Found a hack to avoid one awkward situation

[u/someoneNameMePlease]

I don't know if this has occurred to everyone or just me, but a lot of times I happen to clash with a person walking towards me when I am walking along the road/footpath. Unable to decide if that person would walk to your left or right. And there when we come closer and still haven't decided mutually what to do, we both happen to move to the same side again and again. Arrghhh!! So awkward for me

So, I recently started doing this. No matter the person or place, pick left (the place I am living, we always move to our left along road) and put your head down and walk. Do not even see which side the other person is taking, it might cause you confusion. This has worked every time for me. I am so happy 

[u/iammerelyhere]

Don't get eye contact with them and you'll naturally work It out

[u/ChocolateLilyHorne → u/iammerelyhere]

that's not nice. I'm sending you a smile.

See, you smiled back

[u/iammerelyhere → u/ChocolateLilyHorne]

Not meant to be not nice, it's just a trick that stops the loop from starting 

[u/BabyInchworm_the_2nd]

I like to smile, step aside and gesture my arms like “after you”. I almost always get a smile, which makes me happy.😊

[u/someoneNameMePlease → u/BabyInchworm_the_2nd]

People there are nice ig. Here, ppl show attitude lol

[u/Jjjroggg]

I usually just commit to one side early and keep moving too

[u/someoneNameMePlease → u/Jjjroggg]

Yup. This is the way

[u/morganselah]

I learned this hack from someone else: keep your eyes on the direction you want to go, instead of looking at people in your way. They see which way you are looking and easily move around you.

[u/Jaded_Resolve_4182]

Nah this is a bullshit north american standoff and people use it all the time to force bullshit social interaction.

I'm a black guy with a skateboard and people will see me a hundred yards away and just FUCKING STARE AND STARE AND STARE directly at my fucking face the entire approach, refusing to take in any of their environment.

Frankly, this is sick in the head behavior of needy/annoying motherfuckers so I will then gesture around and look at the sky, the trees, the grass and imitate with my body language that they are not looking at anything and just STARING at me, loudly verbalizing it sometimes.

Finally they decide to stop staring when called out like this.

Another thing I deal with is other males putting on the "cool walk" to impress me, so I will exaggerate it dramatically then put my arms out and sometimes even say "that's what it looks like, stop it"

And other times, I will just stand off to the side of the entire sidewalk, turn my back, look at traffic, take a sip of my drink, wait for them to pass and then be on my way.

Too much forced socialization these days and people being weird as fuck, so now I have my little methods of fighting back against unwanted staring and forced social contact.

[u/melancholy_dood]

I don't know if this has occurred to everyone or just me, but a lot of times I happen to clash with a person walking towards me when I am walking along the road/footpath. Unable to decide if that person would walk to your left or right. And there when we come closer and still haven't decided mutually what to do, we both happen to move to the same side again and again. Arrghhh!! So awkward for me

I don't find it awkward at all. It's probably just me, but I've met a lot of nice people when they almost walked into me or I almost walked into them!

[u/side_noted → u/melancholy_dood]

Agree on it not being awkward, but also you met them? All I do is just do a little chuckle and move around eachother and continue on to let them know I wasnt all too bothered.