Simmermon: Avoid awkward on-campus meetings
Use a variety of tricks to avoid social situations
Monday, November 12th, 2007
Saying hello is for losers.
I find that I make my time on campus as minimal as I possibly can these days. I go up for class and then get the heck out of Dodge as soon as my classes are over.
Campus is just not a social scene for me. Walking to class isn’t a time for me to catch up with old buds; it’s simply a time to get from point A to point B. Seeing people you are acquainted with on the way to and from class is always so awkward. How do you know when it’s appropriate to say, “Hi” or not?
I mean, what if I only had one class with this girl in high school, or I think I met that guy at Louise’s last week? But then they say, “Hi” and use your name and you feel like such a horrible person for questioning even giving them a wave. And then you feel worse because you can’t even remember the first letter of their name.
It a horrible conundrum that plagues my existence every single day. Luckily, I have found an easy way to remedy the situation by wearing my iPod very visibly any time I’m on campus. It’s like an automatic “don’t talk to me” symbol. and even if someone says something to you, just point at your ear and mouth the words, “I can’t hear you.”
The results are amazing. People walk right by and when you pretend that you can’t hear them they just smile and nod like, “Oh yeah, I understand” and walk on.
Then there are those times when you see someone you either don’t really like or don’t have the energy to be friendly with. It’s times like these when fiddling with your iPod or pretending to be talking on the phone comes in handy. Or sometimes I’ll see someone coming and I’ll turn around and look pensively behind me like I forgot something or like I’m looking for someone. That trick’s not so great though, because people can still yell out at you.
It’s better to have something in your ear so the possibility of a conversation is completely out of the question. Of coarse, if I see a good friend I will stop and have a chat, but seriously I know so many people that go to this school, whether it’s from high school or sorority stuff or random introductions at bars and concerts.
It’s impossible to get away from the network of people I know, and sometimes I just don’t want to talk to people, especially when I’m sober and trying to get my life together.
I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, because I think I’ve caught some people doing the above things to me, and to that I say, “Mad props!” I respect a person’s decision to not talk to me on campus. You can ignore me all you want, fake some phone conversations and look at your iPod right when I walk by. Instead of taking offense, I’ll admire your antisocial introverted attitude and walk on with a smile.
Simmermon is a Leawood senior in journalism.
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