Does being in public make you cringe?

No.

well i dont cringe in public but i hate being confronted by someone i dont know. i like to snowboard a lot (almost every day in the winter) and i hate riding on the chairlift with a stranger. i will purposely try and take up most of the width of the line with my board so no one will join me in line

Man I do. I hate being around people. There got to be one point in my life as I got crazier and crazier where I stopped going to the grocery store because I was afraid of small talk with acquaintances. At that same time, I decided that I had enough friends and made it a goal to not meet new people if I could help it (sometimes it’s unavoidable).

I don’t really feel comfortable anywhere I can’t take my dog:
movie theater, baseball game, random house party, walmart, courthouse, etc.

I’d much rather hang out at the house, a friend’s house, the park or have a barbecue.

I’ve come to terms with my budding insanity so it’s not so bad anymore. I do get real nervous in crowds. It’s especially bad at concerts and festivals. I can’t really go to them anymore.

As you might have guessed I eat a lot of delivery food.

Sort of. I think I know what you’re getting at WakeUp, but I’m not sure I’m 100% there. I find myself cringing at myself sometimes, but mostly at other people. One thing that makes me cringe without fail is when I’ve been to see a movie, and I hear people talking about it to each other on the way out. Hearing other people’s opinions of a shared experience can be really annoying.
I have ambitions to become a writer, and I suppose these sorts of encounters are good material. I think this reaction is sort of what Hemingway was talking about when we said every good writer needs a bullshit detector.

am i naked?

I only cringe while being in public if I see handle-bar mustaches, mullets or sandals worn with socks…...or happen to stumble upon a free concert with <insert boy/girl band name>.

Thats funny, i just put my socks on, now Im looking for my sandals so I can go to the barber shop and have my mullet trimmed and my handle bar mustache shaped up.

Don’t you feel like every time you talk to someone, they are eating part of your soul?

My hat just ripped, I need more foil.

No and I don’t believe the flash from a camera steals my so-called soul either…

Hello, my name is MacBean, and I’m agoraphobic.

So my answer is a big fat resounding YES.

if i’m overweight and my self esteem is low as a result, i would want to stay indoors.

Do you hate being around strangers? No
Is it normal to have such trivial relationships, for your whole life? Yes.
How can you get back to the tribe? What tribe?
Is it fair that you have to see other people to survive? Yep.

Meeting and having random conversations with perfect strangers is fun at times. Especially when you are traveling. Knowing that you will probably never meet again, but you still have those 5 min of time where you discussed something, or maybe laughed about something or learned something new (whatever is the case) and i think those 5 min still help shape your life. Who knows, you could be best friends if you grew up in the same neighborhood..etc. Meeting and helping strangers is fun and definitely a part of life.

Another big resounding YES from me!!!

Great question. I am another YES.

I can tolerate crowds for a while but for the most part prefer small groups or solitude. To interact with strangers or make small talk is an extreme energy drain.

Mandatory events that last longer than a couple of hours such as business meetings or exhibitions often are aided by a drink to take off the edge or I will feel like a caged animal and have to stifle a desire to bolt.

I have no interest in making small talk and I am not good at it. I do not like to be probed with questions. If I am passionate about a subject I will talk about it willingly. But to speak of my personal life leaves me feeling uneasy.

I have realized that many of these people are really not interested in what I to say so much as beginning a dialogue so that they can talk about themselves. Especially at large social functions where often they speak in order to have a platform to speak of their many accomplishments in a subtle “one- upmanship” game. Then there are those who feel the need to divulge information about their unhappy relationships and then ask me personal questions in an “I showed you now you show me” game. The latter I avoid like the plague.
I look at them- nodding with a drink in hand trying hard to keep focused enough to appear as if I am giving full attention to the speaker while still allowing my mind to wander to a safe haven of inner solitude.

Depends on the people around you.