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?

@ludocris, that's a misrepresentation of what happened.....

I didn't see the first reply as it was deleted.
Still doesn't excuse the poster accusing anyone who doesn't agree with her of being men.
That's what's so high school, if you don't agree with me I won't be your friend... 😏.

Not everyone is going to agree and that's fine.

Let's not derail a good thread.
No more pee chat from me.

Was she ordering an ice-cream and pickle sandwich, though?

It wasn't creepy. It was just one of those random thoughts that really shouldn't have been said aloud.
I'd have thought the bloke an idiot, but I wouldn't have been offended or upset by that. But then, I've had plenty of genuinely and deliberately offensive remarks aimed at me.

When I was around 7 months pregnant with my first born and I was waiting outside a shop in town to meet my DH, an elderly woman walked up to me and said ' I told you what would happen if you didn't behave yourself ' then walked off again.
I'm still baffled by that to this day.

Yes. That's the one. Lace 2 is about a fairly ludicrous kidnap of the main character in the first one - "Lili" - and a lot of weird bitching at a beauty pageant.

I think it is fair for you to say you would to find it creepy, @MistyGreenAndBlue, but I don’t think you can state unequivocally that it is not creepy, since other people clearly would find it so - and their feelings are just as valid as yours.

I would find it creepy, and I would be concerned that a man who would make such a personal comment to me might go on to make worse comments or do worse.

Through out the history of the world men have been beaten and killed for wearing dresses.

This is just not and never has been true. Men parodying women has always been indulged by other men for the most part.
And even if it were historically true (it's not) in the current climate it's DEFINITELY not the case. If anything, these days men who pop on a dress and wig and call themselves Sadie are fast becoming the most privileged demographic in the world.
Anything they ask for they immediately get and if women try to say "no" they are bigots!
Most marginalised my arse!

Except it is true and still is in many cultures. Homophobic hate crimes have been and still are massive throughout society and thats statistic. Men taking on female traits have put their lives at risk and it the men against them (who think feminine equals week) that you SHOULD be scared of.

You have to be really blind to ignore it.

Even if it is true, @housethatbuiltme, it is not reasonable to use women as a human shield. It is not reasonable to say that these men deserve to use the Ladies’ loo, even if that makes women deeply uncomfortable and contributes to them feeling, possibly being, less safe.

If we allow one group of males into the Ladies loos, we are allowing every male in. If no males are allowed in the Ladies, we can challenge any man who does come in. Once we say that the nice, safe trans women are allowed in, we cannot challenge any man because he can simply utter the magic phrase ‘but I am trans’ and the woman who is scared for her safety and dignity automatically becomes an evil bigot.

Your take on this seems to be that women have nothing to fear from men in dresses in traditionally female spaces. Fear of being physically attacked is not the point, as has been explained to you several times. I for one, do not want what is essentially a man in female clothing thinking that’s all it takes for him to call himself a woman and be able to invade those spaces on the same terms as natal women. Nor do I want men to be able to call themselves women and be able to compete in female categories in sports. We are not a subset of ‘not men’. Homophobic hate crimes are not the responsibility of women and we should not be labelled ‘bigots’ for standing up against the erosion of the female identity. I think you’re a man, because I can’t imagine any woman voicing the thoughts that you have here, in the way that you have. Either way you are deeply misogynistic.

Yes, it is the EXACT opposite of what this poster said happened to her. But the only poster grasping at wild straws to turn any of this debate to their own agenda is you - you posted that the situation that poster described highlighted the ‘silliness’ of women objecting to men dressed as women using their spaces, turned it into a mens’ safety issue and laid that directly at the door of natal women. It’s not about mens’ safety, it’s entirely a matter of the erosion of the identity of natal women.

@Rosscameasdoody Totally agree with everything you have said and all so very well put.

👏👏👏

Although it was actually Pugh, Pugh not Hugh, Pugh. They were twins

How is a dog going after someone's fish and chips racist? I am not a dog fan but that is a ridiculous accusation.

And yes I know there was a thread recently about racist pets, but come on. You can be offended because someone has actually done something wrong, or you can go looking for it.

My mum worked as a merchandiser and used to get this as well.

If someone did this to me I'd just look at them and ask if they've left their glasses at home. I'd also intervene if I happened to be in the loo at the time and it happened to someone else.

It's not trans hysteria, it's people being very stupid. Women look like women even if they have short hair and dress "butch".

That comment was directed at me originally for making much the same point. The poster was so intent on finding racism somewhere that they completely missed the point that it was the family themselves who cried ‘racism’ simply because the dog was nosing around them. Unless the owner had deliberately targeted them (which clearly wasn’t the case) it’s utterly ridiculous.

Yep, got the answer upthread somewhere - as you say, twins. Grubb was the last name on the roll call.

My niece was out with my Mum in 1976, when we had the ladybird plague. She was only 4, and most indignant when one bit her. "It BIT me!!".

I didn't comment on PP post about the toilet at all, people dove on it making it an insane anti-trans thing when it wasn't at all anything to do with that. I simply point out how stupid they where (and still are) being.

Clasping pearls and being outraged over stuff that literally NEVER HAPPENED. The ability of paranoid people to turn anything into their agenda is frankly bizarre.

After holidaying with my husband, son and eccentric vicar friend we stopped a a cafe on the long drive home. Sitting on a bench in the cafe he sidled up to me and said that he felt obliged to tell me something.....
He went on...."Last night when I popped my head around the door to say goodnight to the boy, I noticed a very bad smell. Now, please do not be offended, I think that after giving birth to 5 children your sphincters may have gone!"
Needless to say I was mortified. In fact my little boy had developed a severely infected throat and his breath was horrendous. Small room, heated with a nasty tonsillitis breath.
When I got home I wrote him a firm letter.
Now I realise that he had Aspergers Syndrome and his need to speak his truth was part of it.
At the time I was so shocked.

How did he respond to your letter Merrysmum?

Sorry to be pedantic but people from Newcastle (and surrounding areas) and known as Geordies NOT Jordies!!!

Years ago in an internet cafe the guy behind the counter said I smelled of cheap shampoo!! Weird.

Sorry to be pedantic but people from Newcastle (and surrounding areas) and known as Geordies NOT Jordies!!!

I’m aware - I’ve already acknowledged this @AgreeableDragon .