonymous]

I say hi unless I’m in some ratty rolled out bed clothes and hadn’t planned to even leave the car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of my earliest memories involved playing along and hiding with my mum as a toddler when she saw people she knew who talked too much and she didn't want to run into them.

I can remember her disappearing one time and I was starting to loudly call for her when suddenly her hand appeared from inside a circular clothing rack and pulled me in so she could hide from distant family. So there's a tip, if you ever need to hide from someone in a clothing store- there is room in those racks.

LMAO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of my earliest memories involved playing along and hiding with my mum as a toddler when she saw people she knew who talked too much and she didn't want to run into them.

I can remember her disappearing one time and I was starting to loudly call for her when suddenly her hand appeared from inside a circular clothing rack and pulled me in so she could hide from distant family. So there's a tip, if you ever need to hide from someone in a clothing store- there is room in those racks.

🤣 you mom sounds like a fun mom…

[Anonymous]

It’s not nice. It’s a sign of someone with weak moral fiber.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it's someone I don't want to talk to I prefer to give them a cold, hard stare before walking away purposefully.

You’re a gem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not nice. It’s a sign of someone with weak moral fiber.

Or social anxiety.

[Anonymous]

I once caught someone glaring at me in a tjmaxx. I was with my family but I turned to her and waved. I have no idea who she was but perhaps she
Mistook me for someone else or I did something terrible to her without knowing. I was tempted to ask: do we know each other but stopped myself.

[Anonymous]

I think my dh and I accidentally ignored a friend last week. Everyone was wearing masks in a store and we got back to the car and asked me why I didn't say hi to her. Had no idea, I was concentrating on pumpkin selection.

Not everyone is ignoring others on purpose. Some of us are just really focused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do this sometimes and masks offer an easy excuse. Part of it is that with some people there is this expectation you are going to stop and have a whole conversation, and sometimes I just can't do that. Maybe I'm on my way somewhere, but often it's just that I have limited time to be alone (I have young children, and... pandemic) and I don't always feel like talking to people.

We should really normalize just saying hello and moving on. Most of the time it's not like your long lost friend or something -- it's someone you used to work with, or a mom whose kid went to playgroup with yours. Someone you know and like but don't socialize with and don't really have a lot to say to. Usually people will ask after my DH and kids, which is nice, but you can also tell they are mostly being polite. And I'll do the same thing ("Oh how is your job going? I remember you started a new one last I saw you."), but I'm not super invested in the answer. I just want to go back to being alone.

I think we're all just kind of burned out right now and need to cut each other a break. You're okay, OP.

It is normalized to just say hello and move on. If you do not know how to do that then that is a YOU problem.