Rude or polite

Cutting someone off is slightly chippy whatever way you slice it.

But it's still a very reasonable response in my part of the world

I'd love to know where some of you live that a slightly chippy No

Where did the OP convey tone?

I'd love to know where some of you live that a slightly chippy No counts as the height of ill manners.

I live in Croydon, random bus stop "excuse me but" are nearly always a preamble to something shit, cutting people off is just efficient use of yours and their time.

I reckon OP was better placed than anyone else here to interpret his motives

Exactly, articulated better than me

@Konfetka That is a ridiculous comparison to make. An actual Police Officer abusing his power and lockdown restrictions to kidnap, cuff, rape and murder an unsuspecting woman can't be likened to an 'excuse me' at a bus stop during the day.

What's your solution when it comes to that tragic situation though?
It's not even comparable to just an excuse me or a hello.
Should men and women just not speak to each other or interact "just in case?"
As that's not a world I'm about to start living in.

@GoodAfternoonGoodEveningAndGoodnight

😂

@Grenwyn
@Livingtothefull

I think it is creepy to single out and go up to a woman in the street

So now a man can't speak to a woman without prior permission otherwise he is an automatic creep

Exactly, this threads so depressing 😁
They'd hate living round here lol.
Get anyone striking up a conversation with you.

Random man walking past you "morning"
Me - "morning!"
Can't imagine

"Morni...
"No!"

@Magnastorm

And my point that nobody owes random people on the street a response still stands.

True, it is however, common courtesy to hear someone out before shutting them down. Hopefully should you ever need any sort of help out in public the attitude of anyone present wouldn't be a plain 'NO!' before you uttered the next syllable.

@Livingtothefull

I think it is creepy to single out and go up to a woman in the street.

So now a man can't speak to a woman without prior permission otherwise he is an automatic creep.

There are many reasons why a few men are pests to women and not always because they want to get them into bed. I think it is because a certain type of man knows he is making the woman uneasy and gets off on that. Or they want something else (to sell something etc) and think the woman is an easier target.

Yet you don't know he was that type of man and OP hasn't once suggested that he was this type of man.

Assuming a man saying 'excuse me' at a bus stop in the middle of the day is somehow insidious is a very warped and paranoid view point. Many women talk about misogyny on here, frankly you are demonstrating clear misandry.

Rude

Well if you think the OP is lying why bother posting on her thread?

I have to say I agree with PP. perfect to reasonable to ask if anyone else feels the same, that's what threads are for. Frankly I'm surprised we're 500 posts in without a deletion message

(...Awaits deletion of this comment from MNHQ😩)

But I'm not calling op a liar but this doesn't sound like a normal conversation, some details are missing

Well if you think the OP is lying why bother posting on her thread?

I didn't say she did, but it's still true that you can tell.

And my point that nobody owes random people on the street a response still stands. I'm not denying it was probably slightly rude, but I'm sure the poor man will get over it.

Same.
Always the way you must be a man or an MRA if you dare to want to treat people like, well...people!

I think it is creepy to single out and go up to a woman in the street.

You mean for a man to politely talk to a woman at a bus stop?

I think it is creepy to single out and go up to a woman in the street.

There are many reasons why a few men are pests to women and not always because they want to get them into bed. I think it is because a certain type of man knows he is making the woman uneasy and gets off on that. Or they want something else (to sell something etc) and think the woman is an easier target.

Another little anecdote from my youth: I was out with female friends, a group of half a dozen men circled us in the street telling us that we were all unattractive & they wouldn't touch any of us with a barge pole.

So I was never a raving beauty but have still had plenty of unwanted attention over the years.

I'm tired of posters accusing others of being men or MRAs because they disagree with them. It's usually totally without basis too.

@Akamai

You keep ignoring that OP was there, not you, and therefore she was better able to judge whether he was a creep or not. And you also ignore that she was right, he was a creep.

Was he? We don't know that. That is your interpretation

She hasn't specified that his body language was suspicious. You and many others are just making that up to justify her rudeness toward a man.

You can normally tell by someone's body language whether that "excuse me" is going to be followed by "can you give me the time" or "can I chat you up fnarr", let's be honest about it.

If the OP doesn't want to engage with some random guy on the street, then so what? When I got the bus to work I would wear giant headphones and not engage with the other chatterboxes at the village bus stop. Maybe they thought I was rude; I don't care.

Its absolutely fine, you probably saved him some time because if you had opened your mouth to actually talk to him you would have definitely confirmed you were a rude cow and not worth his time but hey ho.
We all read your original post which was vauge at best hence the requests for further info. I can only assume you want attention so here you go.