Recently, more strangers have started being rude/mean to me, and I'm not sure why?

[whysomean]

I'm in my 20s, polite and considerate. I've always found strangers are neutral to positive towards me. But recently I've had a few encounters where strangers have been kind of rude/mean to me, and I don't know why.

I had a nail technician make a comment about me being too shy/quiet. I also had a woman working on a checkout be rude to me, I handed her my loyalty card to scan and she snatched it off of me and told me I need to swipe it then roughly shoved it back in my hand, so I swiped it but I swiped it too quickly or something and it didn't work so she snatched it off of me again and swiped it for me. I know she is busy and probably sick of dealing with members of the public, I didn't think much of it but a friend I was with commented that she had been unnecessarily rude to me. Then at work I went to our canteen and a woman served me and she was rude. I started telling her my order when she started talking to her colleague who was stood behind me, I paused and she said 'carry on...' and as I spoke she continued to speak over me. I also then went onto a train with a suitcase, I was wheeling it through the aisle to the luggage storage and this woman kicked it? I wasn't trying to be disruptive with the luggage, the storage was in the centre of the carriage so I had no choice but to wheel it through and I was mindful to make sure it didn't touch anyone or their belongings.

It's really bizarre, all of these have happened over the last couple of weeks. There's probably more examples but those are the ones that come to mind. Is it just a coincidence or am I somehow giving off a different vibe or something?

People are angrier in general at the moment. I started a thread about it.

Yeah I don’t think it’s you personally, everyone is on the edge at the moment ☹️.

The world is angry, it’s not personal.

Everyone has forgotten their manners since lockdown. They are angry and frustrated about life in general and it’s nothing to do with anything you say or do, so don’t worry.

I'd be calling them out - excuse me, there is no need to be so rude.

It’s the heat, it makes people tired and angry.

Is it just a coincidence or am I somehow giving off a different vibe or something?

Yes, it’s coincidence, coupled with confirmation bias - now you’ve noticed (or your friend pointed out) the rude interaction your mind has become more likely to look for the next rude interaction and so is primed to think it’s significant, somehow.

It’s not.

You’re fine. Sometimes people are dicks. It’s not you.

A lot of people are angry at the moment. The world is in one of it's periodic bouts of chaos, and the heat doesn't help either.

That sort of thing happens to everybody, every day. Most of the time it goes unnoticed but, as a pp points out, now you are actively looking for it, you will notice it more.

It's not your fault, that's all you need to know. I wouldn't try to analyse it , just be glad you don't behave in the same rude way they do.

I’ve become fed up of moving out of people’s way on busy pavements. So this evening I decided not to move at all… and shoulder barged 4 other people in a row. If they weren’t going to love, neither was I so barge much deserved.

I was googling for advice for dealing with rudeness from strangers, and found your post. This was 3 years old already but I still appreciate your sharing and thank God that there’s the internet for one to look for people’s experience that has been recorded here. I sympathise and identify with your experience very much. I agree things seem to always come in a row, and if that is not frustrating enough, they lead you to think it might be something to do with us. In some sense, it does. It is because we always try to be kind and polite, because that’s the way to treat our neighbours. But I think because some people are the exact opposite, they hate when you are treating others well; it just reflects and shows them so clearly that they are bad. God bless you and protect you wherever you go!

I was googling for advice for dealing with rudeness from strangers, and found your post. This was 3 years old already but I still appreciate your sharing and thank God that there’s the internet for one to look for people’s experience that has been recorded here. I sympathise and identify with your experience very much. I agree things seem to always come in a row, and if that is not frustrating enough, they lead you to think it might be something to do with us. In some sense, it does. It is because we always try to be kind and polite, because that’s the way to treat our neighbours. But I think because some people are the exact opposite, they hate when you are treating others well; it just reflects and shows them so clearly that they are bad. God bless you and protect you wherever you go!