Why do people walk so close to me on the sidewalk?

[Anonymous]

I moved to a city, and I've been walking around a lot. When I'm walking toward someone, I'll of course try to move to one side. But occasionally, people will walk really close to me when there's the whole sidewalk. This one girl, I moved to the left, then she did, so I moved all the way to the right, and she followed, so when we passed by, I had maybe a few inches to move. Like why?

[Oliverlogan263]

Dude, that's so frustrating when people do that! It's like they have no concept of personal space or consideration for others. I've definitely experienced that a lot since moving to the city too.

I think some people just have this weird idea that they need to stake their claim on the sidewalk or something. They see it as a power move to walk right up on you, even when there's plenty of room to give you space. It's like they're trying to assert their dominance or something.

And that girl you described - that's just plain rude. Like, she obviously saw you trying to give her space, but she made the conscious decision to keep following you over to the side. That's just straight-up disrespectful behavior.

I don't get it, man. You'd think in a crowded city, people would be a little more mindful of not invading each other's personal bubbles. But nope, they just barrel on through without a care in the world.

My advice would be to just keep doing what you're doing - politely move over to the side to give them space. If they keep encroaching, don't be afraid to call them out on it. A simple "Excuse me, can you give me some room?" might make them think twice about pulling that again.

Some people just need a little reality check sometimes. Don't let them walk all over you, literally. Stand your ground and make it clear you deserve your fair share of the sidewalk too. Hopefully they'll get the hint and back off.

In the meantime, just try to stay zen about it. I know it can be really aggravating, but don't let those rude people get you all riled up. Just focus on being the bigger, more considerate person. You got this, dude!

[AviatorTom]

People in large cities are used to being in crowds. Personal space is not that respected.

I worked in New York City for a few years, and it was great fun trying to navigate the sidewalks with masses of people, especially in the rain, where everyone had an umbrella.

[Asker]

I get just being inattentive, but I swear some people try to get close to me on the sidewalk. A few times, I've almost gotten pushed into the grass when they had plenty of space.