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[Humour] Avoiding Other People



Cheeky Monkey

Well-known member
Jul 17, 2003
23,837
We all do it, we've all done it - on the street, in the supermarket, even at the Albion, whether it be an annoying neighbour, an ex acquaintance, a work colleague, a family member, or even a friend you just can't be arsed to engage with in the moment.
So, any humourous tales of avoidance fail...?

:wink:
 




Chicken Run

Member Since Jul 2003
NSC Patron
Jul 17, 2003
19,751
Valley of Hangleton
We all do it, we've all done it - on the street, in the supermarket, even at the Albion, whether it be an annoying neighbour, an ex acquaintance, a work colleague, a family member, or even a friend you just can't be arsed to engage with in the moment.
So, any humourous tales of avoidance fail...?

:wink:
The best time to avoid was during the covid era when one could wear a mask in the supermarket
 


Brovion

In my defence, I was left unsupervised.
NSC Patron
Jul 6, 2003
19,837
Never done it, for the simple reason that I am really really, and I mean really bad at recognising people - so I never have to avoid anyone as I don't know who I'm seeing. People do think I'm extremely rude though, people are always saying to my wife "I saw your husband the other day and he completely ignored me."

EDIT: The other side of the coin is that, knowing that people think I'm rude, I quite often 'recognise' someone and go up to talk to them - and of course it isn't the person I thought it was. Had some odd conversations like that.
 
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Anger

Well-known member
Jul 21, 2017
512
Never done it, for the simple reason that I am really really, and I mean really bad at recognising people - so I never have to avoid anyone as I don't know who I'm seeing. People do think I'm extremely rude though, people are always saying to my wife "I saw your husband the other day and he completely ignored me."

EDIT: The other side of the coin is that, knowing that people think I'm rude, I quite often 'recognise' someone and go up to talk to them - and of course it isn't the person I thought it was. Had some odd conversations like that.

Yeah, you completely passed me by the other day.








(Full disclosure, we've never met)
 






Half Time Pies

Well-known member
Sep 7, 2003
1,567
Brighton
Never done it, for the simple reason that I am really really, and I mean really bad at recognising people - so I never have to avoid anyone as I don't know who I'm seeing. People do think I'm extremely rude though, people are always saying to my wife "I saw your husband the other day and he completely ignored me."

EDIT: The other side of the coin is that, knowing that people think I'm rude, I quite often 'recognise' someone and go up to talk to them - and of course it isn't the person I thought it was. Had some odd conversations like that.
Did you know that there is a neurological condition called prosopagnosia (face blindness) which affects a persons ability to recognise faces? I am pretty sure I have this as have exactly the same problem you are describing with recognising people! https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/face-blindness/

Apparently there are an estimated 1.2 million people with prosopagnosia in the UK and even a charity that is set up to support people with the condition: http://faceblind.org.uk/

Interestingly there are also 'super recognisers', people that have a significantly higher than average ability to recognise faces. I have a friend who is like this, he can spot people that we went to school with 35 years ago in a crowd of people! When we were younger he would start chatting to someone that we both knew in the past and could never understand why I was standing there absolutely oblivious as to who they were!
 
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GT49er

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Feb 1, 2009
49,052
Gloucester
Never done it, for the simple reason that I am really really, and I mean really bad at recognising people - so I never have to avoid anyone as I don't know who I'm seeing. People do think I'm extremely rude though, people are always saying to my wife "I saw your husband the other day and he completely ignored me."
Prosopagnosia.
 
















Brovion

In my defence, I was left unsupervised.
NSC Patron
Jul 6, 2003
19,837
Did you know that there is a neurological condition called prosopagnosia (face blindness) which affects a persons ability to recognise faces? I am pretty sure I have this as have exactly the same problem you are describing with recognising people! https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/face-blindness/

Apparently there are an estimated 1.2 million people with prosopagnosia in the UK and even a charity that is set up to support people with the condition: http://faceblind.org.uk/

Interestingly there are also 'super recognisers', people that have a significantly higher than average ability to recognise faces. I have a friend who is like this, he can spot people that we went to school with 35 years ago in a crowd of people! When we were younger he would start chatting to someone that we both knew in the past and could never understand why I was standing there absolutely oblivious as to who they were!
Yeah, this is now WAY off-topic, but we had this discussion before and there were a few of us who have the problem.
 


happypig

Staring at the rude boys
May 23, 2009
8,155
Eastbourne
Interestingly there are also 'super recognisers', people that have a significantly higher than average ability to recognise faces. I have a friend who is like this, he can spot people that we went to school with 35 years ago in a crowd of people! When we were younger he would start chatting to someone that we both knew in the past and could never understand why I was standing there absolutely oblivious as to who they were!
My wife can do that; we'll be walking through town and she'll go "cor, he's changed since I last saw him at school 44 years ago"
She's rubbish with names though, she'll ask me things like "Who's that orange bloke, American, something to do with politics?"
 




Half Time Pies

Well-known member
Sep 7, 2003
1,567
Brighton
My wife can do that; we'll be walking through town and she'll go "cor, he's changed since I last saw him at school 44 years ago"
She's rubbish with names though, she'll ask me things like "Who's that orange bloke, American, something to do with politics?"
Must be a nightmare recognising people all the time, you presumably wouldn't know whether to talk to them or not, I think I prefer to be oblivious!
 


Thunder Bolt

Silly old bat
My wife can do that; we'll be walking through town and she'll go "cor, he's changed since I last saw him at school 44 years ago"
She's rubbish with names though, she'll ask me things like "Who's that orange bloke, American, something to do with politics?"
I’m similar. I recognise faces but am terrible at remembering names. I’ve had some awkward conversations with people I recognise whilst agonising inside trying to remember their name.
 




Coldeanseagull

Opinionated
Mar 13, 2013
8,318
Coldean
Never done it, for the simple reason that I am really really, and I mean really bad at recognising people - so I never have to avoid anyone as I don't know who I'm seeing. People do think I'm extremely rude though, people are always saying to my wife "I saw your husband the other day and he completely ignored me."

EDIT: The other side of the coin is that, knowing that people think I'm rude, I quite often 'recognise' someone and go up to talk to them - and of course it isn't the person I thought it was. Had some odd conversations like that.
The reason I don't like public transport...I'm a nutter magnet
My wife can do that; we'll be walking through town and she'll go "cor, he's changed since I last saw him at school 44 years ago"
She's rubbish with names though, she'll ask me things like "Who's that orange bloke, American, something to do with politics?"
Ronald MacDonald?
 




MJsGhost

Oooh Matron, I'm an
NSC Patron
Jun 26, 2009
5,003
East
Interestingly there are also 'super recognisers', people that have a significantly higher than average ability to recognise faces. I have a friend who is like this, he can spot people that we went to school with 35 years ago in a crowd of people! When we were younger he would start chatting to someone that we both knew in the past and could never understand why I was standing there absolutely oblivious as to who they were!
This is me. (not actually your friend)

I am usually pretty good at remembering names too, though I find the last 4 years things have got hazier. I remember faces and names from 25 years ago FAR more easily than 3 years ago. (undoubtedly the cause is 2 kids under 4 and very few good nights' sleep since 2021.)

When I vaguely recognise someone, but can't think where from, I have to ignore my urge to strike up conversation to work it out. Not only do people think it's weird (or that I'm after something), but I wouldn't ever get anything done.

I recognised someone outside a bar in Canary Wharf one time and chatted to her to work out where from. Once through the "I'm honestly not hitting on you" part of the conversation, we worked out that I had been in her company for about 20 minutes in a friend of a friend's kitchen in Auckland about 3 years prior.

It's both a blessing and a curse, as I do spend a lot of time thinking about where I know people from and it's almost always completely useless information once I've worked it out.

I am VERY good at avoiding people that I see in public though :)
 


Brovion

In my defence, I was left unsupervised.
NSC Patron
Jul 6, 2003
19,837
The reason I don't like public transport...I'm a nutter magnet
One of my more embarrassing episodes was at Brighton station about 25 years ago. I saw someone I thought I recognised, definitely he had a familiar face. I stared at him and he looked back at me, and I thought he looked like one of the other dads from my son's football team, so I thought I'd better start a conversation so he wouldn't think I was rude. So I asked him how he was and how the family was and where was he off to etc, you know, usual conversational stuff, but I could tell from his answers that he didn't really know who the hell I was or what I was talking about. Eventually the penny dropped and I realised who he was - it was the actor Peter Ellis who played Chief Superintendent Brownlow in 'The Bill'. No wonder he looked familiar as I watched The Bill a lot in its heyday. Anyway to cover my embarrassment I just said "Well gotta go, my train's about to leave, nice talking to you, see you soon, bye!" and legged it to leave him wondering what nutter he had just engaged with.

EDIT: Of course it might have been just someone who looked like Peter Ellis ...
 


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