You Have No Choice

[teacake44]

So you need to get from A to B, and the best, and cheapest way is by coach, it will take two hours to reach B, and you have been allocated the inner seat of two, so that puts you in the middle of two strangers. Do you try to make friendly conversation with either of the two other passengers, or bury your head in a book, or newspaper you've taken along with you, or try to be sociable.

[New Judge]

I forgot this:

//...and you have been allocated the inner seat of two, so that puts you in the middle of two strangers.//

How does it? Surely it puts you in between a stranger and the side of the coach. I've never seen a coach with three seats abreast (apart from across the back). These buses, though, had four abreast on the top deck:

http://www.countrybus.org/RLH/RLH.html

[bobbs202]

Forget the coach, I think teacake is giving it as a example only?
Make it a plane where there's generally 3 seats apart from the large Jumbos

[Prudie]

I can't sleep nor read when travelling by car (can't sleep on a plane either). I also would be happy to respond but wouldn't start a conversation.

[naomi24]

I would say 'hello' and then read my book. The problem with getting into conversation with strangers is that some of them never know when to stop conversing.

[teacake44]

OK NJ, you have two seats either side of the coach, and you are not by the window. will that do it for you. I'm sure you knew that.

[banker_frank]

For some reason I attract 'chatters' which is unusual as I'm a quiet person who avoids initiating chit chat. I am however a very good listener and before you know it I've got someone telling me their life story and aspirations for the future. I would reply to a hello with the same then bury my head in a crossword. On reflection, having done this once on a trip to Scotland, I was seated opposite someone who regularly asked me, for most of the journey ,are you stuck on any? grrrrr.....

[Zacs-Master]

Is it 'bizarre question week' on here?

[teacake44]

Zac , I don't understand why you may think its a bizarre question. What I think is bizarre is, it seems that most on here have lost the ability to make a conversation, face to face.

[Zacs-Master]

What have you based that on?

[teacake44]

Answers/ remarks.

[banker_frank]

I have not lost the ability to make conversation face to face. I just choose not to do so with random strangers.

[Zacs-Master]

I think you're trying to conflate peoples desire for privacy with them being lacking in a desire to converse with people. It's not black and white. Sometimes I might be in a mood to chat to someone and sometimes not. I can see comment on here which suggest this but not which say outright they've lost the ability to converse. That's a a wild and inaccurate conclusion to draw from the comments on here.

[teacake44]

AB is full of random strangers.

[Zacs-Master]

I don't mean converse between people on AB. I'm talking about your park bench / 3 seat scenarios.

[Mamyalynne]

Zacs, you won't win - I got a grilling yesterday for saying I'd share a bench with someone who seemed amenable.

[Old_Geezer]

Get a refund and go by train.

[ludwig]

I like to be left alone by strangers.

[Zacs-Master]

Unless teacake comes back with a sensible coherent reply to my 13:19 post, I'll consider that comment a 'win'.

[Old_Geezer]

One can not lose that which one was never in possession of.

[KARL]

teacake, I substantially agree with your observations (13.12, 13.16) but you need to be aware of the cultural background. Would my observation (12.28) be correct - this is a UK based site and the posters will most likely all be native Brits. As a generalisation Brits (the further south the more likely) are known to be very secretive/withdrawn except by formulaic means, hence the dreaded small talk. On the other hand they wish to be seen as friendly, open, etc. as much as any other people and this again leads to formulaic conversation and behaviour, clenched-lip "smiles", etc., all of which is sometimes a source of conversation among non-Brits. Brits react very strongly when any of this is mentioned.