Don't Talk To Strangers

[teleen_fiction]

A PSA for every man I encounter on a daily basis:


When I'm in the grocery store, waiting in line at the bank, going into the bookstore at the same time you are, walking across the parking lot...  Basically, if I'm in public, minding my own business and we've never met before, leave me the fuck alone.


I don't care that you like pink (the color of the shorts I was wearing at the store today) or my hair or my dress or my shoes.


I don't care that you want to know what time it is (a common distraction technique for criminals).


I don't care that we're both waiting in the same line boring and you find me attractive so you want to make small talk on the off chance I'll jump on your dick after knowing you for ten seconds.


Don't fucking talk to me.


I don't know you.  If we don't have friends in common or I'm not at work (where I can make money off of you*), I don't even WANT to know you.


Your speaking to me makes me uncomfortable and also makes me wonder if I need to worry about you doing more than speaking. 


I'm a woman alone.  Respect that my paranoia level is up and if you are truly a good, decent and nice human being, YOU WON'T FUCKING ADD TO MY STRESS by being "friendly" with me, a TOTAL STRANGER.


Just... Leave me the fuck alone.


Thank you for your time and attention.


*To everyone who says, "Well, you make money off of men all the time, why don't you like the attention outside of work?" I say, go step on the sharpest Lego you can find.  When I'm alone, not at a social gathering and we have no friends in common, YOU SHOULD NOT BE SPEAKING TO ME UNLESS IT'S TO TELL ME THAT MY HAIR IS ON FIRE (or other equivalent emergency)!

Comments

[darth-eldritch.livejournal.com]

Hey, I just wanted to say that I totally get what you are saying.

There is a huge difference between friendly chatter and someone presumptiously moving into your emotional space.

I've been in areas where total strangers are nice as can be and chat with everyone. But they don't barge into your personal space and start chatting about your clothes at odd hours of the night or at the ATM.

Plus there is the factor of body language and more women need to be attuned to that to save themselves a lot of trouble. Truly friendly people do not project these signals. Some one who is invasive and stalkerish does.

And, yes, it is entirely your right to not have to be chatted up by anyone on the streets.

[darth-eldritch.livejournal.com]

I wanted to add that I am disturbed by the people are confusing their personal social issues with a safety issue for women. But that is one of the problems that pretty women have to deal with. You've learned it, I did at a young age, and my daughter in turn.

To hell with what anyone says: Trust your instincts.

[teleens-journal.livejournal.com]

Thanks, :).

[darth-eldritch.livejournal.com]

You're welcome :)

Another factor is that you do this all day long, or whenever you are on shift, so it might feel like you're back on the job when you feel that you being made to interact with a man. I imagine that must get really tiresome.

[teleens-journal.livejournal.com]

That is a lot of it, sigh.