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AIBU?

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AIBU to think this lady was nuts? Share your WTF interactions with strangers here

783 replies

BarbaraVineFan · 28/08/2024 22:31

In the park with 4 year old DD today and she became fascinated with a ladybird which she found near the path. We were standing by the side of the path as DD let the ladybird crawl over her arms and hands. A lady went past with a little kid of a similar age and was looking over, so I said 'we've got a ladybird!' (Not sure why really but I felt the need to explain.) Upon which this woman sort of sniggered and went 'ah..,Chlamydia!' And then just...went on her way.

Having googled, I see that apparently ladybirds carry all sorts of STIs, which they transmit to other ladybirds and not humans. So I guess that's what she meant. But at the time I was like 'What the actual fuck?' 😂 Who even says that to a stranger?!

Does anyone have any similar stories of batshit interactions with strangers to share?

OP posts:
LivelyMintViper · 29/08/2024 05:00

theresabluebirdinmyheart · 29/08/2024 03:19

This is actually repulsive, I’m shocked how many people say they think it’s funny!
Previous posters saying there’s nothing sexual about squatting or pissing… can assure you to many men there is alot sexual about that and it sounds like that’s why this creep said it! That would make my skin crawl if someone said it to me.

Totally agree. Not to mention the implied insult that she looked the kind of skank who would piss in the street

SnugQuoter · 29/08/2024 04:52

Thurien · 28/08/2024 23:16

A well dressed gentleman of about 80 came out of a block of flats in Central London, crossed the road to my side and as he approached me sang:

" I am a very friendly lion called Parsley" then proceeded to deliver two weak roars.

Edited

That brings back happy memories. I'd have sung back to him "I'm a very fat feathery owl called Sage" 😂

Ineedaholidayagain · 29/08/2024 04:20

I went to a gig with my Dad, it's a band we both like and we like hanging out with each other, he's about 20 years older then me. At the gig there was a woman who had seen the band something like 20 times, she was very enthusiastic. The woman next to me said I bet that's more than the hot dinners you have had with him, pointing at my Dad. I just looked at her and said that's my Dad?? She looked shocked and said how was I too know??

I am the spitting image of my Dad, a real mini me. Not great for a female but I'm used to it.

ohyesido · 29/08/2024 04:18

i was once having a look at the reduced section in a supermarket, an older lady and her husband were standing next to me, plenty of space no crush like there sometimes can be. I reached for a packet of something to look at the price, and the lady actually slapped my hand away to stop me getting it. I was just 😦 and her husband said “no Brenda we don’t need those prawns” and pulled her away with a sort of apologetic glance. Brenda just sniffed at me and they left. Looking back I can see she probably wasn’t quite well but I was too surprised to say anything

Prriorayingly · 29/08/2024 04:17

I was at the park with my son and his yellow Labrador. His dog wandered up to a black family, who were eating fish and chips. My son apologised and retrieved his dog. This wasn’t good enough though! The couple went berserk at both me and my son. The woman was shouting in my face that this incident was racist. It wasn’t even my bloody dog. We were both very scared. My son thought he was going to be physically attacked. The stupid thing is, neither of us is in the slightest bit racist and in fact my very best friend is black.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 29/08/2024 04:16

Whatafabulousoaktree · 28/08/2024 23:48

'I'm a rather fat feathery owl called...Sage'
Yes, I too am THAT old 😂

And me 🤣
I'm Dill the Dog.

I'm a dog called Dill.
My tail I try to get, but I've never caught it yet.
(followed by panting)

peribaddreams · 29/08/2024 04:11

When I was at university I worked on the checkouts at Tesco. A man unloaded his basket and I started putting the items through the till. One of the items was a box of those Belgian buns- the ones with icing and a cherry in the middle. I picked them up to scan and sent them down the conveyor belt.

When he went to pay he held up the buns and whispered 'you know what I call these? Tits in a box'.

PotterHead1985 · 29/08/2024 04:00

I was in the airport. Had spent all night on the uncomfortable chairs waiting for an early morning flight. Hadn't slept a wink, was blurry eyed, wearing a hoodie and jeans (needed to be comfy for a night on those seats). Was walking into the loos when a woman and her two youngish children were coming out. She looks at me and goes 'this is the ladies'. She gets a half asleep yea back from me to which she repeats herself more forcefully. I know I said and walked past her. Later that day I felt I wish I'd been awake enough to ask her did she want me to prove my right to be in there. Like apologies for not wearing my push up bra and a skirt for a night in the airport

Pineapplecake23 · 29/08/2024 03:38

I was out with my newborn baby at the time and my mum (60's)..and this woman was asking my mum about my baby and telling her what a cute daughter...I was right there. But she thought my mum had just given birth.

My mum would just look at at me and go "how many weeks now?" But the lady still didn't cotton on 😂

SpidersAreShitheads · 29/08/2024 03:31

GeorgesMarvelousCalpol · 29/08/2024 00:25

I thought it was funny too 😂

At the risk of unintentionally upsetting that poster even more, so did I 🤷‍♀️😂

I’m autistic/ADHD and sometimes words leave my mouth before my brain realises what’s happening. I can easily imagine seeing someone make a movement, misinterpreting it in a really weird way, and then blurting it out. If someone else did the same, I’d laugh because it’s the kind of ridiculous thing I’d do. And then spend all day cringing inside.

A few months ago I accidentally went to the chip shop wearing slippers. I never, ever leave the house in slippers. Standing in the fish and chip shop I realised and gasped involuntarily. I then proceeded to not only lean towards the woman behind the counter and whisper “I’m wearing slippers”, I then took a step back and shrieked “LOOK!!” and thrust my foot in the air, can-can style.

So I go to a different chip shop now as I can clearly never show my face (or foot) there again… 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️😂😂

In fairness, I’ve had many, many weird encounters where the other person has been the weird one, it’s not always me doing/saying stupid stuff (but it is sometimes…..). My DD says that every time we leave the house, something bizarre happens. She always says to me “this could only happen to you!” - I’m going to show her some of the responses on this thread to prove that it happens to others too 😂

Also, the fish/foof conundrum - am I the only one who thought tail first? 🤷‍♀️😂

HelenaWaiting · 29/08/2024 03:30

I was doing some shopping in my local (very small) town when a well-dressed, well-spoken man stopped and asked "Why do you use a wheelchair?" I told him I have MS. He said "Okay, but why do you use a wheelchair?" I said "To get around". "Yes, but WHY do you use a wheelchair?" On and on, getting more and more insistent, no matter what answer I dreamed up for him. In the end I snapped "Because my arse gets cold if I sit on the floor!" at which point he nodded and walked off. I have no idea what point he thought he was making.

theresabluebirdinmyheart · 29/08/2024 03:19

HeySummerWhereAreYou · 28/08/2024 22:40

I'm not kidding you, this 100% happened to me the other week. I'd got my rain coat on because there was a bit of a shower and I needed to post a letter in the postbox 7-8 minutes walk away...

My raincoat comes down just past my bum at the back, and I was lifting it up slightly to get my phone out of my jeans pocket. This man - around 10 years older than me, (early-mid 60s,) was walking towards me on the opposite side of the road. He said 'I thought you were going to squat down for a piss then. Haha...' 😆

Who in the name of holy hell thinks it's okay to say this to a random woman that they've never met before? 'I thought you were going to squat down for a piss?!!!' (Just because I was lifting my jacket up slightly at the back, so that I could get my phone out of my jeans pocket!)

'What an absolute weird perve,' I thought. Never seen him before or since, even though this was in my village about 5 minutes walk from my house. As I said, who thinks it's OK to say something like this to a random woman he doesn't know?

I didn't say anything back by the way, I just looked at him for about 3 seconds like >>>> Hmm and carried on walking.

Fucking weirdo.

!

Edited

This is actually repulsive, I’m shocked how many people say they think it’s funny!
Previous posters saying there’s nothing sexual about squatting or pissing… can assure you to many men there is alot sexual about that and it sounds like that’s why this creep said it! That would make my skin crawl if someone said it to me.

XChrome · 29/08/2024 03:13

Xx2222111333 · 29/08/2024 02:45

I was in Hobbycraft years ago standing in an aisle on my own looking at something, I was quite close to the shelves, and this stranger out of no where stood right in between me and the shelves looking at what I was looking at. I was shocked so didn't say anything I just moved to the right but she proceeded to take a giant step to the right too. Without even turning. So I moved back to the left and she did the same thing but to the left. Preventing me from viewing anything on the shelves. I was trying to think whether I accidentally did it to her before hand but I didn't as I had just literally walked into the shop and straight to the aisle. I still think it's bizarre all these years on. Must of been about 12 years ago.

Wtf? Complete lunatic!

One time in a store a man was carrying something large and it accidentally (I hope) hit me in the head, quite hard. When he realized it, he started laughing, then sauntered off. It was a strange, creepy laugh, the kind you'd expect from a serial killer. I'll never forget it.

HalloweenGrinch · 29/08/2024 03:13

@XChrome god that is horrendous. Was this in the UK?

HalloweenGrinch · 29/08/2024 03:11

I'm a runner and it is amazing what people think to say to someone out running.

A few years ago I was running through our (rural, quiet, polite) village and a car, driving in the same direction in which I was running, pulled up alongside me. I assumed it was someone going to ask directions, a very common occurrence, so I stopped and smiled. Driver (man, 60s) rolled down his passenger window, peered out at me, and said "No amount of running will bring back your youth, you know." I was perplexed, frowned and just started running again; he laughed and drove off.

I assume he had seen my youthful-looking rear and was disappointed that my mid-40s haggard face did not match up and his original sexist leer had to be replaced with a more age appropriate rudeness. I am still trying to come up with a witty rejoinder.

Another time I was run-walking on a popular doggy route (employing walking poles). A dog came bounding over to leap on me (again, very common). I do what I always do, not being a dog lover and not automatically knowing whether a dog is friendly or not (and not wanting dirty paws all over me) - I froze and waited for the dog to lose interest and the owners to catch up. They did, and one of the couple shouted angrily at me "Why did you not just hit him with your sticks?". Again, my wit failed me.

XChrome · 29/08/2024 03:07

That's hilarious, OP.

My story isn't funny, it's infuriating. It's both a weird story and a long one, so bear with me.

Some nutter I encountered (complete stranger) started an argument with me, was accusing me of crazy shit. She would not leave me alone and was invading my personal space. After a barrage of abuse I snapped and told her she was a crazy bitch and to go fuck herself. Then I walked away.
I went home, started watching TV and there was a knock on the door. It was the police. The crazy woman had claimed I assaulted her and threatened to kill her. What's worse was that for some reason the cops actually believed her, even though I had a witness with me who told them it was not true. So I was arrested (in front of my neighbours, yay!) and was put in a disgusting jail for 16 hours with a sink that didn't even work and a solid concrete "bed" with no mattress, covers or pillow. You had to use the toilet in full view of anyone passing by, and naturally, I had the runs. I also could not get to much needed medication which was in my purse until at last one of the guards took pity and brought it to me, 12 hours after I had asked for it. The only food I was given was a muffin which I couldn't eat due to food allergies. I got one small bottle of water. Meanwhile, the case was not being investigated. The cops didn't even talk to my witness. The so-called "detective" on the case did not actually hold that rank and was a horrible, smirking creep who seemed to get sadistic pleasure from what I was going through. Yet I was criminally charged anyway. After a night and morning from hell in jail, I was arraigned and allowed to leave, with a restraining order saying I would be arrested and imprisoned if I went within 100 meters of this woman within the next 12 months. I didn't know her, had no way of knowing if I was ever near her, so I stayed away from the neighbourhood in which I had encountered her and hoped for the best. I was always afraid, because all she had to do was claim she had seen me and I would go to prison. Fortunately she did not, but it was a whole year of stress and worry. It took me fourteen months to get these bogus charges dropped and it cost me a lot of money for the lawyer. The crown prosecutor just would not be reasonable. He was an extremely stupid little man who couldn't even understand that yes, people do make up crazy stories about other people. He encouraged me to say I had done it so they could just give me probation and be done with it. When I pointed out that he was counselling me to lie, and that he should be talking to my lawyer about it rather than me, he seemed to realize he had made a dumb mistake and quickly shut his gob lest an ethics complaint come down on him. Finally a judge got pissed off at him and ordered him to dismiss the charges. Phew! What an ordeal.

I realize there's a vague possibility that the details might be outing for the woman, the prosecutor and the cop, but I don't care. They deserve it and the assholes can't do anything to me now. Fuck 'em all.

coxesorangepippin · 29/08/2024 03:06

Friend of mine often tells a story of how this bloke once asked her how to get to the Town Hall. Sorry, she said, I don't know.

Can I have a shag instead then, he said

I mean wtf

Xx2222111333 · 29/08/2024 02:45

I was in Hobbycraft years ago standing in an aisle on my own looking at something, I was quite close to the shelves, and this stranger out of no where stood right in between me and the shelves looking at what I was looking at. I was shocked so didn't say anything I just moved to the right but she proceeded to take a giant step to the right too. Without even turning. So I moved back to the left and she did the same thing but to the left. Preventing me from viewing anything on the shelves. I was trying to think whether I accidentally did it to her before hand but I didn't as I had just literally walked into the shop and straight to the aisle. I still think it's bizarre all these years on. Must of been about 12 years ago.

Lucy Long Socks · 29/08/2024 02:30

I was in the pub one afternoon having a drink with a friend. A male stranger came up to me and said " everyone round here might think you're beautiful. But I want you to know that I don't think you're all that!" He then proceeded to strop off.

Jellybeansweets · 29/08/2024 02:27

Oh my goodness. The weirdest interaction I had was with a man dressed in corporate wear. I was walking in westfields, and there he was sat on a bench in the middle. As I walked past he leapt up and ran towards me to shout “DID YOU KNOW CHRISTMAS IS ON A WEDNESDAY THIS YEAR?! HAVE YOU BEEN GOOD OR BAD?”

Another weird interaction was being accused of shoplifting in Primark. I had a designer tote bag with me, and had put my denim jacket inside but hadn’t zipped the bag up. I was so confused at being followed out of the store by 4 security guards, who demanded to see this jacket which was from Zara!!!!!! 😂😂

Never in my life had I been accused of stealing- I’d been carrying quite an expensive purse so it was even more weird iyswim?

So bizarre and strange, ended up making a big complaint and the manager got a warning.

Lemonlily · 29/08/2024 02:18

Was asked by my uncle when am I having kids, he knows I have endometriosis and pcos and have been seen by fertility team, he then says to my husband standing beside me - are you sure your doing it right?

Gross.

Sunflower8710 · 29/08/2024 02:18

SatansBobbleheadedDashboardOrnament · 28/08/2024 22:57

Several years ago, I was probably about 13, I met a guy in the local library who finished every sentence with the word "death!"
"What are you up to!? DEATH!"
"What book is that? DEATH!"
"What are you doing? Death!"
I realise now that he probably had Tourettes or similar, but I had no idea what to make of it at the time.

Do you think perhaps they were deaf? 🙊

AtomHeartMotherOfGod · 29/08/2024 02:13

SatansBobbleheadedDashboardOrnament · 28/08/2024 22:57

Several years ago, I was probably about 13, I met a guy in the local library who finished every sentence with the word "death!"
"What are you up to!? DEATH!"
"What book is that? DEATH!"
"What are you doing? Death!"
I realise now that he probably had Tourettes or similar, but I had no idea what to make of it at the time.

It was probably a bit disturbing for you so I apologise for cracking up at this 😂

It's kind of a bit... Brian Blessed.

miniaturepixieonacid · 29/08/2024 02:06

Two of mine were at shop tills:

  1. At a supermarket. My sister asked me to pick up a bra for her (she was staying with me and forgot to bring a clean one). She has much bigger breasts than I do. Cashier scanned it through, looked at it, looked at my chest, laughed and said 'in your dreams'. I didn't know where to look!

  2. At the till of a popular clothing shop. I was picking up bridesmaids dresses for a friend. Identical dresses in a size 8, 10, 14 and 18. Shop assistant said 'you know we have changing rooms if you aren't sure what size you are'!

Weirdest one:
3) a man who I passed on a busy London street. He turned and ran after me, shouting 'excuse me'. I thought I must have dropped something but he said 'sorry to stop you. Are you Lithuanian?' I said no. He said 'Oh. You have Lithuanian eyes.' I still don't know what Lithuanian eyes are. I should have asked but I was too confused!

viques · 29/08/2024 02:02

Many years ago in the cafe of a big London store, it was very crowded so I asked a woman if she minded if I sat at her table (table for four, she was on her own) I unloaded my tray and sat down. All of a sudden she leaned across and said “The woman before you was very interesting. She knew a great deal about trees in Nigeria.”

I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to apologise for my poor social skills or start an equally random conversation.