I’ve noticed that men will politely cough if they’re walking faster than I am on a sidewalk and are going to pass me – this is something that happens mostly at night. Does this situation make men as awkward feeling as I think?
What are the social considerations that go through your head when you pass a single woman on a sidewalk?
r/AskMen
Comments
I just politely acknowledge and greet them and go on about my business. Never got a negative response.
I’ve beaten those kind of thoughts out of my head. I don’t think it’s fair for me to feel nervous about someone else’s feelings regarding my existence. That’s their problem. I treat the interaction like I would with a man.
I am not too tall at 175cm but I am either bald or with short hair, a beard, tattoes and fairly fit.
So I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable so I’ll either try to pass to the other side or try to be on the phone.
Anything that’ll not startle anyone.
The same goes to if I see a man that seems uncomfortable too.
Nothing. I give them space like I do everyone.
Makes sense to let people know you’re near them, not just with women or at night.
If I’m overtaking her I never look back and pick up my pace as I pass her. If I’m meeting her head on, I smile, nod and make eye contact.
Please don’t talk to me. Please don’t look at me. Please get the fuck away from me.
I give everyone a “How ya doin” as I pass them on the sidewalk. Woman or no, if it seems like I’m going to overtake them, I often do try and make noise some distance away, so they will look back and be aware of my presence
No differences in treatment regardless of gender or race
But if you’re old, I might make a joke about the weather
It’s not awkward to me. A cough says “I’m here, I don’t want to talk and I’m not trying to surprise you.”
I’m Canadian so if anyone man or woman passes anyone man or woman you generally say “sorry” to get their attention then pass. I don’t act any different with Women though, why would I?
I do this. Yes, it’s a bit awkward. It is matched with “don’t want her to think im creeping up on her or following her or trying to do anything but walk past so i can home, and i am walking faster than her”.
So it’s a little display of “here i am, please notice that i am not focusing on you at all.”
This is after being gasped at and run away from a couple of times because we were waking in a dark place. I’m not even a scary looking guy, just a guy.
Absolutely, 100%, yes. For me at least, it does. Especially at night, women often view me as a threat. I make sure to give them plenty of space and don’t look at them when I’m out at night.
It’s a bit awkward, but I get it, things can happen to women alone at night. What I don’t like is when they get in a tizzy when I’m in crowded places going about my day. The other day I was looking at a label on a can at the grocery store to see if it had one ingredient I’m allergic to. As I saw it did and put it back I noticed a woman scowling at me. Apparently, she thought I was using looking at the label as an excuse to look at her. And of course, she wasn’t even worth looking at anyway. I grabbed another can, turned my back on her, and looked at that label, hoping she understood.
Or this one time when I was walking through my own neighborhood in the afternoon on a sunny day with other people out and about. This teenage girl was about a hundred feet away from me and looked at me I was a velociraptor as I approached her and crossed the street to get away from me and kept walking the same direction, just on the other side. Really?
At night alone is one thing, I get that, and I think most guys get that. What men can’t stand is when women get all paranoid at other times and make things unnecessarily awkward when in fact we’re just living our lives.
I don’t care. Until people give me a reason to notice them they are just grey blobs in my mind.