Random men speaking to you

[enimmead]

I'm sure men don't randomly speak to other men in the street. Strangers. So why the hell do they feel they have to speak to random women. I don't think it's got anything to do with chatting up.

Yesterday, I saw a 20 something bloke with his mates slip in front of me on the ice. As I got out, he said "Hi love, did you see that!!!" I'm could be his mum bit older than him. Why speak to me? I just smiled but I bet he wouldn't' have said anything if I'd been male.

Just walking down the street, other side of the road bloke smiles and says "Hi love". No idea who he was.

Do blokes do this to other random blokes?

Sorry Livvy ducky.

Nice evening.

AllTheYoungDudes, FromEsme has a different perspective to you.
We all come from different perspectives,and I dont see any reason why we cannot discuss this thread without personal insults.

Will they Xenia?

I don't know prince Charles so i wouldn't go out of my way to speak to him.

But i might nod in passing....or even say hello.

There is certainly a lot of feminist thought about the obligation on women to smile which is not required of men. Also it is a status thing. Everyone will smile at Prince Charles on an official visit even men.

Again though I was pointing out that women seem to smile at each other. My friend pointed out that women smile at each other but men don't tend to smile at each other or to women they don't know for that matter. She never mentioned that men expect women to smile and it comes as a complete surprise to me that anyone does..

See, I can say to Xenia, that I think she is talking a load of rubbish on this occasion without insulting her!
Xenia, as I and others mentioned upthread, I talk to random men frequently.
Surely, when I do that, I am not upstaging then, am I?

Maaaaan.

Being pleasant doesn't hurt anyone.

Saying hello or making a remark isn't a threat or a come on.

Just passing the day.

Me too Dude.

You Bastard.

Cripes,you are a bastard aren't you?

amillionyears.

I reckon Ezzers can fight her own corner don't you lovey?

Oh, I get all kinds of people talking to me. Always have had - think I just must have one of those faces. I can remember going shopping one time with my mum and at one point she just looked at me in amazement and said "Have you noticed how many people talk to you?" It happens everywhere - in pubs (happened in a pub today in fact - an old boy chatting on about Yorkshires), in shops, on the street, at bus-stops, on trains, all over the place. It tends to be mostly young people or old people, hardly ever middle-aged people. But it's definitely women as well as men. Maybe they just recognise a fellow-traveller.

thatdude - there is a difference as has been pointed out - between perfectly normal conversation between strangers - and someone making a comment as you walk down the street.

People on here seem to be implying that just because you don't like men (and it is men) making comments - even though they seem friendly - as you pass them in the street means that you are some completely anti-social person who won't talk to anyone.

I do talk to people and make conversation. I do not make random comments to men or women as they pass me except for a possible hi. But not from across the street. I am sure a man would not say "Hi mate" to another man from across the street. But "hi love" or "hi sweetheart" is something I do not really like as I pass someone who maybe in their garden.

But I do make conversation with people.

amillionyears honestly, people throwing personal insults doesn't really bother me. It just shows them up, not me.

As happens so often with any feminist discussion, people just revert to mocking, kind of bored of it now. Sure, you can have a different perspective without insinuating that there's something wrong with the other person. I can fully understand that some people like that level of contact. That's fine for them and I would never think to tell them they were wrong for liking it. I, on the other hand, don't. So, not sure why that's so wrong and why people are resorting to insinuating there's something wrong me.

Even if I DID like it, I'd still be interested in the fact that men speak more to women than they do to other men in the street. I am interested in that sort of stuff.

amillionyears I don't like people talking to me for a whole variety of reasons. I wouldn't say it's to do with feeling like a piece of meat exactly. It's hard to explain and I have been working all day, so can't really get into it.

AllTheYoungDudes I prefer "Frommers" actually, lovey.

I find it astonishing that so many people on this thread have not been subjected to random uncalled for comments from men who are trying to chat them up. It is how it is. I am not massively bothered by it but it is something women are subjected to the world over. Now in Egypt (?) they have had to put on special women only train carriages to stop male gropers. But to suggest that the issue does not exist seems weird to me. Obviously if you're 30 stone or 60 the problem presumably dissipates.

Is it me or do the people at MNHQ seem to spend all their time coughing on threads now?
Is there some kind of disease going round HQ?

@TiggyD

Is it me or do the people at MNHQ seem to spend all their time coughing on threads now? Is there some kind of disease going round HQ?

LOL
I do actually feel a little fluey - which I could SO do without.

I was rather clearing my throat to ask folk to behave.
Thanks awfullly

Xenia, why cant a random man talk to you?
What do you not like about it?

A good job that you don't live in places that you get called 'duck' , 'pet' or 'my lover' etc!

btw, we are not talking about groping on this thread.

Oh God I've certainly had unwelcome come-ons from men, both in this country and in loads of others. Everything from grabbing me, rubbing up against me, making really really lewd comments to me and (in one memorable incident) following me home, ringing my doorbell and then standing the doorway, knob out.

That is quite different to the passing the time of day type of comments and attempts at conversation though.

MMMarmite
"Well, I think one conclusion from this thread is that the geographical variation dwarfs the gender variation."

This certainly matches my moves from north to south of teh country.

Xenia2012
"Men make comments to women because they want to chat them up."

Thats a rather large generalisation. Unless you know all men and there reasons for talking to women.