I hate people...

Present company excepted...

Ok so I took my dogs out for a walk at about 9 this morning, normally I take them at strange times like 5am just to avoid all the dog walking cliques so I don't have to talk to anyone Anyway when I got to the park there was this old guy with a little dog who I see around quite often about to leave, so I passed him through the gate and his dog starting yapping at my two, and after I walked on a bit the guy said (he always talks to his dog), 'No Jack we don't mix with unsociable people.'
Bear in mind that I was quite far away by then and I heard this loud and clear, he obviously meant me to hear it. What a great start to my morning that was. My heart just sank and I really felt like $#%^ after that. Like now I know what people in my neighbourhood think of me... am I overreacting? It's just that most people by me are the friendly, chatty type, but obvioulsy I find it really hard to be like this, even a smile or a hello to someone I know by sight is really difficult, and I guess people think I'm an antisocial freak.
Oh I don't know, I just wanted to vent 'cause this left me feeling a bit deflated, I guess I'm over sensitive. Meh.

no i don't think you're oversensitive, he is just an asshole...why should you have to talk to him and other people just because you have dogs, and they also have dogs? i don't understand why...you are not doing anything wrong...my stupid neighbours act like i'm a snob just because i don't talk to them, but i really don't care anymore...i come home from work because i want to be alone, not socialise with the neighbours...i don't understand why they can't see that...i guess they all enjoy each other's company a lot more than i enjoy anyone's...or something...

Asshole is about right
Thanks for the reply, I feel better now.
I just don't get some people though

Whilst reading your post my heart kind of sank too because I've had similar things said to me in the past. We're unsociable but who cares. Just stick to your own things and in your own way eh...

Wow, I guess in other countries people are expected to be a lot more sociable. Where I come from it's rare to speak to total strangers in parks, or neighbors that you wouldn't normally talk to. People sometimes give dirty looks just for being asked the time or directions. This is fine with me, actually I'm glad I'm not expected to talk to anyone. Occasionally I'll nod or say hello to neighbors that live like right next door, but that's it. I guess it's just the area I live in because when I've been in other states total strangers that pass by say hello. I don't think I'd be comfortable having to do that or deal with that daily.

i think i need to live somewhere like that...i would love to not be expected to socialise with the neighbours...you're really lucky...the lengths i will go to to avoid them are kind of stupid...i live in an apartment and my neighbour has a dog that barks only at me, so if the dog hears me she will see me...so sometimes i have to take my heels off so that when i walk past her apartment the dog doesn't hear me, and then she won't see me and i won't have to talk to her hehe....i also only check my mail and take the garbage out in the middle of the night because i don't want to go out there if there is a chance of anyone being around...

APD_Guy, I don’t think that the UK is normally perceived as a country where a lot of interaction between strangers takes place… I used to walk a dog in Britain, and I never made much contact to others.
Ok, Hyde Park is big…
Still, bread_head, your behaviour was probably totally normal. It’s only a symptom of your APD that you worry about something that an elderly man said *to his dog*… (lol. It’s really quite funny if you think about it. There is also a chance that he was referring to your dogs as “unsociable people”, not to you. You don’t know with people who talk to dogs… I’ve had eloquent conversations with dogs myself, so you can take it from me: we’re not quite normal and you shouldn’t take us too seriously…)

Chucky wrote: We're unsociable but who cares.

It was someone telling me she thought I was antisocial that caused me to start reading about antisocial personality disorder, which led me to read about avoidant personality disorder, which I realized is what fit me.

hiya bread-
i gotta laugh at your post about that twat. i know what you mean- i live in london and although i don't have a dog here (if i haven't got a nice big garden like i did back in south africa then i don't want a pootch cos i can't be bothered to take it for walkies all the time- esp in winter! ha ha ha! Lol) i see the way they are so cliqueie. i also know what u mean about wanting to be left alone. i dont socialise with ppl if i can help it. (you know- neighbors etc) but i have come to the realisation that if i just nod a curteous hello or hi, and maybe offer a small smile (nothing major, just a pull in of the mouth) then ppl feel they have been acknowledged and will be satisfied and will not expect anything more. here in london (dunno if that's where u are from) no one ever talks to other ppl- i'm just thinking of the tubes and busses. ppl pass by each other like ships in the night and never talk.
maybe try to make brief eye contact and nod a hello next time on your walks with pootchie- you wont have to engage with them or anything, and u certainly wont have to do it to every person in sight, but at least it will avoid the uncomfortable situations that come sometimes crop up (like the one you had) when you walk past and it feels like you are deliberately avoided. the old guy was out of line BIG time, but you know what- he's old and prob very lonely and crotchety (a lot of old people become crotchety due to loneliness) and was lashing out cos he thought he deserved the special attention (lol). don't worry about him- he's just 1 dude on his own mission. if you see him again- maybe smile at him and say good morning and keep going- it will knock him over, render him speechless and make him think twice about stereotyping you. and even though u might find it hard to do so, it might actually pep u up a bit. hey- doesn't it ever feel good when someone passes a nice comment to u or smiels at u for no reason? even tho i avaoid ppl, it does for me. try it- u have nothing to loose.

take care! (and give pootch a hug for me- i miss my dawg from back in sa!)

if you see him again- maybe smile at him and say good morning and keep going- it will knock him over, render him speechless and make him think twice about stereotyping you.

Hehe good one, might try that next time

I live in Cardiff, also a big city but for some reason the people by me are the sociable kind, unfortunately
Think I might have to move to London.