Questions tagged [public-issues]

For issues that usually occur in public, in public locations or in the public eye. This can include in cafes, shops, or public transport.

Questions about issues that take place in public locations should use this tag. More specifically, this may include issues that rely on the place in question being a public one, where interactions with the general public are important. Examples of public locations include:

  • Shops/shopping districts
  • Car parks
  • Train/bus stations
  • Cinemas or other luxury venues

More specific tags may be used for these venues; see, for example, and .

78 questions
139
votes
11 answers

How to deflect awkward questions when shopping for women's clothing as a man?

This is going to be a bit of weird question, but I don't know how to deal with this anymore. I'm an Indian guy who's recently immigrated to Britain for college. I'm also very, how to put this, interested in cross-dressing. In India, this wasn't…
anon
108
votes
9 answers

How to intervene in a random abuse/harassment situation?

To be clear, this is not a situation where it is an abusive relationship. This was an interaction that took place in an impromptu manner in a public setting. I was relaxing at an outdoor area in a local open air shopping mall, when a group of four…
JohnP
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103
votes
6 answers

How do I deal with other people's screaming children in restaurants?

I want to start off by saying that I'm not referring to "family friendly" restaurants or other venues where a loud, informal atmosphere might be expected. I'm specifically asking about dining establishments where, under normal circumstances, a…
Beofett
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81
votes
13 answers

Responding to being told to "smile" by a stranger?

This seems to be a fairly common scenario. Since I don't work in a public environment anymore, it's been something that hasn't crossed my mind in a long while. However, today while paying for a few items at the gas station the guy working the…
64
votes
9 answers

How to deal with a dangerous, developmentally disabled person I can not avoid?

On my way to work, I cannot help but encountering a developmentally disabled person who harasses me and other women. How can I deal with him? Background I have been taking the same train to work each day for about 2 years now. A developmentally…
62
votes
9 answers

How to introduce metamours without causing awkwardness?

I am involved in a polyamorous relationship. Currently my wife has both a husband (me) and a boyfriend. We like to go out for normal "couple" type activities like dinner dates, movies, and attending public events. A couple times a month we run into…
60
votes
4 answers

Dismissing a stranger asking for help without being dismissive of their possible situation?

For some background into the layout of where this situation takes place, my apartment complex has it's own dog park. Within a few hundred feet of the dog park is a large and spacious public park, surrounded by tall prairie grass. Situation Recently…
Jess K.
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54
votes
17 answers

How do I dismiss a stranger asking for money?

I'm not sure if the answers to Appropriate ways to dismiss street vendors? apply to this situation, as it is about people asking for money without a compensation. That's why I'm asking a new question about an experience of mine, that got me…
52
votes
7 answers

How to ask a man to not take up more than one seat on public transport while avoiding conflict?

I live in a big city (in Paris, France) and take public transportation every day. I'm perceived as a woman and I will sometimes have to sit near people who spread out and take up more space than just their seat's worth. I find this behavior very…
52
votes
12 answers

How to effectively give out a last warning?

I'm a very calm person. You can insult or harass me a long time before I actually react. But when I react, I tend to go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds (think, from looking visibly displeased to heavy physical altercation). I'm not one to look…
Dastardly
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50
votes
9 answers

How to deal with someone secretly taking pictures of you

As the title says: How should you react if you notice someone taking pictures of you without your consent? Background: It happened to me yesterday on the bus that a woman, of about my age, sat across to me. At one point her cell phone flash light…
50
votes
6 answers

Using reserved "disabled parking" with a disability people cannot see

I have a disability that cannot be seen (diffuse scleroderma and a recalcitrant and relapsing polymyositis). I seem to walk around ok, but my muscles are wasted and continue to rebuild and waste, making it difficult for me to walk long distances and…
user57
45
votes
14 answers

How can I address a man talking inappropriately about women?

Source is this twitter thread: https://twitter.com/MalwareJake/status/976848126987374593 Excerpt: She said that the guy who appeared to be the unofficial group leader started talking about one of the (very few) female conference speakers like a…
Jan
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42
votes
6 answers

How to approach the situation where someone "steals" your table?

Part of my daily routine is having an early morning coffee with my wife at this cute little coffee house near our work. Said coffee house is usually packed so finding a table is a gambit, especially now that it's getting colder out. This morning I…
Xander
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42
votes
9 answers

Appropriate ways to dismiss street vendors?

In the Netherlands, it seems to be quite common lately to hire some students, put them on a busy main street or outside a supermarket, and have them target every passerby by asking 'Can I ask you something?'. These people are always selling stuff I…
Tinkeringbell
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