does it bother you when strangers talk to you on the street?

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ask for directions, what time is it, start small talk?

I dont mind asking what time it is, but asking directions bothers me because I cant see it in my head and only my feet remember how to get around, so I feel bad about not knowing how to explain to people how to get somewhere when I know it's not far. small talk is boring and pointless, and I hate it.

I'm happy to give people directions, although I often baffle them with details, and to tell them the time. But I avoid casual conversations and small talk in public places - the only exemption being long-distance train journeys, where I enjoy deeper conversations with interesting fellow travellers.

Not really. Stuff like "what time is it" or "how do i get to" are just functional communication, which I have no problems with. If some stranger starts to small talk with me, then that is very uncomfortable. Luckily I live in a country where small talking with strangers is culturally weird thing to do, so it does not happen that much.

I don't mind being spoken to by a stranger as long as he/she is polite/friendly although I do feel nervous. Here in WA (and I believe in the east as well) speaking to strangers on the street or anywhere is very common. I'm used to it by now.

One thing I really don't like is trash asking for a few dollars or simply harassing strangers. That's quite common here. I'd rather flush my money in the toilet than give it to the trash.

They often use it for a drink anyway, six pack.

It doesn't bother me when someone asks for directions; I kind of feel glad to be able to be of help, even though it's in such a small way.

But what does bother me is the kind of thing that happened yesterday to me. I was in a park specifically to take photographs of new goslings with their parent geese. I use the photos in a semi-professional capacity; I don't make much money from that at the moment but the point is, I hope to, and I needed to get the pictures I was after.

With animals, especially wild birds, moments for really good pictures happen very fast and are very fleeting. I was about to catch the image of baby goslings sticking their heads out from under the mother's wing when this man, a total stranger, started up a conversation with me about what camera and lenses I was using.

Turns out he's an enthusiastic amateur photographer too and wanted to chit-chat about equipment. Which happens to be the most boring topic to me -- I just find out what I need to know when I buy my stuff, but after that I don't care to talk about what camera it is and what lenses, I just want to get on with the business of taking the photos. I find any kind of "gear talk" boring.

But more than that, he was making me miss my moment catching the shot I was trying to catch.

I was polite on the outside but really annoyed on the inside, because I was thinking JEEEZ dude, if you're into taking good pictures too, you should already KNOW that catching a shot means not being interrupted while you're attempting to do so.

I could not believe he was standing there taking me completely out of my moment to catch that shot. With this small talk about equipment.

I hate to be spoken to by a stranger when it's clear that I'm busy caught up in something. I can't believe people are that intrusive but they actually are, with me. I seem to have a sign on me saying "Don't worry about MY needs."

Sorry to rant but I've already got another person in this park who regularly interrupts me too.

Asking for the time & directions is no big deal to me. I just tell em the time & I s#ck with directions so I just tell em "I don't know" or "I'm not sure". It's small talk that bothers me cuz I don't know how to end it quickly without being rude.

Looking the way I do (purple and black hair cut in a strange way, makeup, etc), I always attract attention. I'm used to people coming up to me by now.

Yes, because it's really hard for me to give directions.


no problem at all


I absolutely hate it. Luckily it's not common here, so it's seldom a problem. I have my nose in a book on public transportation both to discourage talkative people and because I'm a bookworm who can never wait to read some more, and mp3 in my ear on the street in order to be left alone. I don't wanna engage in boring pointless small talk.
I can remember it happening twice, both instances were years ago and involved 2 old women. It might have been stereotypical thinking, but I thought they might be lonely since they talked to a strange teenager respectively on the street and on the tube, so I did my best to talk to them, thinking it annoying and would rather be left alone, but feeling sorry for someone I thought so hungry for someone to talk to they'd do something as weird as talking to a stranger, and a youngster at that. They might have just been extroverted though.

Instead of giving them money if you don't believe that's appropriate, why not sit down, talk to them, offer them a kind word? They're not "trash," they're people. Like you.
I don't like people approaching me on the street for the purposes they usually do - fundraisers. I find the false friendliness off putting as they want money, not to talk to me. Money I don't have, and I don't like refusing them. It's also awkward ignoring them and walking past, because it feels like rudeness. I cross the street to avoid the whole scenario.

Yes. I am classically autistic and sometimes they try to "coax me out of my shell". All I ant to do is bite them.

I hate when strangers talk to me. Even if it's just saying hi. Voices in general bother me and I hate being distracted from my thoughts. The worst is when it's someone I know because they are more likely to try to have a conversation with me. I do make an effort to not outright hurt their feelings but I barely say a word/smile. I wish they knew how much I just hate talking and that I don't hate them personally.

It only bothers me because I have no idea what I'm doing. Even if I do know where something is, I really can't explain how to get to there. I just feel embarrassed.

It bothers me a lot because I'm not used to talking to people at random, even though just a few days ago, a stranger asked me if I had a bus ticket and I ignored him.

People used to try to do this to me when I was a kid. I hated it and just wanted them to go away and leave me alone. In the worst situations, I would cry and have a full-on meltdown. I don't understand why people never realized it was a mistake to get in my face and try to talk directly at me.

I hate it when strangers talk to me at all. Asking the time is ok, but I'm terrible with directions and even if I wasn't, I wouldn't be able to figure out how to explain directions in a way they could understand. There are two major highways near my town, and I can't remember which is which. I've actually pretended I wasn't from around this area a few times, and I've just totally ignored people.

The checkout person at the store can say hello and the girl at the bank can say may I help you, but anything more than that, if it isn't necessary to the transaction, is too much. Sometimes they want to chat about what I'm buying, and I don't want to be rude and tell them I don't want to talk. I just want to get my groceries and go home. Sometimes if I smile and don't say anything back, they get the hint and shut up.

I wish I could wear a pin on my shirt that says 'I'm autistic, please leave me alone.'