Or do young lads try to walk right into you deliberately?

[MrJohnsonAteMyCustard]

It's something I've noticed quite a lot recently, always with young lads/teenagers. It's as if they are deliberately walking into you with no intention of moving. I've come to expect it now so make sure I give them a very wide berth, because I've noticed that if I don't get out of the way they will most certainly at the very least brush past you.

For a long time I thought it was 1) Coincidence 2) Me needing a reasonable amount of personal space. But no, it happened today, in quick succession and the two lads obviously knew each other. Is this a new 'thing'??? Is it a game??

If anyone can enlighten me on this, that would be great as I'm wondering if it's just me they seem to want to antagonise

[SealSong]

Never have experienced this where I live. People walk past you here with a pleasant 'morning, love' or similar, with teens scuttling past with a mumbled hello. But then I live in a small Northern village. In't big city (Leeds or Manchester) people can be more bargy, but I don't think I've ever come across anyone doing it deliberately.

[Positivitee]

Around here it's usually 20-40 year old professional men who do it. You can actually see their shock when you refuse to step aside.

[flumpsnlumpsnstuff]

I live near a school and yes there is 1 group of teenage boys that do this. They tried it with me but luckily I know all the parents so loudly said "oh boy1 surely you're not barging people out the way, that's not the little cherub your mum brought you up to be." Also my youth although I'm not proud of it has earned me a certain pecking order respect with these groups. However I would not have the lack of respect these kids have with others, mainly though you will find it's the lost ones trying desperately to show they are tough and worthy luckily it's the minority and most grow out of it quick.

[PurpleTraitor]

Although one ran into me and my young DD just this week at full pelt. Knocked us both on the floor. He did at least say sorry before running off at the same speed.

[PurpleTraitor]

I understand this. I consciously square up to a lot of people who live around me. Most of them are men and in groups. It's a combination of them being loud and aggressive, and spreading out literally all over the pavement, not paying attention to verges, Road edges etc, roaming their own path, in a group that's usually 4-8 strong and at least 4 broad. The volume it usually loud. At least one of them will be on the phone but always talking not texting. Every second word will be 'fucking....' (I like the word but it's part of an overall image) they will be dressed almost exclusively in grey and black, sportswear, trainers, hoods or padded vests. Two or three will be smoking.

I hear them coming I see them coming, they look through me and continue on their track. I square my shoulders, elbows out, make entomb eye contact to make them notice I am there, they get vaguely uncomfortable and I stick to my own chosen path - nine times out of ten they'll part and I'll walk through, because most of it is swagger.

I square up by instinct. Some people would swerve by instinct. I don't know what that says about me.

[haveacupoftea]

This has never happened to me but if it does whoever does it will get a fucking good shove and get told theyre a wee shite!

[elodie2000]

Teenagers can be very unaware when it comes to space around them. I'm thinking about the busy corridors at school. They are often oblivious and more often than not are not trying to cause trouble.
They walk towards me, stop in front of me, stop in the middle of the corridor blocking everyone's way.
I keep moving slowly and say loudly 'excuse me lads/ girls' and they do move.
I've seen deliberate slamming too. This is done in an attempt to assert authority. This has never happened to me at work (school) but in town. Both young & older adult males.
I do NOT move to the side but stop dead when I see they are deliberately walking towards me. They ALWAYS move. To avoid a head on collision.

[ssd]

....and give them a bollocking on their way down

[ssd]

if its a south London thing then thats why I've never seen this

mind you, some of the Glesga wummin I know would put anyone on their arse who dared to barge into them

[SouthWestmom]

Thank you lilicat I'm really surprised how weird and vulnerable I felt.

[Lilicat1013]

Noeuf don't take it personally, you were likely picked as a target likely because you were a female walking on your own. The chose you because they are pathetic and want to opt for someone who they don't think is going to punch them.

I don't really have any advice aside from that since my approach as been to be absolutely willing to punch them but I have an evil temper and lack any sensible part of my brain that warns me I could get hurt.

[SouthWestmom]

Im going to post now and then go back and read the rest of the thread, so relieved to read this I spent most of the weekend reliving some teen boy slamming into me and wittering on an my mum about it.

[Lilicat1013]

It definitely happens round here and is absolutely different to people just not paying attention or being generally inconsiderate. They look straight at you and will move to be in a position to walk in to you. It's always men, though not necessarily teenagers.

The other 'game' is to walk up behind you/next to you as close as they can to be intimidating. The aim seems to be to scare you/get a reaction.

If they are coming towards me I walk in to them, I'm 5'10 and I square my shoulders and speed up. My attitude is if you want to play games I will knock you the fuck over. If I am running and runners seem to be a special target. These dickheads will look you straight in the eye and cross from the other side of the cycle track to get in your path. Before I realised it was deliberate I used to go round them while they 'accidently' stepped in front of me again or tried to block me. Now I sprint at them, my attitude is move or I will move you.

With the ones who like to come and stand as close as possible, I ignore them like they are invisible even if they are standing literally with their shoulder touching mine. They can't seem to work out what to do and give up.

With regards to (adult) cyclists on the pavement, I hate it. I would prefer to be run over than to move and if I can possibly be more in their way I will be. The roads are fairly quiet here often with cycling sections marked but rather than use them they come down the narrow pavements at speed. I've seen so many near misses with elderly people.

[SomewhatIdiosyncratic]

My 3 year old charging at kneecaps with his toy pram tends to produce a rapid scattering effect on teenage gangs. I jog on in his wake like an ambulance chaser

[Whathaveilost]

unicorn maybe you are one of the women I observed that subconsciously move out of the path without realising it!

I live in Lancashire, people have mentioned it happening in London.
I have to say it doesn't tend to be mid teens that do this but from late teens up. There does seem to be a pattern in the type of male that expects me to move and those that have said 'sorry love'

[ChestnutsRoastingOnAnOpenFire]

Blimey I'm in London every day and I find young men / teenage boys to be the politest and courteous of all. Middle aged men are the worst for barging people out of the way. They are so...angry.

[PidgeyfinderGeneral]

Literally the worst place on the planet for this is Canary Wharf between 12 and 2pm.

My god.

It's like two motorised streams of people charging up and down on a conveyor belt towards their lunch. I think they might actually beat someone to death with a Pret baguette if they tried to cross the streams.

[UnicornMadeOfPinkGlitter]

I'd hate to live where you all live. I've never experienced this thankfully. Not that I've ever felt on purpose anyway.

Loud teenage girls in a shop who fell into me who were then extremely apologetic.

I have two teenage boys myself and a pre teen girl and I hate the way that they are perceived by the general public and blamed for everything.

Unthinking and boisterous yes I can imagine such as dumping bikes by shop doorways or standing in big crowds but I still have faith that 99% of them would be mortified if they were told they were being intimidating or getting in someone's way.

[Whathaveilost]

I noticed the other year that if I was walking in a public space and either another female or a couple approached me from the opposite direction we would both give way to each other resulting in no collision. It was something that just happened naturally. However I began to notice if it was a male by himself or a group of men (ok not every single male on the planet) but more often than not I had to give way to them. I set up my own experiment. I wouldn't give way if a male, from teenageyears up, was walking towards me ( unless it made them walk on the road r bump into something). I was nervous but I wanted to see if I was imagining things- oh and I wouldn't say sorry either if we bumped. I would say something but not apologise.

What I found happened was that there was an expectation that I would move. When they had to give way more often than not there was a look of confusion or bewilderment on their face. It was difficult to do sometimes. Often I would pretend to read something from my phone but really I was observing.
I would never push my luck, for example I wouldn't do it in the city at night in a deserted area but maybe round Bolton in the middle of the afternoon.

I stared people watching more. It really is shocking how women are expected to move out of the way for (many) men.
Like I said if we bumped I wouldn't apologise unless they did. If they didn't say anything neither did I.
It has made more assertive about personal space.

[LanaorAna1]

It's so a south London thing - I call it street slamming. By far the most courteous persons are teen boys, and by far the rudest are 40-plus men and women.

It bloody hurts. I am no waif, but vast London women can really do some damage when they ram you with 20-odd stone of pure fragile femininity. A woman in High St Ken had her wrist snapped when she helplessly put a hand up against one onslaught. You can shame men into apologising, which is something, but ain't nothing stops Cannonball Chloe.

[PidgeyfinderGeneral]

I can't say I've ever had this, but being a tall Londoner, I do walk fairly assertively and people tend not to walk into me. I've never moved out of the way for mobile phone starers but they seem to sense it and swerve at the last minute.

[MrJohnsonAteMyCustard]

I have of course, encountered very polite youngsters - many times. I believe that these idiots are in the minority, but it's still upsetting and disquieting when it occurs.

[MrJohnsonAteMyCustard]

The lads that have done this with me have never been on phones, never been 'distracted'. There is a distinct sense that is deliberate. If they were wearing headphones, fiddling with devices, talking to someone, that would be entirely different. That is never the case. Obviously, people have bumped into me whilst doing these things, and they generally apologise, and even if they don't, I realise it's because they were not paying attention. The very young boys that did it yesterday were obviously walking directly towards me and they guys that did it today were quite clearly meaning to bump me.