Does anyone else get completely random, judgemental statements from strangers?

[Ironclad Alibi]

"I was right, that person is a heathen!"

I prefer to think of myself as a pagan, but I have to be careful about who I tell because those heathens have given us pagans a bad name.

[Pixelated]

When I was young, back in the early and mid 80s, I used to get comments about "Are you a boy or a girl? Haw haw haw haw!"

I remember getting that once. IIRC, I said, "Which are you looking for?"

One of the few times I thought of a response -- in time to use it -- that actually shut the person up.

[Nunavut Pants]

[DGoddessChardonnay]

It's fun to talk with the voices in your head. You're always guaranteed semi-intelligent* conversation.

* "Semi-intelligent" because there's always THAT voice. The one that likes to say "Hold mah beer."

Even more fun when the voices in your head decide to argue . . . with each other!

[Jay 2K Winger]

No, never. Not even when I talk to myself.

...Maybe because I talk to myself...

It's fun to talk with the voices in your head. You're always guaranteed semi-intelligent* conversation.

* "Semi-intelligent" because there's always THAT voice. The one that likes to say "Hold mah beer."

[Aria]

No, never. Not even when I talk to myself.

...Maybe because I talk to myself...

[Nunavut Pants]

When I was young, back in the early and mid 80s, I used to get comments about "Are you a boy or a girl? Haw haw haw haw!" Sometimes I was brave enough to reply, "Why don't you suck my d**k and find out?" But usually not...

A GF of mine had a bunch of punk rock stuff written on her jacket, and she used to get harassed on the street as well. We were walking near her house one day in Chicago, and random guys yelled out of their car windows about us being FREAKS!!!

Sometimes all you can do is flip them off.

[Pixelated]

Yeah, but if you do that, they'll go away from the interaction feeling vindicated. "I was right, that person is a heathen!" Better yet, quote a Bible verse to them, maybe something about loving your neighbor. I know the person was quickly walking away, but striking up a conversation would be my choice in this situation. Mostly because it's clear they did not want to talk, just make a comment and run away.

You've got some very good points there, notalwaysright. A Biblical quote would probably be the best option, since many of these people seem to automatically assume if you're not reading the Bible, you never have, and you know nothing about it.

Not to mention it would've been far less likely to offend the other patrons than screaming four-letter words after the guy.

[notalwaysright]

Ooooh yeah!!

Or the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

Hey, if I'm gonna offend somebody whom I don't even know ... might as well make a good effort at it!

Yeah, but if you do that, they'll go away from the interaction feeling vindicated. "I was right, that person is a heathen!" Better yet, quote a Bible verse to them, maybe something about loving your neighbor. I know the person was quickly walking away, but striking up a conversation would be my choice in this situation. Mostly because it's clear they did not want to talk, just make a comment and run away.

[Pixelated]

Even better would have been something like The Satanic Verses.

Ooooh yeah!!

Or the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

Hey, if I'm gonna offend somebody whom I don't even know ... might as well make a good effort at it!

[Kittish]

Was kinda sorry it wasn't a Harry Potter book, so if nothing else I could've held it up with the cover visible and waved it at him.

Even better would have been something like The Satanic Verses.

[Pixelated]

Definitely fits in this category. I mean, it's not even normal behavior on any playing field. Weird.

Yeah, especially since I don't live in an area that could be considered even remotely a "Bible belt" sort of place.

Was kinda sorry it wasn't a Harry Potter book, so if nothing else I could've held it up with the cover visible and waved it at him.

[Food Lady]

The most recent such incident (assuming it even belongs in this category) was some old guy walking past my table at the diner, where I was eating and reading a novel, and saying "Read your Bible."

Definitely fits in this category. I mean, it's not even normal behavior on any playing field. Weird.

[Pixelated]

"You'd better cover up, then, lady -- we can't have you melting, now can we?"

I wonder if she'd have gotten the reference ...

It happens in cycles, eras when minding one's own business is in fashion, and periods when one must be sensitive to every other person around them - even when they misinterpret the other person's feelings. Please grin and bear it, they mean well.

I think you're right about the cycles. My high school English teacher once commented that society in general tends to swing from hardcore right to hardcore left and back again. For some reason we never seem to be able to stop in the damn middle.

Whether I would "grin and bear it" depends on a lot of factors. The most recent such incident (assuming it even belongs in this category) was some old guy walking past my table at the diner, where I was eating and reading a novel, and saying "Read your Bible."

Me:

By the time it even registered, he was several feet past my table and it really wasn't worth it to run after him and get snotty about it.

[TheSHAD0W]

It happens in cycles, eras when minding one's own business is in fashion, and periods when one must be sensitive to every other person around them - even when they misinterpret the other person's feelings. Please grin and bear it, they mean well.