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?

Following your posts, I think you should ignore him as you have.

If the gentleman does have LD or MH issues you are a risk to him with your prejudice, you are the safeguarding concern as you have shared with the assumptions and prejudice in the opinions youve shared. Definitely ignore him so he can understand you aren't a pleasant person.

Don’t really understand why OP seems so angered by this. She’s also made a huge assumption that he’s mentally ill. Say hello, don’t say hello. Why be so pissed off about it?

i think it depends where you’re from, I’m in the south wales valleys and there are often elderly people (men & women!) standing outside their houses waiting to speak to passers by, probably because most of them have lived there for years and know each other.
You say you don’t owe a man anything, does he say anything if you don’t reply? Would you ignore a woman in the same situation?

I lived in an area where people looked down and turned away if you said hello or good morning/afternoon. What does it cost anyone to be polite. I found this attitude rude and disgusting. Say hello, with a smile as well, make his day better (and yours). He is probably lonely or depressed and you are making it worse.

Well for a start this isn’t a homeless man wandering the streets.

Honestly some of you must lead very stressful lives always being so suspicious of others

Yes, we have a supported accommodation house on our street and their is an older man that stands outside for much of the day saying hello. Of course we say hello back because we aren't ablest assholes. Do you not have supported accommodation houses in the UK?

What has his height and build got to do with this? Just say hello back, that’s not getting involved with him.

You sound strange not him.

Look purposeful and hurried. Reply
Hi! And go about your day.

What a pathetic pile on, going on here
The OP already said she doesn't want to engage, so it not our place to try and convert her, right?
She could have her own (not disclosed) reasons.
She was asking for ideas

How depressing that society is so broken that people don't want to say hello as they pass people. Glad my community is nicer than this.

@exercises24 thank you for getting the point of this, I'm not being 'unfriendly' this is a creepy man.

By “idiots” do you mean “normal friendly people”?

Absolutely this! How sad that someone seeking a tiny bit of interaction is viewed as a problem. It used to be common for people to chat in the street. I have an older neighbour who is outside his house/ doing the garden far more frequently than needed. I always try to go over to say a quick hello, comment on the weather etc. It takes 2 minutes and hopefully makes him feel like part of the community.

Where I'm from [Ireland] you'd see the elderly do this a lot. Both sexes. I used to love it as child as you'd have the chats when you get off the bus coming home from school. It was the norm and my granny used to wait at the door for us as we got in from school. I think times have changed but that generation are still very social. It wouldn't be weird in Ireland and as I'm from the countryside, I'd always acknowledge passing people on the road, had to get used it being different when I relocated to cities

Alot of women here saying she is rude. Is she not allowed to say no? Ffs the second she says hello, he will keep on and on. He's not getting the hint as it is, and she is only going to coop. I've said this before, if he says hello to everyone, he must already have many friends to say hi back to him. So just because he isn't at work all day like the rest of us, we need to stop what we are doing and reply to make him happy? When clearly it's bothering the op? My god, just ignore him, you owe him nothing. He should take the hint and respect that. Every time you walk to coop you'll be dreading going past that house. If it's not mutual, learn and move on. Ignore the lot on here thinking its rude.

How is it a boundary to not speak to someone? I’m sure there are some people OP must speak to.

Not every boundary is valid <dons hard hat>.
Being offended by someone saying hello is not normal

@Heartofglass12345 Of course I wouldn't ignore a woman.

Seriously? U just sound rude tbh. Saying hello doesn't get you ' involved " with anything

Why did you not respond to his greeting the first time you passed him on the way to co-op last week? You said you thought it might have been an accidental "hello" (I assume you mean that it was intended for someone else), however, you don't say why you ignored him on the return journey on that first day when you passed him on your way home? You yourself said it was a cheery hello and not leering. What made you think he was mentally ill on that first day - when there were any number of reasons why he might have been stood there?
If its not leering, and its cheery, I'm not sure what gives you a bad vibe about him.
I assume you just come from an area where this doesn't often happen - and that it spooked you.

The same happens to me EVERY time I walk past 10 Downing Street.
A policeman will say "Hello" .
sometimes it's "Hello, back then?
or even "Hello, hello, hello. What's going on 'ere then?"

Don't you understand the word or something

We do, I can imagine lots of people with LD innocently saying hello...and not expecting this awful judgement

I am from the South and I think the OP is absolutely batshit.

@RogueFemale why wouldn't you ignore a woman?
Women can be creepy and dangerous too.

Are you darn sarf per chance OP?