To ask what's the rudest thing a stranger has done to you?

[YoungScrappyHungry]

Inspired by the lovely thread about kindest thing strangers have done for you, and also a chance for me to share this horror.

When I was 19, I worked on the tills at a supermarket in my holidays from university.

A woman I was serving was staring at me, trying to get my attention as I scanned her stuff. I looked up at her and smiled. She said, in still the most condescending tone I've ever heard:

'Don't you wish you'd studied now?'

I was so floored and ashamed, I didn't say a thing back and just carried on scanning her things. Fact was I was actually at university, but even if I hadn't been....aghh!....still gets me.

What are yours?

@obviouslymarvellous so sorry, what an awful careless thing for your dm to say! I think strangers being rude is bad enough but even worse when it's family and friends!

@FightingWithTheWind

My daughters and I are ginger, when my eldest was born I had a middle age woman look at her in the pram and say: "oh dear, well at least you can dye it" followed by "I think i'd drown it if I had a ginger child". I was so shocked that I hardly reacted and I still feel sick that I didn't today. It certainly wasn't the only negative comment we've had, we've even had idiots throw something from us out of a car whilst shouting 'gingers' but that comment was the one that affected me the most, probably because it was such a sickening thing to say about anyone let alone a 3 week old baby.

That is truly awful 😞 what is wrong with people.

@FoxyTheFox

That would have been an excellent ending! Alas i married a completely different man who as far as i know has never removed his own shoe and hurled it into traffic in a fit of righteous fury. More's the pity.

Could you pretend?

Years later I was running late for a job interview and couldn't find the building it was supposed to be at. I ducked into a nearby coffee shop for directions. The barista, who was actually the owner, looked shocked "oh my god, its you! I don't know if you remember me but..."

@FridayNightAtTheBronze

This was more a rude thing done to my daughter, but it still affected me hugely.

My daughter was 3 at the time, and we were watching my son at his swimming lesson. An older lady (potentially another students grandmother) was sitting opposite, and had been staring at my daughter for a bit. She then walked over, grasped her by the chin and said "What's wrong with her face?".

My daughter was born with a cleft lip and palate, and although she has had 4 surgeries it is still fairly obvious.

I was so shocked that I froze and said nothing. I pulled my daughter away from her, and she walked away and I have always felt ashamed that I didn't have the courage to say something at the time. But it was so unexpected and awful.

I don't think my daughter remembers (I hope!) but I'll never forget it.

People can be cruel.

@FridayNightAtTheBronze - what an awful thing for that person to say.

I'm not surprised you froze in shock - who on earth would expect that to be said? I bet you replayed it over and over.

Great thing about that is that your daughter was far too young to know or care, and you had a trial run for any (unlikely) future incidents where the Mumsnet 'did you mean to be so rude' is a perfect retort!!!

@ReadyFreddy

I had a cheeky fucker earlier this week. Probably not the worst of my life but it was a sweet revenge story.

Was returning a 32 ton FEL truck from spray shop back to one of our depots and had to pick up one of my colleagues on the way - had agreed I'd pull into loading bay by one of our customer sites.

I'm literally about to pull into the loading bay (on my right) but waiting for an oncoming stream of traffic to pass. The very last car, a taxi driver, just pulls into the loading bay without using his indication and gives me a smug look. Cheeky fucker literally pulled right into the middle of it, despite seeing me waiting there and knowing it's not for taxis, and he knew it as he was grinning. Left me sitting there blocking the traffic with nowhere to go.

I thought 'fuck this' and just pulled alongside him and stopped half on the road, blocking him in completely. Not technically a legal place to stop, but had a warden come I could've rightly pointed to the taxi driver in the bay.

I then went and got a coffee and spent a good 15 mins drinking it. Cheeky fucker!

Excellent, @ReadyFreddy 👏👏👏👏

Walking along the street minding my own business when a man who is walking towards me moves closer, leans in and tells me, "Fuck off." I'd been in this particular town 5 minutes and was walking from the bus stop to the shops.

Walking along the street with my DH. A man is walking towards us, right in the middle of the pavement. DH stepped to one side, I stepped to the other. The man changed course and barged fully into me.

Not to me...
My friend was on holiday with her family. She's not originally from the UK but English is her first language and she married to a white, English guy. Random woman on the beach said to her, "Piss off, home P**i." In from of her two children who then asked what those words meant. FWIW, friend is not Pakistani or Indian.

Another friend who is disabled, black and overweight (poor mobility makes exercise painful and difficult). Whilst crossing the road, a man drive at her, then braked, wounds the window down and shouted at her that she was to, "Hurry up n**r"
A few weeks later, at the first Covid outbreak, she was walking home from work and noticed a woman on the opposite side of the road giving her a funny look. The woman then crossed the road, walked up to my friend and spat in her face.

And yet another friend with disabilities. Had gone for a walk in the evening as he finds it easier when there are fewer peipl around. Someone came up behind him and hit him, leaving him unconscious and with a brain bleed. He's still not 'right'.

I've only experienced rudeness and ignorance/bullying at school.

Sorry that so many people on this thread have had such horrifying experiences.

My word there are some nasty people around.

One evening I was walking to the supermarket when a guy coming the other way snarled at me, "Wanna fuck?" I ignored him, because what else can you do, for which I was apparently a "bitch".

A little while after this DD, who was maybe about 12, wanted to go down to the supermarket for something, and as I was busy I asked DH to walk down with her. Neither of them.saw the need for this, so I explained why (details to DH only), and he was taken aback, especially when I pointed out that all women, and girls too, get this shit at some point.

loads so i cant r4emember them all

being in school uniform being leered at look at the nice white girls in their sexy uniform from people in their cars

being called the ugly one when out with my sister when we younger-i am but dont want to be reminded

4 eyed retard, mong, bitch etc

GabsAlot

thanks @SantasBritchesSpelleas

Is it just me who misread the title as "What's the NUDEST thing...*

Think that might be another story fir another day

I went to a strictly child free wedding, I like others went to trouble to arrange childcare etc, and not going to lie it was a very lavish do they'd obv gone to a lot of trouble and expense, it was a pain but we sucked it up. Lo and behold another couple rocked up with two kids, one screaming in a buggy throughout. The brass neck of it! The bride and groom were mortified. They had no idea their request would be basically ignored.

Utterly appalled at some of the things described here..... I just can't fathom what goes on in some people's heads to make them think it's acceptable to just say and do the most horrible things! to you all!

My most recent one was at the beginning of first lockdown. I was still visiting my terminally ill Mum at that point and following mask and gloves rules etc because she had cancer. I'm a "vintage" Goth (I basically roll through a pile of black clothes every morning and hope for the best lol) and on one particular day, having left my Mum's I was walking down the hill, lots of stuff going through my head so not paying much attention to anything. I was wearing long black coat, wide brimmed black hat (I like hats),black mask, sunglasses (it was sunny) and chunky boots. I also have very long black hair.

A respectable looking middle aged woman dressed in sort of "Country Casuals" beige ensemble was coming towards me. As she got close she snarled "Witch!" at me really venomously. Being pre-occupied, it only kind of registered as she passed and my brain went "Huh? Did I hear that right?" so I turned to look at her and she had also turned, sneered and hissed at me and said "For God's sake......"

I managed a cheery "Blessed Be" but was utterly gobsmacked (I do have a witches hat, one of those cute little wool ones but I wasn't wearing it on the day.)

Yes, I'm alternative, yes, I dabble with tarot, yes I run an alternative shop and actually I take it as more of a compliment than an insult, but it was the venom and intent to hurt that got me....... I laughed it off and did a silly FB post but WHY???

If I see her again perhaps I'll shout "Biscuit" at her because that's what she looked like - but I wouldn't, would I, because I wouldn't dream of "insulting" a random stranger.......

On the way to a Halloween party, I was dressed as a pirate and friend was a witch. Stopped in Superdrug for some black lipstick for friend and a random little child ran into us as we were standing looking. She must have been about 2. I turned to look at what hit me and the mother shouted across the shop about us being a pair of fucking freaks and that she could "have me" apparently.

Walking home from school age 11 and a random woman leant out of a car to scream lard arse you fucking fat bastard at me.

Helped out a the school fete where i work and I was on the guess how many sweets in the jar stall. Having nice chats with lots of children and made a comment to a child that I might have to win as my favourite sweet is in there. His grandad looked me up and down, grunted and said you're fat enough without eating more sweets.
I was a size 18 and he was a very large man, think similar size to the beast on the chase so bit hypocritical really.
I was arriving one day and he was arriving to pick up a sick grandchild and if it was anyone else who school was expecting id have waited to let them through to reception with me so they didn't have to buzz through but instead i let him waddle up then let the gate shut just before he got there.

My ex is mixed race, waiting in a takeaway on the way home from work a man loudly told his friends ‘she’s ruined, she’s black mans meat’. Classy.

"If I see her again perhaps I'll shout "Biscuit" at her because that's what she looked like."
@MistressoftheDarkSide

I am so going to borrow this one. "Why do you always wear black/have those awful boots/look so miserable." "Why do you feel the need to dress like a rich tea biscuit?"

@hansgrueber

Not uncommon that! My daughter was serving behind a bar and a few German girls were talking about her, the pub, the country, nothing flattering, they were totally floored when my daughter turned round and spoke to them, in perfect, colloquial German, it being a part of her degree and she'd studied in Germany.

I was in a B&B in Scotland where the other guests were all German, I didn't crack on that I could understand them; normally Germans love Scotland but this lot didn't and they were slagging everything and everyone off.

Warning to all foreigners - we are not all monolingual - don't fall for the stereotype.

One thing that still sticks with me was a B&B in Scotland. DH and I stayed there when we were students. The first morning we had breakfast in the B&B and it was pretty naff, so the following day we decided to eat out. The owner made some comment about us having missed breakfast for better things to do in bed. Eeeugh. Nowadays I would have just said the breakfast was crap, but I was too polite back then (well actually I wasn't, but DH would have been embarrassed, whereas now he wouldn't be).

Every other place I have ever stayed in Scotland was amazing, that was just a real dive. Never stay anywhere recommended by Rough Guides unless you want, well, rough.

(that was a different B&B to the first one)

Bad time in my life where I had bailiffs come.
I was on my way to urgent medical treatment so he blocked my car in. When I explained that I was on my way to hospital due to having treatment for my MS he looked me up and down and said “you don’t look ill” and refused to move unless I paid the £400 which I didn’t have. It was awful and I missed my treatment.

Heavily pregnant. Needed a new tyre, want to garage to get it fitted. Has fat fingers so taken wedding ring off. Bloke taking money for tyre sang " we're getting married in the morning " twat

Also am tall. The amount of people who feel that have to comment "aren't you tall ? How tall are you ? " am 5'9 now FUCK off !!!!! ( in my head) I normally smile sweetly 🙄🙄🙄

My hair had grown back a little after chemotherapy but didnt look good. My sister commented how I needed a cardboard box on my head so my fella could look at me