Man deliberately walked into me

[ShinyShinyFace]

Has this happened to anyone?
I was walking along a busy road in central London talking to my friend, very wide pavement and at that moment no one else in the vicinity (so not a question of space).

Next thing I knew I had been elbowed/thumped really hard in the arm by this guy walking the other way-it really hurt!

I whipped around expecting him to be looking back apologetically but no, he was continuing in his way, elbows still out.

Big guy, beefy arms, I'm barely 5 feet. What the fuck did he do that for?!

A man walking behind me kicked over my shopping trolley deliberately. He got a nasty surprise when I tore him off a strip in front of passers by and asked him if he was off home to beat his wife up.

Worra some people's moods really are affected by hormonal changes, so they're more likely to fly off the handle. Knowing why it happens doesn't make it any easier to control.

this is when I am grateful for being a larger lady, with a good sidestep and sharp elbows myself. Plus I am always v aware of path hoggers who think its their right to walk through life without the bother of manners or path sharing.

Philomena then I would have expected bobster to at least mention that she is getting some sort of help, as well as telling us all that she was threatening to hit someone and swearing in a packed family cafe.

I mean rather than just mentioning periods and hormones.

I know the sort of person you’re talking about OP. It’s always men too. They think because they’re bigger than me that I will jump out of their way. Nothing more than bullying dickheads. Any decent man wouldn’t do that, just the ones with a fucking attitude.

A guy once tried this with me when I was walking my dog. I could actually see the man (who was running) sizing me up for a barging, he could not see my dog because she was behind a low wall. When he turned the corner to barge into me, he instead found himself barging an enormous German Shepherd. The look on his face. Priceless.
I often think about this when I feel a bit down - it cheers me up no end.

"It’s always men too."

it's called manslamming.

I am sure they pick out petite women, my taller friends have this happen less. There was a priceless incident with a young mugger targeting a tall friend - idiot was about a foot shorter than her - she made short work of him.

Londoners do not do this as a collective Really stupid thing to suggest.

The pp who said “patriarchy chicken” was right, happens a lot.

However people who have no spacial awareness wonder why people bump into them. Don't walk 4 abreast, get to the bottom of an escalator and then stand still so everyone bumps into you, stepq off the train then doesn't move so people wanting to get off can't get past you. That's why people bump into you as well as “patriarchy chicken”.

It does seem to be predominantly men in my experience but I've also experienced this from women too.

One of my pet hates is people walking abreast in a group, hogging the path and they make no sign of moving out until it's clear that I'm not going to. Well - where can I go anyway?
People on phones and not looking are a hazard and I once had to tell someone to look up to move out the way.

Ok @worraliberty when you've polished your halo can you please tell me how you would have reacted? I am not in the habit of being rude or aggressive, in real life or on here, this was a one off so I wont be rushing off to seek help for my out of control temper. I have quite bad anxiety which if anything makes me quite nervous and shy, definitely not bolshy.

I would have firmly told him to pack it in, without threatening to hit him or swearing at him in the middle of a packed family cafe.

I'm surprised you need to ask really.

As I was approaching my table a man walking toward me started dicking about going waaaay as though to put me off balance, I gave him the death stare and he did it again but actually nearly knocked me, I said do that again and I'll fucking slap you!

Way too aggressive and not something I’d be boasting about

@MoobaaMoobaa

Don't worry, I wriggled my hand round so that the harder she pushed, the more she was grinding her back into my knuckles. I didn't mention it before for fear of a mumsnet bashing

It was really very odd behaviour from a normal-looking middle aged woman. I hope that she'll think twice before trying it on someone else.

"I am sure they pick out petite women, my taller friends have this happen less"

I was reading the thread and thinking, I'm sure this does happen but I've never experienced it, I wonder why not?

I'm 5'8 with (I'm told) a fairly extreme Resting Bitch Face - maybe that's why?

Greebols yes, probably. My sister is taller than me and has experienced much less of it.

also, anecdata, but small women more likely to get grabbed in bars and nightclubs etc. I hit someone who grabbed me from behind and his rage was such that two of his friends had to hold him back.

he grabbed me full on, round the waist, I didn't know what the hell was happening, so a punch was the logical response. he assaulted me and he knew it, but he was so outraged that someone might respond....I'm sure he picks fights with men too though, but in general, a petite woman is an easy target.

A man did this to me when I was eight months pregnant. The path was really wide and there was no reason for it. I spun around expecting him to apologise and he just kept on walking. I was obviously quite hormonal and it really upset me at the time.

Worts. He barged me. Not bathed 😄

Sorry Worra. Bloody sun

Worts

What is the point of slamming into someone like that?
I'd never heard of manslamming until this thread.
Was manslamming invented by someone and then became a 'thing', or has it been around for ages and then got named like manspreading?
It makes me really sad that people are like this. They must have hollow lives.

I had a man slap me in the face as I was walking along. Definitely a "because he could moment"

Yup, me too, only he actually hit me hard on the side of the head. Oxford, broad daylight, I was walking home from the library, minding my own business, he was with a group of other guys walking from the direction of the railway station. I froze completely and just kept going rather than reacting, which is very unlike me.

I think it suddenly struck me that this guy was much bigger and stronger than me, no one was intervening, and that whatever veneer of civilisation usually stops big men randomly hurting passing strangers who are smaller than them was in abeyance. It really shook me.

This reminds me of when I used to walk to secondary school (single sex) and a I would always pass the same couple of boys going to their school in the other direction. At first it just used to be dirty looks or smirks but later, they were in a bigger group and one of them spat their gum at me and the rest of them laughed. I wish I had the confidence to do something at the time but I was on my own and young. Sometimes I walked with a friend and nothing usually happened, but my friend was also very wary of them.

Definitely to do with internalised misogyny and it starts when they are young.

You'd all be really calm if some man deliberately tried to knock two trays of food out of your hands when it was obvious you were already struggling. I'll get my coat.

bobster I praised your approach.

you'd all be really calm

I wouldn’t be calm in the slightest