Are there certain groups of people you may choose to avoid?

Granny23 How I agree with your post. After DH had a stroke in January we have both given up our 5 'gaspers' a day and do you know what - No one has noticed, except us!

I've trawled through all of the replies on this thread and have to agree with Lilyflower and others who have said that our humanity causes most of us at times to be guilty of some of these things that others find reprehensible. Interestingly the question was about groups of people we may choose to avoid and I think, for me, there are very few. I once joined a group of women (strangers to me) at a party in NZ and they began to make denigrating comments about a new Chinese neighbour, to which my response was to say that I didn't want to be a party to a racist conversation and I deliberately walked away. Apart from that one incident I can't think of a time when I have deliberately avoided people.

My childhood achievements were not earth shattering, but as a child my mother was always very dismissive of them and this has continued into adulthood. As a consequence I'm always keen to celebrate my own family's achievements. My husband (aka The Wonderful Man) was raised to be extremely modest and I often find myself 'championing' his achievements because I know that he won't. I don't think it comes across as boasting, but maybe, if you didn't know the context, it would do.

My bugbear is people who moan about other's grammar. My Dad God bless him, bought himself a laptop, he wanted to keep in touch with his old mates who were already online. It suddenly dawned on him that he was going to have to write. He was in his 70's and because of an accident when he was a child, he had a lot of time off school, so his reading and writing was a bit underpar. I told him not to worry about it but he did and never used his laptop. I get so annoyed with people who point out spelling mistakes, does it realy matter.... Well obviously it does to those who are so clever and never make a mistake. Why does everything have to be so perfect, who cares that something is spelt wrong, I'm sure people are savvy enough to work out what something says!! x

granny23 you’ve reminded me of the day we took our GCs to a local Wildlife Park, we were crawling along in a very long queue to get in, accross the way was a very large elderly gentleman, totally covered in Tatoos, even the top of his bald head, arms, legs.
I said to my DH and the GCs ‘ just look at that men over there’
my GCs gasped in horror, ‘oh no’ they both exclaimed. He’s SMOKING!
They hadnt even noticed the bright tatoos.
I guess it’s a generation thing

I avoid if possible walkers with twosticks. tap tap tap it goes along the path and if there are 20 of them! It is healthier to let your body find its own balance and rhythm.

People who live in the Alps -if they need help they take a pole with them and swing on it.
I have single walking stick very old fashioned but then I am another generation.

Cornishclio I am interested that you put smokers at the top of your list. I would have thought that nowadays when smoking is prohibited in so many locations that a smoker would not impinge on your everyday life?

This is a genuine query from a near life-long smoker who does her best to ensure that I do not offend or annoy anyone else. I have long term friends and colleagues who have been totally amazed when they saw me smoking, having never realised that I do.

BTW some of the most interesting and kind people I have met were smoking buddies, first encountered in 'smokers' corner outside a venue.

I avoid the kind of people that call other people snobs. 'Snobbishness' is only in the eye of the beholder and says more about their own self image than that of those they are calling snobs. Chips on both shoulders?

People in the country where I live always talk about money, what they have, what it cost etc, also they talk solely about themselves when others havent a clue who they are talking about, never interested in anyone else, really rather boring and I am stuck with it!

People who monopolise conversations,( my Husband always does this) people who brag, boast and are snobs, I have to agree with everything Panache and Lemongrove say, wish we could meet,what a great time we would have.

NanKate What do you understand by the words "politically correct" and do you not think that sometimes it is right that people take issue with or protest about things said or done that they think are wrong?

I wouldn't imagine there are many people who like people who are cruel to children and animals.

I'm interested in the Gransnetter who said she avoided U3A. I joined because I'd moved to a town where I knew no-one. What a bunch: so unwelcoming and cliquey. Every time I tried to join an interest group I was told there was a waiting list. However, I started up a memoir writing group, and through this I've met likeminded U3A members who have become my friends. I avoid smug bores: the kind who brag about going on cruises and whose grandchildren are supposedly of genius intelligence. In my opinion you can't brag about anything you can buy.

YES

Politically correct people who take offence very easily
Very right wing or left wing people
People who are cruel to children or animals

Sorry Panache, I am irritated by people who misuse words such as 'whom'. It looks as though they are trying to show their 'superior' grasp of grammar.

Oh and mean people who are nasty behind peoples backs and those stingy with money.

Goodness there are quite a few types of people I avoid.
Smokers are at the top of the list.

People that drink too much and get shouty and falling over drunk, merry drinkers I don't mind so much but when they get annoying I avoid like the plague.

People that do not seem to realise conversation is two way and are constantly turning the conversation round to them.

People that brag and boast about the size and cost of their houses, holidays and cars etc.

Racists and opinionated people who aren't willing to listen to anyone else.

That is quite a lot but we have a fair number of friends and none of my family annoy me so I think I have managed to ditch all the annoying friends we have had in the past. One of DHs family on the other hand I steer clear of in family gatherings.

Violette - We came across groups of british people like that in France too. Very embarrassing. But not so many, TG, down where we were.
They don't bother to learn the french language either.

I avoid people who generalise. There are good and bad in all races/nationalities/social classes/age groups.

I was brought up not to boast but youngsters these days are taught to "sell themselves" At work for a few years before I retired, we were told to sell ourselves, it drove me mad but made me laugh as this used to mean something else!

Violette=="like settlers against the Indians" So funny+true +

I think that show offs and snobs are people who are unhappy in their own skin

threexnanny - I agree with you there. A family member of mine always does that. She has 4 kids and my other sibling has 3. Im on my own yet the bill gets split evenly. Im in not talking kids who have a kids meal. They have a full priced meal. Its very unfair. I just avoid going out with them now.

I seem to have dug up a rather vicious hornets nest with starting this thread ..........thinking I was the "miserable old git" not liking the antics of my fellow men.

My word folks, your posts have certainly told me,in great terms,that my few pet hates are, in fact, simply touching the litmus paper.................because Wowee!! you have certainly let it all hang out.
What is more I have to agree with the majority of you.

Time to make sure we are not ourselves tainted with the same brush, though I guess there is a little bit of each one of us lurking around in these postings!!!

Keep `em coming...........and thanks a bunch.Don`t hide your thoughts,at least expressing ourselves comes for free.

threexnanny: I was caught out in exactly the same way once and was left with a very inadequate amount of money for the rest of the month.

After that, I made certain I stated in advance that I wouldn't go out if we were sharing the bill!

Oh dear...you wouldn't want to live here in rural France where I do then (sadly not in a chateau...although I could SAY I did and who would know ? ) I avoid like the plague groups of 'ex pats' in shops and restaurants ...they raise their voices and talk about who has what, how much it cost, and where they are going for their next cruise ........oh do shut up !!! then they gather round the trolleys like settlers against the Indians in the old westerns, and talk down people ..loudly ! I never told her but in a bar once I overheard the owner of a residential mobile home site telling anyone within earshot (and a lot out of it as well !) all about the people who had just sold their house and moved there ....what they had done with the money (as it happens bought an enormous camper van to travel Europe in before ill health set in) and a new car ,,,,,I know because these two retirees were m y friends .........I never let on I knew them, but wanted to see what else she would say ...I never told my friends, but they would have been horrified to know how they were being talked about ! and as for snobbishness about houses, don't even start me talking about that ! I live in a new build bungalow .....and all my neighbours are French ....they decided they wanted to learn English, so off we went to the local class ...whereupon, as usual, all the Brits were telling everyone what they had ....large houses, horses, the latest model of 4 x 4 ..........then they asked my French neighbours where they lived ...............in a new build bungalow as well ...oh dear, you should have see their faces .....these new builds are called by the snobbish Brits 'blots on the landscape'........not acceptable to live in one !! I try never to be overheard speaking English when I see a group of Brits coming towards me in Lidl .....last week a couple of ladies of a certain age were buying Lidl wine .....and one said to the other 'Oh, I decant it into a decent wine bottle'.......and she was carrying a Waitrose bag to put her shopping in (wouldn't have impressed the French, they don't know Waitrose from Lidl ! WHY do they do it ???? I feel sorry for them that they obviously feel inadequate unless people think they are wealthy ...............

It's human nature not to like everybody.