The Silly Walker // equivocality

26 Oct 04

Sometimes, if I happen to be walking somewhere, I’ll walk next to someone just to see how they handle the awkwardness. I find that most people are so uncomfortable with it that they will actually slow down. Sometimes I’ll also match their pace, and they end up slowing down so much that it becomes very obvious, and I can tell that they start to wonder if I’m doing it on purpose.

This morning, I was walking next to a woman seemed so distressed by it, that after a while, she feigned running for a bus that she had absolutely no chance of catching.

2 comments — Follow the feed

#1 Dick Shagwell

Exploring others’ personal boundary bubbles is fun for everyone. Try giving your next new acquaintance a kiss (or two) on the cheek next time you’re introduced. They do it in Brazil all the time. You’ll get maced faster than you can call Kobe.

#2 number18

That would creep me out, probably. I mean, if it was a young, fashionable male with headphones on, then maybe not so much…but all I can picture are the grizly denizens of Fitchburg here (today some old man actually called to me from the side of the road that i was “pretty cute, wanna have lunch?”). I’m sure if I was purposefully walking next to someone, it wouldn’t be as bad, because I’m small unthreatning female.