AIBU to think this lady was nuts? Share your WTF interactions with strangers here

[BarbaraVineFan]

In the park with 4 year old DD today and she became fascinated with a ladybird which she found near the path. We were standing by the side of the path as DD let the ladybird crawl over her arms and hands. A lady went past with a little kid of a similar age and was looking over, so I said 'we've got a ladybird!' (Not sure why really but I felt the need to explain.) Upon which this woman sort of sniggered and went 'ah..,Chlamydia!' And then just...went on her way.

Having googled, I see that apparently ladybirds carry all sorts of STIs, which they transmit to other ladybirds and not humans. So I guess that's what she meant. But at the time I was like 'What the actual fuck?' 😂 Who even says that to a stranger?!

Does anyone have any similar stories of batshit interactions with strangers to share?

Ahh I've had exactly the same. On the bus with baby ds, man asked 'do you have any more children' I said no - generally in similar situations people say something nice about the baby/how lovely it is etc. This guy pretty much shouted 'Good - well don't have anymore!' cue me exchanging baffled glances with other people on the bus who had heard this exchange.

🤮

Yeah no, it's not 'fact', it's also your opinion!

This one is like a vintage James Thurber cartoon.

I was in a pub once with a few friends having lunch. I was dressed very casually and not particularly special.

On her way out a very stylish European (Italian I think) lady came over and told me I looked beautiful, that I'd done an amazing job of making cheap clothes look expensive and chic 🤣🤣🤣🤣

She very much meant it as a compliment but it was a bit double-edged.

She then very theatrically put on her designer sunglasses and kind of sashayed out of the pub. I had to ask my friends "Did that actually just happen?" because it was so random

Bit of an overreaction...to have a thought?

Ok then.

Over-reaction: "I didn't say anything back by the way, I just looked at him for about 3 seconds like >>>> and carried on walking."

I'm not really curious to see what you (and others previously in the same vein) would call an "under-reaction"... The strange people with their weird comments are appearing on this thread too....

The fish thing, I assumed it was a medium sized dead fish, so head first then you can pull it back out by the tail…but why am I even giving this serious consideration?!

As I left a mosque, a rather intoxicated gentleman staggered over to me and demanded: "Are you Protestant or Catholic?" I gestured at the building I'd just left and said "I'm Muslim." "YES, BUT ARE YOU A PROTESTANT MUSLIM OR A CATHOLIC MUSLIM?". I asked which he'd prefer me to be, then agreed with him that I'd be that kind.

The fish debate is a tricky one. Instinctively, head seems the obvious answer. But, if it's a live fish, then tail first would probably make it easier for the fish to wriggle out. As I wouldn't want the fish to be in there, facilitating its departure would probably be the preferred course of action.

I’m upset with those of you engaging with the fish question 🤢🤢🤢🤢

In the old days, people with mental health issues were often in institutions, possibly too many were. These days, I wonder if it hasn't gone completely the other way with people not getting the care they need anymore.

Not the point of the thread l know, but you make an important point nevertheless. Mental health provision is in crisis and those with MH conditions often end up in trouble with the police or imprisoned - basically because they’re not getting the help they need and there’s nowhere else for them to go if they end up offending as a result. The ‘care in the community’ approach has never worked and some of the descriptions of various interactions are actually quite worrying.

Someone might have said this already (haven't read the thread beyond here) but do you know The Herbs?!

That’s not nuts that’s just saying a random fact though. It caused you to learn something new so that’s a win. I knew it about koalas not ladybirds. I bet she’s writing a similar thread about an adult who pointed out a ladybird! Her fact was more interesting than yours!

could she have got her words mixed up? The latin name for a ladybird is Coccinella.

yup, they used to be one of my favourites

Anybody who doesn't sing "Spongebob squarepants" to the question of who lives in a pineapple under the sea is odd in my view

I find your post and responses so odd... What he said wasn't remotely sexual and if you thought it was, that probably says more about you than him.

I was once accused of stealing the book “The Book Thief” at Budapest Airport. The irony was lost on the shop assistant. Thankfully I had the receipt so could demonstrate I had just bought it from another shop.

3 posts before age starts being mentioned....

Oohh that’s eerie! Poor girl.

😨😨 gross. I’m sorry.

Remembered another very weird one.

When I was about 19, I offered to give an old lady who went my church a lift home. It was a hot day and I had the front windows down in the car. Half way to her house she said 'I'd wind your window up if I were you, dear. There's a lot of those single mothers on this street.'

Not sure what she thought that terribly dangerous and undesirable demographic of people were going to do to us from inside their houses while we drove past in my car... 🤔

We were at the park and I'd put DD1's hat on top of the buggy in a fenced playground area at our local park. A woman walking outside reached over, picked up the hat (for a one-year-old), put it on and walked off 🤔

Back when I was young, I used to attend Young Farmers’meetings in Scotland.

One of them once told me I had good, calf bearing hips.

I assumed it was intended as a compliment! 🤣

There’s something about being a newborn mum that attracts intrusive comments. I don’t know if it’s because you’re feeling vulnerable anyway but it seems to happen a lot. A couple in a cafe had a go at my sister for being a teenage parent when she was breastfeeding a newborn. She was 30! She just laughed at them.