Talking To Strangers

Posted on 2003/03/06 13:38:49 (March 2003) by john.

We really ought to do it more often.

On the train today, as it drew into the station, I was standing near the doors waiting to get off. A chap with a slightly withered hand was standing next to me, and I then encountered that annoying situation where you spot something like that out of the corner of your eye, and then try and look away as quickly as possibly so it doesn't look like you're staring, but then realise by doing so you've just made it all the more obvious that you were looking in the first place.

Well anyway I always feel kind of bad about this, and wonder how people with these kind of physical differences feel about the way people react upon seeing them. Anyway, in an attempt to alleviate the situation I thought I ought to say something to him. As it happened, we were all facing to the wrong side of the train - the platform was on the other side, so I told him actually I thought the platform was on his side (and then had a brief internal panic that he might not be able to open the door). I then made a (hopefully) humorous comment about how it must be the same phenomenon that makes us always end up in the wrong queues in supermarkets.

All my stupid neuroses aside, it felt nice. A barrier is broken down, and a number of prejudices probably cast aside as soon as you start talking to someone. In the past I can remember several occasions when my day has been brightened up by just a few cheerful words from a stranger. I decided I ought to continue in this theme. In the supermarket later on whilst choosing bagels I made a comment to the woman standing next to me about how the tongs didn't reach far enough (she was struggling a bit), and when one of the store staff dropped a bottle of coke I picked it up and told him he was welcome. Again it felt nice. London particularly is full of so many people not ever talking to each other, which, when you look at it objectively is actually quite odd, in a way. Obviously it would be fairly impractical to talk to everyone you pass in the street, but I wonder why we seldom, or never, talk to other people on the tube, or on the train, when none of us has anything better to do.

But don't you remember the song from infant school:
Say no to strangers, say no no no no no. Say no to strangers and never with them go. Young or old, thin or fat, short and tall with a big flat hat, say no to strangers, say no no no no no.
Mind you, noone else I've mentioned it to remembers that song

So talking is alright, just as long as you say no.

Posted by Scabz at 2003/03/06 15:23:23.

You must have gone to a really "special" school, Jill.

Posted by John at 2003/03/06 16:24:42.

I remember that song! A jolly, fat policeman came into school and had a talk with us about stranger danger. He then proceeded to show us a 'video recording' on the subject. It was a harrowing tale of a young maiden lured into a large black van under the pretense of 'seeing some puppies'. It ended with a gang of scummy kids singing that song... but we never found out what happened to the girl.

Butchered probably.

Posted by Rusty at 2003/03/06 16:49:08.

I think that the policeman was a local chap. I always assumed that the song must have made No. 1 in the charts, but maybe it was just a local thing.

Posted by Scabz at 2003/03/07 09:49:46.

I went to see some puppies, as a child. Never saw them, though ... all I got was a sore arse and a poxy bag of sweets.

Posted by Jimmy at 2003/03/07 13:00:10.

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