A woman who was made to feel guilty after she moved away from a 'creepy' man on a bus has asked the internet if she did the right thing. Social media users were quick to offer their support - and said women "don't have to worry about hurting random men's feelings".
The 22-year-old said she was sitting on the bus waiting to leave the station on a four-hour long journey when the man got onboard, looked around - and asked if he could sit beside her. The young woman said the bus was "literally empty" apart from herself and four other passengers.
Writing under the username Brilliant-Problem605 on social media site Reddit, the woman said: "Quickly thinking to myself that I don’t wanna be stuck beside a stranger for four hours when I don’t have to be, I get up from my seat and tell him to go ahead, in the nicest way possible.
"I then move a couple of seats behind the row I was sitting at. He gives me a really dirty look then and when I was getting off the bus, he rolled his eyes at me.
Asking fellow users if she had done the wrong thing, she wrote: "I understand that my actions probably seemed very rude, but I just honestly didn’t feel like sitting beside a stranger for that length of time, when the bus was basically empty.
"Like it’s nice to stretch yourself out on a journey that long and not have to mind someone else’s personal space, and I also didn’t feel like talking. But I feel guilty thinking I offended him or upset him, like the more I think of it the more guilty I feel.
"He obviously wanted someone to talk to but if it was a short journey I would’ve, but I didn’t wanna be stuck with him to find out he’s a weirdo and then make it more awkward by then moving after talking to him. But then I still have the nagging feeling I was rude or could’ve hurt him, and his facial expression’s definitely implied it anyway."
In a response that was upvoted more 2,500 times in five hours, Fuzzy-Constant wrote: "He was being creepy. You don't have to worry about hurting random men's feelings when they're giving you unwanted attention.
"Be civil and polite (unless that doesn't work) but don't spend one second worrying about whether you hurt the feelings of some creepy guy on the bus."
Personal-Regular said: "Honey, he had bad intentions and your gut was right! That is a skill that you should continue to master.
"Never let someone make you feel guilty for keeping yourself safe. You should be SO proud of yourself!"
Dixieland_Insanity echoed the previous comments, replying:" You have the right to comfort and feeling safe like anyone else. There was no reason for him sit with you when he had lots of other seats from which to choose. Don't feel guilty for taking care of your needs."
The young woman later thanked the hundreds of people who commented on her post. She wrote: "Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate it them and feeling a lot less guilty!"
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