Do people who do ‘people watching’ unnerve you ?

[TwoMonthsOff]

I see This a lot on here
i ‘people watch’
Why are you ‘watching’ anyone ? Are your bored or lack the ability to get a book a paper and respect peoples privacy and not feel uncomfortable being ‘watched’ are you an off duty store detective who just can’t let it go in your down time ?
most people I am sure don’t like being watched or monitored to alleviate someone else’s boredom

I people watch to see what people are wearing. Not all day everyday but if I don't have something to read or entertain myself with I'll people watch. Not that common to be fair.

I once saw 2 older ladies in m&s who had their good togs on and a bit of make up, I said ....can I just say you ladies look smashing. Well they were just delighted with themselves....and said id made their day. Nothing weird just noticed they'd put in the effort for their day out. 😁

I would say 'people watching' is more akin to 'noticing what is going on around me' than staring.
I don't quite understand what you are expecting people to do with their eyes if they are sitting on a bench / standing in a queue / sitting on the beach / at an airport / etc., etc. Should everyone keep their eyes closed ? Wear an eye mask ?

If you are in a town or City Centre, you do realise you are on CCTV far more often than you aren't, don't you ?

@TwoMonthsOff ..

I never realised why I did this.
I do do it but it wasn't conscious.

I was much younger by a decade than all my family meaning I wasn't included in lots of stuff so my natural trained default is to be on the side lines..

I’ve been thinking about this thread since yesterday, baffled anyone would think there’s judgement or even any kind of threat in people watching. I’ve come up with what I think constitute the rules of people watching:
Has to be done from a distance (so can’t be done from inside a bus/café/cart to people inside the same bus/café/cart)
Has to be done in and from a public space
The people you’re watching need to be moving or doing something (simply walking past, most often)
The people watcher needs to be somehow removed from the situation, most often be sitting down. This creates an emotional distance and blends with the physical one.

Anyone agree? Have I missed any rules? Or do you disagree that there are rules? I’ve never thought of there being any rules until I saw this thread, and I think some of the examples in the thread like looking at your fellow bus passengers would not be people watching at all.

Many years ago I lived in Oxford and at the local pub we played, "advanced people watching" where we would make up who we thought a group were, jobs, names, family.

So far standard people watching.

But then we would ask them if we were correct.

In tourist places I've also played guess the nationality, best played with the players inside a cafe ort pub with a busy road or pavements or square.

You can make people watching into an excellent drinking game. In Liverpool me and my then boyfriend got through two bottles of wine playing have a sip of wine every time a girl (or woman) with bleached blonde hair go past.

Considering at the time I drank one or two pints of beer on a night out, I was very sozzled.

there is nothing personal about people watching. You are usually just as boring as everyone else.

Oh see now that I wouldn’t like at all. People watching is fine but approaching people and bothering them with your assumptions about them is verging into uncomfortable behaviour. I wouldn’t like someone coming up to me in a cafe while I’m trying to relax and saying ‘excuse me we’ve just all been having a chat, are you an office worker called Mandy?’

Just me then clearly
but I don’t need to look at people for my entertainment or stimulation, I think it’s invasive on other peoples privacy

Oh for goodness sake! No-one is looking at you for entertainment or stimulation, it's all in your head. Unless you walk along looking at the ground everybody looks at other people. As for "invasive on other peoples privacy" - as other posters have said, if that's the way you feel maybe don't go out in public. What makes you think you are so special that everyone is so interested in you?

I agree @Kanaloa

That's crossing a line @sashh , and that is coming from someone who can happily while away a couple of hours on the beach watching the world go by.

It’s the oddness of thinking you can intrude on other people with your oh so quirky funny ‘banter.’ The type of thing that’s always hilarious and ‘we’re all just mad’ but to everyone else is uncomfortable and irritating. Why would you think you can make up things about people then go up to them and tell them/ask them what you’ve been saying? That’s beyond people watching in my opinion!

I love people watching, but have to be very discreet as I have the sort of face that draws people in for conversation and being told their life story. (honestly, I've been told so many intimate details by random people completely unprompted)

I therefore often find myself avoiding the gaze of everyone as whilst I like watching, I hate speaking to strangers generally or small talk. I just want to look at you and take in your face/style/the way you interact/the feeling you give off.