Debate Unlimited Forum

[Clancy]

I was in town recently for a Tobacco Cessation forum...and I went out for dinner in a vietnamese restaurant.

As I was by myself, and I get bored by myself, I asked the waitress if they had anything to read.

She directed me to a raised bench where there were some Choice Magazines (Australias consumer watchdog) so I smiled at the lady who was sitting next to them, went back and sat down and started to read while I waited for my food.

A few minutes later, the lady who had been sitting near the bench came over...

"Im really sorry to disturb you" she said "You don't know me from Adam...but I just wanted to tell you that I saw you when you came in, and you have a very lovely spirit around you.."

At first I just thought this was her way of saying I had a nice demeanor or look or whatever, and I said "Thank you"...but then she went on.

"Yes you have a ghost who followed you in..." I raised my eyebrows "Oh don't worry, he is a good sprirt, he is looking after you and he says that you shouldn't be sad anymore."

Halfway torn between feeling quite angry at her imposition, and amused...I just said "Thanks, that's very kind of you." Until finally she went back to her table where her husband was also sitting.

How would you have responded?

[Beau Tochs]

[StephenAI]

If she seemed harmless-crazy, I would have pursued the matter and asked her some more very pointed questions like, 'What does he say I am sad about?' or, 'What else does he say?'. In fact I'd probably take up so much of her time with questions she would want to leave me alone and go back to her husband. Of course I wouldn't be buying into a word of it, but it would be interesting to see what contrivances she would come up with off the cuff and how long she could go without tripping up somehow. Not to be cruel, understand, merely to test her mettle. If she believes herself to be genuinely psychic or able to see and hear spirits, I'd want to see just how good she was at it.

[richard09]

Doing whatever it takes to disengage quietly and have a pleasant dinner can't be criticized. The trouble with quiet nutcases is they frequently seem to turn into noisy nutcases when engaged. If you were willing to put up with the aggravation, some questioning of what exactly she was seeing might have been interesting.

[G. Whiz]

I'm not sure I would have managed to hold my tongue. Clancy, the woman who approached you was intrusive. How different is what she said, really, from some other wacko message like "The minute I set eyes on you, I knew you were on good terms with Jesus"?

[Jenni]

Smile sweetly and in the nicest, most sugary voice say "My dear, I am afraid you have mistaken me for someone who gives a damn." Then turn back to what I was reading.

[andkon]

[mortato]

[cjb]

What !! Another one... took me two months to get rid of the last one! They really can be a pain in the butt, and you know the worst thing? They never pick up the cheque when you go out together... freeloaders.... (Head back down and start reading again)

Smiling and being polite while hoping they will quickly walk away. What an extraordinary thing to say to a stranger.

[Wolverine]

[Cloud Walker]

A hearty "Fuck off" would have 1.) sent her packing and 2.) demonstrated that she was exactly wrong. But that takes some courage/recklessness. I probably would have done exactly as you did.

[LeftHook]

[Spaz]

I would have said "Only one?" and evolved the conversation from there.

You HAVE to have fun when shit like that happens. That's half the fun of living.

[Ben]

[Potsy]

I would have looked her in the eye and said
"That's the strangest pick up line I ever heard"

[JonSolo]

[Potsy]

I'd go for option (c) myself.

[Clancy]

Yes I rather like option C...

[LeftHook]

C for sure, but must be in a dry ice-cold monotone delivered with steely eye contact.

[Potsy]

I'd try it with my eyes crossed looking at the end of my nose....
bother, I haven't got a nose and I can't move my eyes.

[Andromeda's tresses]

It's belated I know, but Clancy's reply to the lady was the best response, even if it contained a measure of contempt, which it shouldn't have.
If the lady really thought she saw a ghost, she was, at least, being sincere and not making fun of Clancy.
Many people experience unusual phenomena without being "crazy". For example, some people see vivid colours when exposed to music.

[Markaba 2.0]

You could always throw it right back at her. Say: "Really? That's interesting because . . . well, maybe I shouldn't say, but you really ought to know. There's a dark spirit hovering around you. Very dark. It's a spirit of confusion and deception, and it causes you see things that aren't there. It makes you believe in New Age-y nonsense. Very, very dark. I would get exorcised right away. Start by reading a Dawkins book. That'll help tremendously."

Actually I'd never say that; I'd probably say pretty much the same thing you did. My friend Joe and I did have something similar happen once in a restaurant in Grand Rapids, MI. We had a guy come over and say he was a Christian and God had spoken to him about us. He said something to the effect of," You guys are partiers, aren't you?" "Not really," Joe said, and I agreed. This was true. Neither of us were partiers, unless you count smoking the occasional joint as partying. Neither Joe nor I were particularly into alcohol at the time. So the guy says to Joe, "You're a musician, aren't you?" "No," Joe replied. Neither of us were musicians either. "Well, do you like music?" the guy continues. "I guess so," Joe replied reluctantly. That seemed to satisfy the guy, as if nearly every living human being doesn't like music. I can't even remember what he said after that, but none of it was accurate. It was very clear that he was a new Christian and keen on converting people left and right. He thought he had us pegged and was going to impress us with his "God-given" predictions about us. Hilarious.

[Tommy]

[Clancy]

[Andromeda's tresses]

I'm glad to know that there was no contempt involved, Clancy. To my mind, a secularist without humanity belongs in the same category as a religious bigot.