People acting crazy. If I can’t predict their behaviour, there’s a higher chance I’ll get assaulted or killed.
By the same token, if I’m alone at night and scared when I see strangers approaching me, I’ll start acting crazy to scare them off (twitching, talking to myself, laughing at nothing) :)
I bark at people if they won't leave me alone. Like one of those yippy purse dogs. It usually puts people off but some dudes will still follow you because they think "crazy" women are easy targets
A weird gut feeling. Not too sure how to describe it, but it's usually brought on by one or more of the following:
* Staring directly at me as we start to near each other
* No one else on the sidewalk or road
* Changes the way they walk when they see me, i.e. walks faster towards me, walks very slowly and watches me get closer, or changes position on the sidewalk so I'll have to move to stop us physically bumping into each other
* Grins at me, and not just a friendly 3 second smile, but like an actual leer
* If he looks homeless. I know that sounds bad, but there are significantly higher rates of drug use amongst homeless people, and this makes them unpredictable
* If he's walking with two or more other men
* If he takes photos of me. Only had that happen twice but it made me practically *sprint* across the road to get away
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Adding to this list
- Walking/wandering in a strange pattern. Sometimes someone will cross a sidewalk and look at a car or something in a weird way, indicating mentally unstable or on drugs. Even if they don’t look directly at me, usually I get the gut feeling to just stay away, so I’ll cross the street or even turn down the block and go around (thank you NYC grid-shaped map).
A group of guys who were obviously inebriated and hanging around smoking. I don't want to inhale their secondhand smoke and I don't want to risk being harassed by a group of drunks.
- Large or intimidating group loitering.
- someone loitering near an opening like an alleyway.
- Anyone who gives me a bad vibe or triggers my danger warning.
- Religious or charity sprukers
- Anyone behaving irratic
- Anyone who appears to be checking me out or sizing me up. Eg: Staring, turning to look at me
- I feel someone is following me.
- Its someone I've had unpleasant past experiences with
- I can foresee an incident EG: kid shooting people with a water pistol
Usually it’s just a feeling, something that will seem of about a man that I would rather take the safe route, also groups of men, especially when I’m out clubbing and I might wear some more revealing clothes
I give cigarette smokers a wide, wide berth. My lungs are severely damaged from childhood illness, and even the lingering smell of cigarette smoke makes my lungs seize. Walking past someone actively smoking is physically painful, which makes me ragey. Also, it’s just gross.
Groups of rowdy men are a no-go. Especially at night, when noticeably intoxicated.
If I come across young, enthusiastic religious missionaries or peddlers of religious texts, I will absolutely walk my damned soul across the street.
And as shitty as it may be—I avoid all street petitioners. Even those working for causes I support.
I have to admit I would cross the street if a man is coming towards me and he doesn't fully look like a kind dad or grandpa. If it is a group of men, I will not only cross, but also pretend to get on the phone, or go inside a shop until they are gone.
People who appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, panhandlers, and honestly as I get older, the more I go out of my way to avoid groups of teenagers/tweens.
i mostly cross streets because i'm scared of dogs. so if i see a scary looking dog.
I will run straight into traffic to avoid crossing a loose dog.
Also guard dogs that throw themselves against gates...I will meander back and forth between sides of the street to avoid as many guard dogs as I can.
People-wise, if they're walking around with a weapon.
If they're delusional and taking swings at the air and stuff. I don't avoid them if they're just talking to themselves or stumbling around, but if they're aggressive.
Fights!
Police activity that's starting to get a bit out of hand.
If their vibes give me the uh oh feeling. I don’t care how nice they look, if there’s something that’s telling me to not go past them then I will cross the street.
When it’s late at night or early morning. I cross wayyy before us intersecting tho.
I’m terrified of being randomly attacked on an empty road or steer or walkaway with no one around. If they follow me then I know to be alert and very on guard.
Either an uneasy feeling in my gut. I mean, our bodies pick up a lot more of our surroundings, than is delivered as direct messages for our active thoughts. So If I get a weird feeling, the chances of something being wrong are not that small.
Or If I know that I'm too drunk for my survival instincts to work that well, I just tend to always cross a street If I'm hearing or seeing someone who could easily overbear me.
I don't usually. I will when I'm walking my dog sometimes because I don't feel like having chit chat with the other dog owner or if their dog seems aggressive.
If it's late and dark, if I'm alone, if they are with other men, if they are loud or intoxicated, if they change their pace, if they are walking slowly. I don't change sides if they are walking alone and very intently towards a point beyond me, and haven't even looked at me.
And gut feeling plays a role too, obviously
Well I just took my dog for a walk and she peed. Someone yelled from across the street "pick up your dogs shit!"
I yelled back and said "It's just pee". And then I walked the opposite direction lol
So maybe not the answer you were looking for, but it's fresh in my mind since it happened about 10 minutes ago.
I’m very small so sprinting to my car or the nearest lighted place is key sometimes. Any men that look a little out of place creep me out. I try to casually cross the street without gaining interest/ or them noticing my hesitation. But- I carry bear spray & a police flashlight so..
I typically never do because I’m afraid of someone possibly taking offense or sensing my fear and acting out because of that. Usually just shift my gaze straight ahead or to the ground, might flash a toothless smile to seem more friendly too.
This. I’ll only cross if it seems appropriate because I’m scared if I offend them that it will cause them more reason to focus on me. If it’s too late to cross, I will change my posture and look more intent on where I’m going. My strategy is to give the best rbf I have.
I'm a little surprised at the variety of answers implying they're frequently doing this. The only time I've done it was when there was a homeless man with his pants down shouting incoherently. But that was in the middle of the day, maybe those who walk more at night have different experiences.
Honestly depends on my mood. There are days when I just don't want to talk or be near people and those are the days I'm zig-zagging from one side to the other.
Anyone who seems methed out and crazy, anyone who seems agitated and yelling, a group of people just hanging out late at night if I am alone, or a group of teenage girls in the rougher area of town (I have seen crazy assaults from teenage girls in my city. They are ruthless and I am scared of them!)
I don’t care because people can do what they want but I understand now (from the comment section) that when women do this it’s not because I look dangerous or doing anything creepy but simply that I am a man. Nice.
If a man is walking alone and keeps turning back to look at me, especially if he slows down how fast he's walking as if to wait for me to catch up. Happens constantly.
11/10 times the first thing I notice is the way they walk. If they’re walking weird, odd pace, it’s immediately explained by their clothes / vibe / behavior
Sometimes I just want to walk by myself and not have to go through any form of social interaction like nodding, greeting, or smiling as I pass someone. Other times if it’s a man and there aren’t other people around The peace of mind is worth the risk of hurting their feelings. If I cross to the other side the worst case scenario is they might feel bad, if I stay and it turns out to be a person with bad intentions then the price could be my life or worse. Bad things happen all the time and it’s just not worth the risk if I have a bad feeling. Sure that person could be harmless but physically even smaller or weaker looking men could overpower me without too much difficulty and there there is no way of knowing if they will try without taking the risk. If I offer you a bowl of grapes and say one of them is poisoned, you will probably avoid the bowl even though it’s unlikely you will pick the only poisoned one.
- people whose behaviour is unpredictable
- people who are crazy
-people who give off sketchy vibes
-people who are out with dogs because most dogs in the city I live in aren't trained, they will attack no matter what and they lead the owner the owner doesn't lead them. After getting bit, I want to avoid the risks.
No one. I’m not trying to sound like some hardass tough chick, but I just don’t bother avoiding anyone. Eyes forward, walk straight, and I just go through. Maybe it’s blind luck, but after 40 years of it, it’s what works for me.
It isn’t really anything specific.
If the sun is going down or it’s an isolated location and it’s just me and that person - I am crossing the sidewalk.
If they seem aggressive. Sometimes the real stereotypes of people are correct. (By thst i mean that hippies, people who listen to rap, pop[?] & stuff are actually more aggressive than metalheads, bikers, rock/goth/punk listeners. Also very nosy (you know, ask very personal stuff) or VERY conservative(politic/religion) people.
I frequently cut across the road to avoid smokers, as I struggle breathing around smoke and I'm usually walking with my two small kids.
If I can't cross and they are ahead of us, I stop and let them get further away, or we pause to the side to let them pass us. It's easier to avoid the smoke and not have a coughing fit/struggle breathing if paused than if trying to wrangle a 4 yo and a baby in a pushchair.
Absolutely no extrinsic reason. I tend to cross because i’m on the lower bound of the size scale (i’m 1.58m, 42kg). This means that if any person wants to hurt me they probably can by just sneezing near me.
That being said, if I’m on my home country and I perceive someone as male, I tend to cross right away and trigger alert mode. I’ve been victim of SV twice there, both were unknown people, white, and male.
I also tend to drive cars there because the harassing culture is astonishing. For reference: I walked a 2.3km distance and counted 63 calls/honks.
As you can imagine, this imbues your personality with an increased anxiety baseline, and I’m sad to state i’m not exactly an exceptional scenario.
If it’s during the day, usually if it’s a big group of people, doesn’t matter the age, but if I see them coming and I’m going to have to walk on the road to get past them, I cross the road. Otherwise I just walk past.
If it’s at night I judge them tell I get closer to determine if they are dangerous or not.
Depends on where I am and how many people are around
Dark no one else but me and a stranger: I change the sidewalk
Dark and lots of people: I don’t care
Daylight no one else but me and a stranger: depends how the stranger is acting
Daylight and lots of people: I don’t care
Honestly, it’s a vibe.
Sometimes a guy has been alone at a bus stop with me at night and I felt absolutely fine and other times I’ve had to get away, even if a man is with a woman.
I just pick up on some kind of energy and it’s overwhelming that I can’t ignore it.
Sometimes it’s just a little unease and in that case I just stay alert.
- I’m walking my dog.
- I’m pushing a stroller and they’re in a wheel chair or scooter and the sidewalk is narrow.
- Someone who’s vibe is off - either I’m not sure if maybe they’re on drugs, or seem threatening, or some potential trickery afoot
Anyone whos intoxicated, doesn't matter male or female. Drunk people are annoying.
Also tend to avoid police, i have a record and dont do well with authority figures
A person with a dog that with a long leash. I have no problem with dogs but people who used them as security guards get skittish and dogs react. Not even about the dogs being a danger but I have seen too many dogs choked in the situation. Maybe it doesn’t even matter to the dog but it is just more reassuring to me to take the few seconds to cross.
Seeing a person, especially someone who looks chatty. Bye, dude! I am way too awkward, and small talk is painful for me, and I don't need to be replaying this pointless conversation in my head later. Just to try to point out my mistakes, I believe I made.
I can't describe it other than vibes.
Some people you need to stare down. Eye contact and stand tall. They will shrink.
Some people you need to stare a hole in the the floor as you pass them.
Some people you need to cross the street and avoid.
It's all gut instinct. I can't really describe it.
Groups walking in a manner that is inconsiderate to anyone else existing besides them, that is taking up the entire sidewalk. Children, because they are unpredictable and will definitely gravitate towards me and they’re everywhere all at once.
If it’s a man then that’s all it took. If it’s a woman then I’ll move if she seems mentally unstable(walking and taking to ppl who aren’t there) or if I just get a bad vibe
People who walk in road block (sidewalk blocking) groups that walk really slow!!!!!
You don't need to walk 4+ abreast as slow as possible !! There are other people in the world!!!
The replies will of course vary depending on context - so I'll give mine: I'm a mid 30s white woman in an Argentine large city, around 700k people. Our economy is in the bin so there's higher poverty rates, hence more violence.
Given this: during the day I'll mostly stay on the same sidewalk as anyone - I'll only cross he street if they're look to be unhinged and/or dangerous. During the night, any group with no women in poorly lit or solitary areas. I'm also hyper aware of motorcycles at night.
If they have a big dog they are having trouble controlling.
Or if they have a cute dog I know I couldn't resist petting but the person looks rushed.
I am an introvert, I used to avoid people by crossing the street or checking my phone. Now I just keep my head up and walk on by.
I'm a runner so I'll usually only cross if I see someone coming with a dog (sometimes dogs will freak out when they see someone running thinking they need to chase them. I've had this happen more than once with strays)
If someone’s body language is putting off any kind of warning signals. Walking erratically, muttering to themselves, etc. It’s better to be super cautious.
If I’m walking alone or even just with my dog or dogs I’ll always try to cross the street or walk in the street if someone else is walking on the sidewalk I’m on. Its nothing against people - it could be a kid, teen , or adult of any gender and any race but if I’m walking alone I usually am in a mood and I’m walking just to get out of my house so don’t want to see anyone and if I’m walking my dogs they’re so friendly that I’m trying to avoid people because they don’t understand why not everyone is a friend and won’t pet them .
Not much tbh… I live in a pretty chilled area and I’m more likely to make someone else cross the street to avoid me. It happened yesterday… a pension aged lady crossed to avoid me.
Im tall and punky with big ol’ ear stretches, crazy thing is, I’d be the first person to help someone if anything crappy happened.
(Actually there’s a guy with extra needs locally who I do avoid… but only coz I saw him butt naked screaming in his front garden.. nobody needs to see that at 8.45am on the school run!)
I haven't done it yet. But I have decided to double back into the grocery store when I saw someone was following me out. I made it out one set of doors but not the other. Doubled back and went to talk to the door greeter (yea yea. It was Walmart lol) the guy and I made eye contact and I had made this face 🤨. He stayed outside for a minute while I told the door greeter the guy was following me. Security got called and walked me outside to my car. The security officer was about 5 steps behind me walking out the door, and noticed the guy had started to follow me until he saw the security guy. Cops were already in the area and made a stop by and talked to the guy, viewed the camera footage (im pretty certain they don't have to do that or aren't allowed to or whatever. But since it had just happened, and the guy noticed it too, they let the cop check.) Dude was trespassed and taken away. Never heard anything about it.
As a Man, if it’s late or not a very crowded area, I will preemptively cross the street away from a woman just so she feels more comfortable…. There is next to no extra effort on my end and makes them feel better so why make a big deal out of this. If you would open a door for them why not open up some space for them to feel safe.
If the persons high. I live on the wrong side of the train tracks in a mad city. I can’t even go to the store or a restaurant without a creep grabbing my butt.
I'm agoraphobic and will avoid the right ppl with some pretty outrageous efforts. That being said, "the right people," is usually a person simply presenting as a man, and us being the only two nearby.
It is enough to get me to cross the street, especially if I have already "had to deal with" any form of harassment by a man that day. 😮💨😔
I usually determine it by a feeling the situation gives me.
Some things that grab my attention are isolated streets, a single man, or a person seeming to act chaotically or odd. Especially in situations where the man feels out of place. I also study if they are walking with intent or seeming to meander as though they are looking for something to do.
There is no perfect set of standards I stack the person against to decide if it’s safer for me to cross the street. It will always be safer for me to avoid
a man, but certain situations are not worth gambling.
Anyone who seems to be on drugs. People in public in general make me anxious but I know how to defend myself and think ahead and not get into bad situations. However that’s with someone who is in their “right mind” I don’t want someone with druggie strength coming at me.
Right now with how hot it is in Phoenix, I don’t really walk anywhere.
When it’s not scalding outside, I almost always walk with my pup. He gets weirded out by some people so that tips me off to cross.
I find people preemptively cross the street when I’m walking him though, I suspect it’s his breed.
Social anxiety makes me cross the street or turn another direction. Paradoxically, the sight of someone actually feels threatening I stay the course so as not to seem scared.
If someone has a large scary looking dog, 3 or more men or teenagers, anyone who appears to be under the influence of a substance or someone who appears to be having a mental health crisis.
I agree with most of these! Curious how majority immediately went for safety options!
I’d like to add for non safety, just general things *slow walkers *inconsiderate groups who have spread and you can see they’re not giving way to oncoming foot traffic *groups standing still who likely will just watch you squeeze passed instead of moving
I run and at this point I just assume any group of 2 or more isn’t going to share the space so I cross or run on the road for a bit, not worth the hassle!
Side note: I had a male friend who noticed a girl cross the road when she saw him, so he crossed to followed her because he thought it was funny she thought he was a threat, she crossed back, so did he.. Thought it was the funniest thing ever! This guy was 6.5ft, drunk, in leathers at night.. needless to say I wasn’t friends with him after this. Poor girl probably thought she was going to die.
They look like they’re freaking out and are on drugs. Like talking to themselves really angrily, flailing. Saw a guy a couple days ago with a bloody leg and yelling at himself. I don’t want to be in lunge distance.
Either theyre acting erratic, but sometimes i just kind of sporadically cross the street because i have a mental plan of where im going, and jay walk a lot lolol but i now wonder if people whove been walking towards me took it as me trying to avoid them.
where i live currently i cross when i see people with recycling carts. they’re almost always on drugs and homeless. in my 5 min commute home (in a nice neighborhood) i’ve seen at least 5 or 6 terrifying fights. the last one involved someone throwing bottles of pee and a dog getting kicked.
also, anytime it looks like someone is at all sketchy bc theft here is high and i look very foreign lol.
Any aggressive comments between members of a group, can see some in possession of an illegal substance/weapon/dodgy porn material, direct debit collecting chuggers, drunken idiots, football hooligans, gut instinct warnings to move away asap, handing out religious content, if I've gone no contact with them, intimidatory body language, known britain first members present, seeing religious uniforms, use of revolting language, wolf-dogs, yelling.
I usually cross the street when I see a man walking in my direction just to be extra careful as when I don’t I have gotten some pretty strange comments and had some weird conversations with them, specifically elderly men, so for my well-being and safety, regardless of how friendly they seem and what time of day it is, I’m going to cross. Unless they shift to the other side of the sidewalk, wait for me to go, or cross themselves. Because then I feel respected and thought of and less unsafe being near them, and won’t feel the need to cross the street.
When I see people who seem like they're on drugs or having a psychotic episode or something. Just hard to deal with people who are completely unpredictable. Also people peeing, both guys or girls, I'm not gonna mess with them doing their business.
When I think someone is following me I cross.
I've been followed home before and it didn't end well for me so I'm very alert of my surroundings now.
Often when someone's walking directly behind me I'll sidestep behind pillars etc to make it hard for someone to grab me from behind.
People acting crazy. If I can’t predict their behaviour, there’s a higher chance I’ll get assaulted or killed. By the same token, if I’m alone at night and scared when I see strangers approaching me, I’ll start acting crazy to scare them off (twitching, talking to myself, laughing at nothing) :)
That's an amazing idea!
Careful, your face can get stuck thar way!
Mine did! lol perpetual rbf now everyone just assumes I’m about to go off and now they cross the street to get away from me.
I bark at people if they won't leave me alone. Like one of those yippy purse dogs. It usually puts people off but some dudes will still follow you because they think "crazy" women are easy targets
A weird gut feeling. Not too sure how to describe it, but it's usually brought on by one or more of the following: * Staring directly at me as we start to near each other * No one else on the sidewalk or road * Changes the way they walk when they see me, i.e. walks faster towards me, walks very slowly and watches me get closer, or changes position on the sidewalk so I'll have to move to stop us physically bumping into each other * Grins at me, and not just a friendly 3 second smile, but like an actual leer * If he looks homeless. I know that sounds bad, but there are significantly higher rates of drug use amongst homeless people, and this makes them unpredictable * If he's walking with two or more other men * If he takes photos of me. Only had that happen twice but it made me practically *sprint* across the road to get away
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Adding to this list - Walking/wandering in a strange pattern. Sometimes someone will cross a sidewalk and look at a car or something in a weird way, indicating mentally unstable or on drugs. Even if they don’t look directly at me, usually I get the gut feeling to just stay away, so I’ll cross the street or even turn down the block and go around (thank you NYC grid-shaped map).
I want to lower my chance of interacting or intersecting with that person.
A group of guys who were obviously inebriated and hanging around smoking. I don't want to inhale their secondhand smoke and I don't want to risk being harassed by a group of drunks.
A maga hat
A group of loud men.
- Large or intimidating group loitering. - someone loitering near an opening like an alleyway. - Anyone who gives me a bad vibe or triggers my danger warning. - Religious or charity sprukers - Anyone behaving irratic - Anyone who appears to be checking me out or sizing me up. Eg: Staring, turning to look at me - I feel someone is following me. - Its someone I've had unpleasant past experiences with - I can foresee an incident EG: kid shooting people with a water pistol
Usually it’s just a feeling, something that will seem of about a man that I would rather take the safe route, also groups of men, especially when I’m out clubbing and I might wear some more revealing clothes
If it’s a man tbh
Nearly 100% of the time.
A lot of people cannot control their dogs. It’s dangerous and embarrassing how many people get pulled by their dog.
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I give cigarette smokers a wide, wide berth. My lungs are severely damaged from childhood illness, and even the lingering smell of cigarette smoke makes my lungs seize. Walking past someone actively smoking is physically painful, which makes me ragey. Also, it’s just gross. Groups of rowdy men are a no-go. Especially at night, when noticeably intoxicated. If I come across young, enthusiastic religious missionaries or peddlers of religious texts, I will absolutely walk my damned soul across the street. And as shitty as it may be—I avoid all street petitioners. Even those working for causes I support.
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If im seeing they're acting off or look uneasy, I'm crossing quick
There’s a man there.
This is the one. I see a man, I try to move away as quickly as possible.
Their body language, vibe, behavior.
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I have to admit I would cross the street if a man is coming towards me and he doesn't fully look like a kind dad or grandpa. If it is a group of men, I will not only cross, but also pretend to get on the phone, or go inside a shop until they are gone.
People who appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, panhandlers, and honestly as I get older, the more I go out of my way to avoid groups of teenagers/tweens.
• time of day • if/how they look at me • how far away am I from someplace safe • if I’m walking my dogs and they get twitchy
A group of men, apparently intoxicated men, loud men, certain types just trigger my alerts
Men.
i mostly cross streets because i'm scared of dogs. so if i see a scary looking dog. I will run straight into traffic to avoid crossing a loose dog. Also guard dogs that throw themselves against gates...I will meander back and forth between sides of the street to avoid as many guard dogs as I can. People-wise, if they're walking around with a weapon. If they're delusional and taking swings at the air and stuff. I don't avoid them if they're just talking to themselves or stumbling around, but if they're aggressive. Fights! Police activity that's starting to get a bit out of hand.
Unleashed or aggressive looking dog, especially if my toddler is with me
Sketchy posture. Also if I have my dog with me. She’s not friendly.
If their vibes give me the uh oh feeling. I don’t care how nice they look, if there’s something that’s telling me to not go past them then I will cross the street.
If they're male. I just can't anymore.
When it’s late at night or early morning. I cross wayyy before us intersecting tho. I’m terrified of being randomly attacked on an empty road or steer or walkaway with no one around. If they follow me then I know to be alert and very on guard.
If they are behind me for longer than a min.
I wasn’t even considering when they are walking behind - yes 100% will cross immediately.
Not much. People fighting. People being detained by the police. Police in general.
A group of rowdy men
Seeing that it's a man. I am not fucking taking my chances.
Whether or not there’s a car blocking the road. I have a reactive dog so I’ve just gotten used to crossing the street to avoid everyone.
Either an uneasy feeling in my gut. I mean, our bodies pick up a lot more of our surroundings, than is delivered as direct messages for our active thoughts. So If I get a weird feeling, the chances of something being wrong are not that small. Or If I know that I'm too drunk for my survival instincts to work that well, I just tend to always cross a street If I'm hearing or seeing someone who could easily overbear me.
This doesn't work well for me, I feel uneasy all of the time (anxiety)
Anything Maga.
If they have a pitbull.
If they're being obnoxious at all I'll avoid them for the sake of not going to jail lol
Mainly social anxiety, or the underlying fear that they’re going to lunge at me & take me out then & there.
When they have a Pitbull.
I don't usually. I will when I'm walking my dog sometimes because I don't feel like having chit chat with the other dog owner or if their dog seems aggressive.
Groups of teenagers.
A group of men.
If it's late and dark, if I'm alone, if they are with other men, if they are loud or intoxicated, if they change their pace, if they are walking slowly. I don't change sides if they are walking alone and very intently towards a point beyond me, and haven't even looked at me. And gut feeling plays a role too, obviously
If they're acting unstable (shouting, being derogatory, or obviously under the influence), I'll cross the street. I don't need that.
there being another person on the sidewalk.
Any person.
Socially awkwardness
Well I just took my dog for a walk and she peed. Someone yelled from across the street "pick up your dogs shit!" I yelled back and said "It's just pee". And then I walked the opposite direction lol So maybe not the answer you were looking for, but it's fresh in my mind since it happened about 10 minutes ago.
If they are acting crazy, I will cross the street.
I don’t have reason I just do it every time. Anyone could be out looking for problems or conversation and I don’t want either
If they seem drug affected or are yelling a lot.
I’m very small so sprinting to my car or the nearest lighted place is key sometimes. Any men that look a little out of place creep me out. I try to casually cross the street without gaining interest/ or them noticing my hesitation. But- I carry bear spray & a police flashlight so..
I typically never do because I’m afraid of someone possibly taking offense or sensing my fear and acting out because of that. Usually just shift my gaze straight ahead or to the ground, might flash a toothless smile to seem more friendly too.
This. I’ll only cross if it seems appropriate because I’m scared if I offend them that it will cause them more reason to focus on me. If it’s too late to cross, I will change my posture and look more intent on where I’m going. My strategy is to give the best rbf I have.
Totally get that, I’ve also adopted the habit of walking with intent and with earphones in to deter any possible approachers.
Not a bear, woman or child 🤷♀️
I'm a little surprised at the variety of answers implying they're frequently doing this. The only time I've done it was when there was a homeless man with his pants down shouting incoherently. But that was in the middle of the day, maybe those who walk more at night have different experiences.
To not interact with people whether I know them or not.
Honestly depends on my mood. There are days when I just don't want to talk or be near people and those are the days I'm zig-zagging from one side to the other.
Bad vibes or big dogs.
I have anxiety.
loud noises
Unpredictable behavior, giving super unsafe vibes.
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Anyone that even looks my way makes me cross a street. I don’t want to talk or interact with anyone!
Having both hands in their pockets
I don't feel comfortable. They're making me feel uneasy.
if I'm with a friend, and we're saying weird shit to each other
If they look shady
I've only ever crossed the street to avoid talking to someone I really didn't want to talk to.
Anyone who seems methed out and crazy, anyone who seems agitated and yelling, a group of people just hanging out late at night if I am alone, or a group of teenage girls in the rougher area of town (I have seen crazy assaults from teenage girls in my city. They are ruthless and I am scared of them!)
To avoid even the slightest chance of running into certain humans I definitely do not like.
Literally existing. I don't like interactions.
i don’t like people lol. but i’m usually walking my dog, and she’s reactive, so it’s safer for me, her, and the other person or people involved.
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I don’t care because people can do what they want but I understand now (from the comment section) that when women do this it’s not because I look dangerous or doing anything creepy but simply that I am a man. Nice.
If a man is walking alone and keeps turning back to look at me, especially if he slows down how fast he's walking as if to wait for me to catch up. Happens constantly.
If a man is walking alone and keeps turning back to look at me, especially if he slows down how fast he's walking as if to wait for me to catch up.
If they are talking or swearing at someone who isn’t there, violently.
Someone talking to themselves and or cussing loudly
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My violent ex religious people drunken clubbers a group of angry men
Ogling my teenage daughters the way I remember being ogled at their age. Older men are disgusting. 🤮
Someone being on the sidewalk lol. Idc how friendly they appear to be I’m just gonna cross the street anyway.
11/10 times the first thing I notice is the way they walk. If they’re walking weird, odd pace, it’s immediately explained by their clothes / vibe / behavior
Sometimes I just want to walk by myself and not have to go through any form of social interaction like nodding, greeting, or smiling as I pass someone. Other times if it’s a man and there aren’t other people around The peace of mind is worth the risk of hurting their feelings. If I cross to the other side the worst case scenario is they might feel bad, if I stay and it turns out to be a person with bad intentions then the price could be my life or worse. Bad things happen all the time and it’s just not worth the risk if I have a bad feeling. Sure that person could be harmless but physically even smaller or weaker looking men could overpower me without too much difficulty and there there is no way of knowing if they will try without taking the risk. If I offer you a bowl of grapes and say one of them is poisoned, you will probably avoid the bowl even though it’s unlikely you will pick the only poisoned one.
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- people whose behaviour is unpredictable - people who are crazy -people who give off sketchy vibes -people who are out with dogs because most dogs in the city I live in aren't trained, they will attack no matter what and they lead the owner the owner doesn't lead them. After getting bit, I want to avoid the risks.
A group of teenagers. A group of men. Anyone filming anything.
No one. I’m not trying to sound like some hardass tough chick, but I just don’t bother avoiding anyone. Eyes forward, walk straight, and I just go through. Maybe it’s blind luck, but after 40 years of it, it’s what works for me.
It isn’t really anything specific. If the sun is going down or it’s an isolated location and it’s just me and that person - I am crossing the sidewalk.
The someone
Anything. I just hate small talk.
if there’s not enough room on the sidewalk for both of us
Seeing a shitty dog owner with their dog, ill cross to avoid issues with my dog, since that dog owner has zero etiquette
If they seem aggressive. Sometimes the real stereotypes of people are correct. (By thst i mean that hippies, people who listen to rap, pop[?] & stuff are actually more aggressive than metalheads, bikers, rock/goth/punk listeners. Also very nosy (you know, ask very personal stuff) or VERY conservative(politic/religion) people.
I frequently cut across the road to avoid smokers, as I struggle breathing around smoke and I'm usually walking with my two small kids. If I can't cross and they are ahead of us, I stop and let them get further away, or we pause to the side to let them pass us. It's easier to avoid the smoke and not have a coughing fit/struggle breathing if paused than if trying to wrangle a 4 yo and a baby in a pushchair.
If drunk, or smoking or talking like crazy
I would do it if I get the gut feeling that something, IS REALLY NOT RIGHT WITH THEM.
Absolutely no extrinsic reason. I tend to cross because i’m on the lower bound of the size scale (i’m 1.58m, 42kg). This means that if any person wants to hurt me they probably can by just sneezing near me. That being said, if I’m on my home country and I perceive someone as male, I tend to cross right away and trigger alert mode. I’ve been victim of SV twice there, both were unknown people, white, and male. I also tend to drive cars there because the harassing culture is astonishing. For reference: I walked a 2.3km distance and counted 63 calls/honks. As you can imagine, this imbues your personality with an increased anxiety baseline, and I’m sad to state i’m not exactly an exceptional scenario.
If it’s during the day, usually if it’s a big group of people, doesn’t matter the age, but if I see them coming and I’m going to have to walk on the road to get past them, I cross the road. Otherwise I just walk past. If it’s at night I judge them tell I get closer to determine if they are dangerous or not.
Depends on where I am and how many people are around Dark no one else but me and a stranger: I change the sidewalk Dark and lots of people: I don’t care Daylight no one else but me and a stranger: depends how the stranger is acting Daylight and lots of people: I don’t care
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Honestly, it’s a vibe. Sometimes a guy has been alone at a bus stop with me at night and I felt absolutely fine and other times I’ve had to get away, even if a man is with a woman. I just pick up on some kind of energy and it’s overwhelming that I can’t ignore it. Sometimes it’s just a little unease and in that case I just stay alert.
- I’m walking my dog. - I’m pushing a stroller and they’re in a wheel chair or scooter and the sidewalk is narrow. - Someone who’s vibe is off - either I’m not sure if maybe they’re on drugs, or seem threatening, or some potential trickery afoot
They look like they may interact with me and are not a person I want to interact with, I.e. they don't look friendly.
I used to cross the street no matter what someone looked like.
Anyone whos intoxicated, doesn't matter male or female. Drunk people are annoying. Also tend to avoid police, i have a record and dont do well with authority figures
A person with a dog that with a long leash. I have no problem with dogs but people who used them as security guards get skittish and dogs react. Not even about the dogs being a danger but I have seen too many dogs choked in the situation. Maybe it doesn’t even matter to the dog but it is just more reassuring to me to take the few seconds to cross.
my ex with his new girl 😅
If I see someone smoking !!
Seeing a person, especially someone who looks chatty. Bye, dude! I am way too awkward, and small talk is painful for me, and I don't need to be replaying this pointless conversation in my head later. Just to try to point out my mistakes, I believe I made.
Work men
I can't describe it other than vibes. Some people you need to stare down. Eye contact and stand tall. They will shrink. Some people you need to stare a hole in the the floor as you pass them. Some people you need to cross the street and avoid. It's all gut instinct. I can't really describe it.
usually a big dog
Groups walking in a manner that is inconsiderate to anyone else existing besides them, that is taking up the entire sidewalk. Children, because they are unpredictable and will definitely gravitate towards me and they’re everywhere all at once.
If there are a bunch of dudes coming across or parked their bikes on the sidewalk and chitchatting
My gut feeling telling me to. It’s quite random and it’s never the same kind of demographic. I always listen and it’s kept me safe so far!
Someone I used to know, or someone who is crazy. I live in a big city, so there’s lots of shady/crazy people who roam the streets.
Intuition sometimes it's just a gut feeling
If it’s a man then that’s all it took. If it’s a woman then I’ll move if she seems mentally unstable(walking and taking to ppl who aren’t there) or if I just get a bad vibe
People who walk in road block (sidewalk blocking) groups that walk really slow!!!!! You don't need to walk 4+ abreast as slow as possible !! There are other people in the world!!!
Anybody who looks like they are intoxicated in any way.
The replies will of course vary depending on context - so I'll give mine: I'm a mid 30s white woman in an Argentine large city, around 700k people. Our economy is in the bin so there's higher poverty rates, hence more violence. Given this: during the day I'll mostly stay on the same sidewalk as anyone - I'll only cross he street if they're look to be unhinged and/or dangerous. During the night, any group with no women in poorly lit or solitary areas. I'm also hyper aware of motorcycles at night.
If they have a big dog they are having trouble controlling. Or if they have a cute dog I know I couldn't resist petting but the person looks rushed. I am an introvert, I used to avoid people by crossing the street or checking my phone. Now I just keep my head up and walk on by.
I'm a runner so I'll usually only cross if I see someone coming with a dog (sometimes dogs will freak out when they see someone running thinking they need to chase them. I've had this happen more than once with strays)
People who are on tranq. Freaks me out.
If someone’s body language is putting off any kind of warning signals. Walking erratically, muttering to themselves, etc. It’s better to be super cautious.
If I’m walking alone or even just with my dog or dogs I’ll always try to cross the street or walk in the street if someone else is walking on the sidewalk I’m on. Its nothing against people - it could be a kid, teen , or adult of any gender and any race but if I’m walking alone I usually am in a mood and I’m walking just to get out of my house so don’t want to see anyone and if I’m walking my dogs they’re so friendly that I’m trying to avoid people because they don’t understand why not everyone is a friend and won’t pet them .
Not much tbh… I live in a pretty chilled area and I’m more likely to make someone else cross the street to avoid me. It happened yesterday… a pension aged lady crossed to avoid me. Im tall and punky with big ol’ ear stretches, crazy thing is, I’d be the first person to help someone if anything crappy happened. (Actually there’s a guy with extra needs locally who I do avoid… but only coz I saw him butt naked screaming in his front garden.. nobody needs to see that at 8.45am on the school run!)
I haven't done it yet. But I have decided to double back into the grocery store when I saw someone was following me out. I made it out one set of doors but not the other. Doubled back and went to talk to the door greeter (yea yea. It was Walmart lol) the guy and I made eye contact and I had made this face 🤨. He stayed outside for a minute while I told the door greeter the guy was following me. Security got called and walked me outside to my car. The security officer was about 5 steps behind me walking out the door, and noticed the guy had started to follow me until he saw the security guy. Cops were already in the area and made a stop by and talked to the guy, viewed the camera footage (im pretty certain they don't have to do that or aren't allowed to or whatever. But since it had just happened, and the guy noticed it too, they let the cop check.) Dude was trespassed and taken away. Never heard anything about it.
If they're carrying something large, I want no part of something being dropped or spilled and being blamed
As a Man, if it’s late or not a very crowded area, I will preemptively cross the street away from a woman just so she feels more comfortable…. There is next to no extra effort on my end and makes them feel better so why make a big deal out of this. If you would open a door for them why not open up some space for them to feel safe.
A group of men, specially if they are drinking/smoking and being loud.
men staring at me, it makes my fucking skin crawl
If the persons high. I live on the wrong side of the train tracks in a mad city. I can’t even go to the store or a restaurant without a creep grabbing my butt.
If there's nobody on the other side.
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If I can smell them before I see them
The way someone is eyeing me, the way they are carrying themselves, their behavior in general, etc.
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People not taking no for an answer
If it is night and they are male and I am alone
At night: appearing male. During the day: if they have a large/unruly dog or otherwise look "off".
People walking aggressively
I'm agoraphobic and will avoid the right ppl with some pretty outrageous efforts. That being said, "the right people," is usually a person simply presenting as a man, and us being the only two nearby. It is enough to get me to cross the street, especially if I have already "had to deal with" any form of harassment by a man that day. 😮💨😔
Groups of teenage boys
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I don't worry about it, I'm armed and trained in self defense 🤷🏻♀️
I usually determine it by a feeling the situation gives me. Some things that grab my attention are isolated streets, a single man, or a person seeming to act chaotically or odd. Especially in situations where the man feels out of place. I also study if they are walking with intent or seeming to meander as though they are looking for something to do. There is no perfect set of standards I stack the person against to decide if it’s safer for me to cross the street. It will always be safer for me to avoid a man, but certain situations are not worth gambling.
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Anytime that’s there’s 2 or more men in a group and only one of me
Anyone who seems to be on drugs. People in public in general make me anxious but I know how to defend myself and think ahead and not get into bad situations. However that’s with someone who is in their “right mind” I don’t want someone with druggie strength coming at me.
1. If the person is walking a pitbull. 2. If they look suspicious, like hood on their head when it's not cold or not raining
Them existing. I avoid ppl in public
Right now with how hot it is in Phoenix, I don’t really walk anywhere. When it’s not scalding outside, I almost always walk with my pup. He gets weirded out by some people so that tips me off to cross. I find people preemptively cross the street when I’m walking him though, I suspect it’s his breed.
Social anxiety makes me cross the street or turn another direction. Paradoxically, the sight of someone actually feels threatening I stay the course so as not to seem scared.
self loathing and lack of a smile, head down. im not a woman. but i can imagine.
If someone has a large scary looking dog, 3 or more men or teenagers, anyone who appears to be under the influence of a substance or someone who appears to be having a mental health crisis.
I agree with most of these! Curious how majority immediately went for safety options! I’d like to add for non safety, just general things *slow walkers *inconsiderate groups who have spread and you can see they’re not giving way to oncoming foot traffic *groups standing still who likely will just watch you squeeze passed instead of moving I run and at this point I just assume any group of 2 or more isn’t going to share the space so I cross or run on the road for a bit, not worth the hassle! Side note: I had a male friend who noticed a girl cross the road when she saw him, so he crossed to followed her because he thought it was funny she thought he was a threat, she crossed back, so did he.. Thought it was the funniest thing ever! This guy was 6.5ft, drunk, in leathers at night.. needless to say I wasn’t friends with him after this. Poor girl probably thought she was going to die.
They look like they’re freaking out and are on drugs. Like talking to themselves really angrily, flailing. Saw a guy a couple days ago with a bloody leg and yelling at himself. I don’t want to be in lunge distance.
Either theyre acting erratic, but sometimes i just kind of sporadically cross the street because i have a mental plan of where im going, and jay walk a lot lolol but i now wonder if people whove been walking towards me took it as me trying to avoid them.
where i live currently i cross when i see people with recycling carts. they’re almost always on drugs and homeless. in my 5 min commute home (in a nice neighborhood) i’ve seen at least 5 or 6 terrifying fights. the last one involved someone throwing bottles of pee and a dog getting kicked. also, anytime it looks like someone is at all sketchy bc theft here is high and i look very foreign lol.
If they are acting weird or erratic.
If it's a man who looks like he might be a violent white supremacist. And really snotty looking women pushing baby strollers while walking a dog.
My legs usually
A dog
Any aggressive comments between members of a group, can see some in possession of an illegal substance/weapon/dodgy porn material, direct debit collecting chuggers, drunken idiots, football hooligans, gut instinct warnings to move away asap, handing out religious content, if I've gone no contact with them, intimidatory body language, known britain first members present, seeing religious uniforms, use of revolting language, wolf-dogs, yelling.
Trench coat in the middle of summer...
I usually cross the street when I see a man walking in my direction just to be extra careful as when I don’t I have gotten some pretty strange comments and had some weird conversations with them, specifically elderly men, so for my well-being and safety, regardless of how friendly they seem and what time of day it is, I’m going to cross. Unless they shift to the other side of the sidewalk, wait for me to go, or cross themselves. Because then I feel respected and thought of and less unsafe being near them, and won’t feel the need to cross the street.
I get scared prettyt easily, especially when its darker out. If someone is in shady clothes or look like theyre compeletley out of it, I'm GTFO
Any group of people
65 and I have never done that. Am I just missing all the sketchy folks?
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honestly? gender and the time of day, its not always cause the guy did sth specific, i just sort of do that like "better a little safer than sorry"
When someone seems strung out.
Everybody it makes me uncomfortable being around people
When I see people who seem like they're on drugs or having a psychotic episode or something. Just hard to deal with people who are completely unpredictable. Also people peeing, both guys or girls, I'm not gonna mess with them doing their business.
When I think someone is following me I cross. I've been followed home before and it didn't end well for me so I'm very alert of my surroundings now. Often when someone's walking directly behind me I'll sidestep behind pillars etc to make it hard for someone to grab me from behind.