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1500 questions
119
votes
18 answers
How to talk to a girl who's sitting next to me but wearing headphones?
Over the past couple of weeks, there's been this really cute girl who sits near me inside a coffee shop, which has a cozy, "productive" vibe to it -- everyone's doing work on their laptops. I want to start a conversation with this girl, but there's…
D.Hutchinson
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115
votes
11 answers
How to politely notify in an online conversation that I am a woman?
Context
I am a woman and I sometimes post things online, on Stack Exchange for instance. Usually, my posts are very neutral and do not provide any hint of my gender.
It seems that most people assume that I am a man since they refer to me by writing…
Trabool
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114
votes
17 answers
How can I respond when someone asks me when I'm going to get married to my girlfriend?
Frequently I'll have my friends and family tease me, or ask questions about when my girlfriend and I are going to get married. Sometimes, they'll even make these kinds of jokes to me while she's around, which is very uncomfortable and awkward. (I…
DJMcMayhem
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114
votes
10 answers
How to convince my wife that my best friend and I are just friends?
I have a friend (a woman), who I met around 8 months ago. Since then, she has become my best friend and we are extremely close. Understandably, my wife is envious of the relationship and even sometimes suspects it is more than a platonic friendship…
Teri0
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113
votes
11 answers
How to set personal hygiene standards with my boyfriend?
I love my boyfriend very deeply, and we have an awesome relationship but as a person I struggle to bring up criticisms of others in my life without "downplaying" what I'm trying to communicate.
For example I have a friend that is always late to any…
user18833
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111
votes
15 answers
How can I handle my father challenging everything I say?
I live with my parents. My father likes to challenge nearly everything I say, up to the point of ridiculousness. I can prove many of the things he challenges but not immediately. In most cases his disagreements with my comments are off-topic. They…
Belle
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110
votes
17 answers
How to let tech support subtly know that I am proficient without showing off?
I manage a couple of small websites for friends and family as their admin, ranging from installing wordpress to full-stack web development. In this position I often have to contact the support of hosting companies or domain providers because some…
Wolter
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109
votes
8 answers
How can I tactfully refuse to switch seats on flights?
On flights, seatmates (strangers near my seat) have asked me to swap my aisle seat (reserved in advance, sometimes paid for), usually to my disadvantage as their seat has some snag (dirtier, narrower, too close to lavatory).
I usually answer 'Sorry,…
NNOX Apps
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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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108
votes
8 answers
How to avoid explaining science to strangers
So, I was at a Barbeque the other day and a situation occurred that, well, I'm getting tired of. It happens almost every time I meet a new group of people.
When you meet someone, eventually you come down to finding out what they do for a living.
I'm…
ErosRising
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107
votes
7 answers
How to gently turn down a female coworker who asked for a sperm donation?
I have a female co-worker (she's technically my superior but in another department).
We've worked together for about 4.5 years and have been become pretty good friends, we'll always chat in the kitchen at work and occasionally see each other…
Steve
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107
votes
11 answers
How to tell someone believing in pseudoscience & conspiracy theories is wrong without making them feel stupid/upset?
A close family member of mine is a raw vegan, anti vaxer, anti-antibiotics, anti-fluoride, believes in chemtrails, has a machine that filters water and makes it alkaline, eats lots of supplements, buys only organic produce and buys all her hygiene,…
Mythical_Ewe
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107
votes
5 answers
How to interrupt someone while they are telling a group wrong/embarrassing information?
I've recently read a great question on Workplace.se and it reminded me of a similar situation I've come across a couple of times, where I did not know how to interrupt the speaker without embarrassing him even more. It often happens with…
Summer
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104
votes
12 answers
Meeting someone who used to bully me
When I was at school, I received quite a lot of verbal bullying. This waxed and waned over the years, and generally it was patchy enough that I could put up with it in the long term, even if in the short term I had some miserable days. But there was…
user2390246
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104
votes
14 answers
How can I get someone to say their first name without letting on that I've forgotten?
I often face the problem of forgetting the name of a person who I last met a while ago.
This can lead to an awkward situation when asking what their name is.
How can I elicit them to say their name, without letting them know that I've forgotten?
A J
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