How do you feel about talking to strangers?

[Tossth Esalad]

Strangers appraoch me fairly often, but then again I do stand out in a crowd (I'm 205 cm tall; that's 6'10'' to you americans). I actually rather enjoy it, the attention and all, and it's a great icebreaker at parties and such. The only downside, would be, being asked "Do you play basket ball?", almost every single time...

 

[Fingerprint]

Well I'm a little paranoid that strangers are talking about me; laughing, accusing, mocking me. But at the same time I don't have any trouble approaching strangers, I'll pick who I approach carefully, but other than that it's not much of an issue. It's once I leave that I start to get a bit more paranoid, but I just try (and usually to my credit, succeed) to put that to the back of my mind.

 

[Sir Ollie]

My mummy told me not to talk to strangers

I often talk to strangers you never know you might make some friends.

 

[Cowabungaa]

I easily talk to strangers, no problems at all, and I quite like it actually. I have to, I work in a supermarket, I chat with customers all the time. The only social problem I have, is breaking through the 'friends barrier'. It's very easy for me to get friendly with someone, but becoming a real friend (especially hanging out with eachother) is very very hard for me, that's why I say that I don't have any friends in real life.
I have only a couple of people I would like to hang out with, but they live (extremely) far away from me.

 

[eggcarrier]

I was shy and nervous around strangers for years. It always ended awkwardly. Until I got a job at Drive-thru job, then a retail job. No better way to help you get over shyness, because you're seeing things from the other side, so to speak. And you'll be meeting several types of people a day, so its interesting.

 

[TheFacelessOne]

The ones that aren't trying to lure you into an automobile, I mean.

"Hey Kid...if you get in my car...I'll give you a shiny new Escapist Badge..."

I really have no problem talking with strangers, not really.

As said before, they are potential friends. But I'm careful. They're also potential kidnappers/murderers/thieves.

 

[Evilbunny]

I, myself, get very uncomfortable around strangers. Sure, if they ask for directions or anything, I'll gladly help, but I have sort of this mental picture of how they see me. It's like when they look at me without any intentions to say anything or make any contact, I can feel the prejudice towards me, how they pity me or laugh at me in their head, or think I'm strange. Although, I have learned to live with it, I chose it myself by choosing how to look.

Holy crap, you have SERIOUS self image problems.

 

[WalrusMan]

I'm normally able to talk to strangers better than people I know.

I don't know why, but if I ever figure out the reason, I'm going to murder it with fire and dump it's flaming body in a pool of sulfuric acid.

 

[wewontdie11]

I'm sometimes a little bit shy if I have good reason to be, but I usually have no problem talking to strangers. Especially in open sociable environments, aka bars. Why just last Thursday I was talking to a girl who was studying English at my university and ended up beating me at Pac Man in my pub...

 

[Sigel]

I talk to hundreds of strangers every week due to my job, so I don't really care much. I do like to be left alone though when I am not working. I get tired of people always wanting something from me.

 

[The Maddest March Hare]

My misanthropic streak and high levels of cynicism don't help when meeting new people. I'm also pretty bad at social events bigger than about 20 people, and most of my attempts at breaking ice are about as effective as a pebble dropping on a glacier. I can talk to strangers but I'm usually awful at it.

 

[Cortheya]

I'd tell you, but I don't talk to strangers...
lol I'm usually a pretty friendly person

 

[walkingdead127]

As long as they have candy.

 

[Hazy]

The ones that aren't trying to lure you into an automobile, I mean.

"Hey Kid...if you get in my car...I'll give you a shiny new Escapist Badge..."

I really have no problem talking with strangers, not really.

As said before, they are potential friends. But I'm careful. They're also potential kidnappers/murderers/thieves.

I am now compelled to enter your automobile, oh great and charming person who shall do no harm to me what so ever.

 

[lwm3398]

I, myself, get very uncomfortable around strangers. Sure, if they ask for directions or anything, I'll gladly help, but I have sort of this mental picture of how they see me. It's like when they look at me without any intentions to say anything or make any contact, I can feel the prejudice towards me, how they pity me or laugh at me in their head, or think I'm strange. Although, I have learned to live with it, I chose it myself by choosing how to look.

what you feel is called self consciousness. i used to feel this same way, but i live with is. it's very common.

 

[Agent Larkin]

If I think I will get a good conversation out of it I will do it. Im also a bit of a con-man so it is my natural instinct to butter people up.

 

[Crabturtleking]

I think, for me, it all depends on the situation and the stranger's body language - and how embarrassing the thing I'm asking for is.

Usually it's one of the things I fret over and worry about, but then some instinct takes over and I breeze through the situation.

...then I wake up naked in a ditch minus a kidney and think "Ah, man. Not again!"

Not again? How many kidneys do you have?

 

[elbryan108]

The way I see it: They're potential new friends. The ones that aren't trying to lure you into an automobile, I mean.

This, with one difference. I see them as potential new contacts for my network. By network I mean people who could potentially help me in the job search or other endeavors I have.

 

[Kuchinawa212]

Strangers on the internet (such as you fine lot)
A-ok as I doubt you could kill me

Strangers in real life.
Pretty uncomfortable, as they may turn around and punch me. I've seen it happen.