I have something that has been weighing on my mind.

[LuckyCharms]

Short story to follow.

Strangely enough, all three of these incidents happened at funerals I attended in the past two years or so. They all happened in almost exactly the same way.

I'm at the funeral. I see someone I haven't seen in years. They yell at me from across the room...HEYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!! Lucky!!!!!!!!! Oh wow!!!! Good to see you, man! Good to see you! Big hug, back slapping, etc. We start a short conversation, and then they see someone else...HEY HOW YOU DOING? And they walk away from me mid-sentence like they never even saw me. And then they are talking to someone else.

It's rude, and it bothers the shit out of me, because it makes me wonder if something is wrong with ME that causes people to do that. Has this ever happened to anyone here?

[fleur-de-lisa]

1. Hey LuckyCharms. How ya' doin!

I've had the . . . oh, look, Aristus just logged on.

[LuckyCharms]

2. Haha!

[True Dough]

3. That is rude!

I would just flat out avoid you to avoid an interrupted exchange of pleasantries.

[LuckyCharms]

5. It is rude!

I wonder if I smell bad and don't know it!

[True Dough]

10. Maybe you smell like

embalming fluid?

[LuckyCharms]

11. I love my own odor

and I would not trade it for anything.

Also...what does embalming fluid smell like?

[TygrBright]

12. Ants. Embalming fluid smells like ants.

Don't ask me how I know.

mysteriously,
Bright

[LuckyCharms]

13. Have you ever smelled moth balls?

[TygrBright]

14. ::side-eye:: Why you ask? n/t

[LuckyCharms]

15. If you have, I was wondering how you were able to

spread their little tiny legs.

[TygrBright]

18. Wow. A level of kink to which I never even imagined it was possible to aspire... n/t

[LuckyCharms]

19. It's an old moldy joke that I jump at the

chance of using whenever I can.

[llmart]

31. Hmmmm....

maybe you shouldn't use it at funerals

[enid602]

32. Xaviera

As Xaviera Hollander once said, the only unnatural sex act is that which cannot be performed.

[Corvo Bianco]

4. When you go to events with people who don't naturally get together the interactions are

forced and fickle. This is common in my experience. Also, if you ever answer a small-talk question thoughtfully the perma-grinners aren't trained in how to engage so they run away.

"How are you"
"Oh, I'm wandering through the abyss..."
"bye!"

[LuckyCharms]

6. Insightful. Thank you. n/t

[yonder]

29. perma-grinners +1.

[Funtatlaguy]

7. Who yells at a funeral?

[LuckyCharms]

8. Well, this one time...

The corpse sat up and did it. I got the fuck out of there.

[Funtatlaguy]

9. This one time....at band camp....

[madaboutharry]

16. I'll give you a serious answer.

Some people are rude. There are some people who have no social awareness nor any social graces. That’s who they are and they’re never going to change.

Fortunately, there are more (I think) nice people who know how to behave appropriately.

I don’t think it’s you, it’s therm.

[LuckyCharms]

17. Thank you. As I think about this...

I'm wondering if it has something to do with the awkwardness at funerals, since I can't recall it happening anywhere else.

[Marie Marie]

30. There are people who are constantly scanning the room,

looking for who might be more important than the person they are currently talking to. And, if they do spot such a person, they will walk away from you mid sentence. I've noticed this especially at work functions. Madaboutharry is right - it is them, not you. To me, YOU will always be the most important person in the room. How's that for sucking up?

[Glamrock]

20. Perhaps you smell like......wait for it....

ANAL BLEACH

[LuckyCharms]

21. Great, I just threw out my back...

trying to smell it!

[Glamrock]

24. Dere's sumpin wrong witchoo man....

[patricia92243]

22. Did you notice if they did the next person they were talking to that way? Usually rude people

are rude to everybody.

[LuckyCharms]

23. I didn't notice. I just started talking to...

someone else.

[Donkees]

25. ''Conversational Narcissism''

Results of six studies reported here revealed that people had behavioral referents for the term “conversational narcissism” such as boasting, refocusing the topic of the conversation on the self, exaggerating hand and body movements, using a loud tone of voice, and “glazing over” when others speak.

Conversational Narcissism
In The Pursuit of Attention, sociologist Charles Derber shares the fascinating results of a study done on face-to-face interactions, in which researchers watched 1,500 conversations unfold and recorded how people traded and vied for attention.

[Frustratedlady]

26. I had a similar experience at a funeral, but the person that offended me like that was the daughter

of the deceased.

She was walking around, greeting people, saying a couple words and then saying, "Let's do lunch" and floating around like she was an actress or politician. She didn't act like she was in mourning, at all. I knew her mother and was quite sad to hear of her passing. I stood and watched this scenario for a few minutes and walked away in disgust. Everyone had the same reaction...a puzzled look like they'd just been hit by a social faux pas. Perhaps it was her way of covering up any grief, but on the other hand...she's a snob.


Don't take it personally. Just hope you don't have many funerals to attend where they seem to gather.

[applegrove]

27. I was talking to an old friend at my mom's funeral when I spotted a cousin

of my dad's who was looking confused and had altzheimers I knew. So I went to him and led him to my dad so they could connect. I later apologized to my old friend on Facebook. Funerals are places where there are a ton of emotions and sometimes they conflict and compete. I would not take it personally. You were at a place with lots of pain and sadness. Some nostalgia. My friend has been good to me over the years. The confused cousin I barely know. I was not picking favourites just doing my job under very emotional and heavy circumstances. No emotion had the time to be fully processed. I was simply overwhelmed and trying to be social and helpful when i did not want to be. Plus I'm dyslexic and see things out of the corner of my eyes.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

28. Welcome to a not so exclusive club!!