Old-ish man on the route to the Co-op who keeps saying hello

[RogueFemale]

I moved house last week and already have noticed this man. He lives on the short (7m) walking route to the local Co-Op. He's maybe mid 60s, tall, heavy build. He is always standing outside his front door, and he loudly says hello every time I go past. I ignore him.

I'm 60 and am used to being invisible.

So it's not a leering hello. I also thought maybe it was accidental he was standing outside before, or something, and just a cheery 'local' hello.

But I went past twice today (to Co-Op) and he was there both times, hello-ing, and I'm finding it quite weird, that he's always standing outside his front door.

I'm going to be going to the local Co-Op a lot, so what do I do?

AIBU to continue to ignore him and just doggedly go past for years pretending he's not there?

A few, but none dressed as women. Corns are probably a problem.

In which case he is extraordinarily unlikely to pose any threat to you.

I live next to some oap bungalows. There are always men or women on their doorsteps. They all live alone. Sometimes they stand with each other, sometimes theyre sitting on a chair. But there is always someone there if its a clear day.

I say morning / afternoon to them all

@Smallsalt Thanks, that's very kind of you to say.

But just because he might not be ‘normal’ that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with him or harmful about him, FFS. Maybe he is mentally ill. Maybe he has a learning disability or dementia or / neurodivergent condition or maybe he’s just a bit of an oddball who enjoys watching the world go by. None of these things mean he is dangerous, or fancies you, or is stalking you, or any of the other things you seem to be worried about.

If you don’t want to say hello back, just ignore him. Why the need to get angsty over it? But what the fuck else would you expect to happen other than that? It’s a man saying hello to his neighbour on his own doorstep. You’re acting as if you’re expecting to be instructed on how to write him a cease and desist letter.

I have two neighbours who are at most least eccentric and possibly not quite the full ticket, as my mum would say. One is a very elderly man who absolutely loves a little chat, particularly with my partner, and seems to go for about a dozen walks a day. Conversations with him are often bafflingly confusing but he’s tremendously cheery. The other is a man who walks around the local streets seemingly having a conversation with himself, or possibly he might be reciting prayers, we don’t know because he doesn’t speak in English. I see him at least daily and we have no idea whether he simply walks for exercise and recites prayers or religious verses while he’s doing it or whether he is simply a bit mad, but either way, we nod and smile and he nods and smiles back and no point have I ever extrapolated that he’s any kind of danger.

Are you going to explain this post?

Fabulous 👌 🤣❤️

And you humouring someone who has fallen on hard times harms you how, exactly?
Just be a fucking human being and say hello.

Is that a reason to be rude? Do people with mental issues or dementia not deserve a hello?

I do chuckle when people on MN diagnose people different to them as “having dementia” 😂

Nearly as kind as you.

I'm happy to live in an area of London where our local legend is a man with some learning difficulties / mental health issues that often fist bumps random people and directs trafic, sometimes he's a bit angry but totally harmless. Overall locals care and look after him.
I'm not kidding when I say that everyone in the area knows his name.

It's not about responsability, it's about community.

What does it matter whether it’s a common or ‘normal’ thing to do? Unusual doesn’t equal harmful. There used to be a woman in my home town who used to carry a cuddly tiger with her everywhere. I don’t know any other grown woman who does that, but so fucking what? It’s not a crime to be mildly different from the norm.

He probably wants something picking up from the shop we had a lady do this yonks ago would shuffle painfully to her gate with cash in hand and stand there for ages waiting for someone to walk past and ask them to get her things from the shop

Well it’s a 7 minute walk so as far as you know he was standing there for maybe 20 minutes? And you only noticed today?

Not that creepy or dramatic or even worthy of noticing at all, is it.

Ive a bench in my front garden; I sat there a lot during Covid and people would pass and we’d chat a bit.

Didn’t realise I was the mentally ill perv of the neighbourhood but there we go.

Jesus, where did you live before not to say hello back to people who say hello

The man 3 doors down from me does. In the summer he’s never out his front garden. He’s a former teacher and a widower, probably about 70 and tends to his garden or just sits/stands watching the world go by all day every day. Everyone chats to him. I always ask about his roses and his children and grandchildren. He’s like about 90% of widowers in their older age round here.

Maybe I’ve just spent too much time in Yorkshire but I’d find it eerie if I lived somewhere where nobody was ever in their front garden chatting to passers by

Blimey, why do you need to go to the CoOp so much? 🤣

OP also saw Goody Proctor with the Devil.

Gosh, how witty

Id actually say how do you NOT know any blokes ever who stand outside their house all day? I see you’re from the SE, have you always lived in a city or something?

Doesn't seem so 😵‍💫

You say hours, how long have you been watching him to know that? In fact how many times have you passed his house and seen him at his door?

Oh yes, it has EXACTLY that vibe 🫶❤️🫶

👏👏👏

Absolutely bonkers. Humanity doesn’t learn.

Oh WOW.. Just say Hello. If he is out there all the time, its probably just his thing, he probably doesn't speak to anyone all day or something, so he just wants to be friendly and say Hello..

You either be nice and say Hi back or go another way..