I’m sure this is a common thing. I’m middle aged and work with the public. I’m outgoing and okay looking.
I’ll be making small talk with a man in public and I’ll get a vibe, like they have been starved for female attention. I can tell they want to hug me and snuggle me, not in a scary way but I’m not interested in that.
They’ll say, please be my friend. They are so needy and I have trouble explaining this but I think we are all familiar with it. Lonely men.
I don’t want to be responsible for them or their happiness or filling whatever void they have in their lives. There is also this low-level coercion thing where they are being quietly relentless, but I know they are not bad people. They’re lonely and legitimately don’t understand that women are independent humans not all waiting to be rescued and cuddled by random men.
Am I making sense? How do others navigate this? To be honest I am worried about hurting their feelings too much and pushing them over into the hateful incel/red pill/mgtow territory. Not because I’m afraid for my own safety, but because those sentiments are dangerous for society.
I understand in society we are all sort of responsible for each other’s wellbeing. I guess I’m resentful that I have to be more responsible than a man would have to be. I suppose women also have their ways of making men responsible for them.
Any of this resonate with anyone? Or is this just a problem with my personality/thought processes?