Greetings, it is the time for the periodic tradition where I answer search strings people typed in as if they are questions. First, I want to share a few links - Here I am at Vice, writing about family arguments, and I also want to call attention to S. Bear Bergman's recent post there: How … Continue reading It Came From The Search Terms: October Symphony (Oct. 2020)
Category: Captain Awkward’s Laws of Social Media
#1220: “Is this guy constantly texting me after I told him not to because he ‘doesn’t understand’ boundaries or because he doesn’t care about them?”
Dear Captain Awkward, I ( 27, she/her) have an acquaintance (29, he/him) who is not neurotypical (he told me this). His preferred mode of communication is texting and he frequently tries to have long, involved text conversations with me. I was pretty tolerant of this at first, but it’s gotten a bit wearing. I’ve told … Continue reading #1220: “Is this guy constantly texting me after I told him not to because he ‘doesn’t understand’ boundaries or because he doesn’t care about them?”
#1211, #1212, #1213: FeelingsCourt Is In Session On Several Accumulated Matters Of The Heart
I have some questions about romantic feelings and dating and breakups accumulating and I don't know if they all belong together, but maybe they don't all need separate threads? I think what they might have in common is people who are trying to rules-lawyer their own hearts. Let's find out! Hello Captain Awkward, I'm not … Continue reading #1211, #1212, #1213: FeelingsCourt Is In Session On Several Accumulated Matters Of The Heart
#977: “I just don’t want to be your friend:” “No thanks!” is NOT mean.
Hi Capt, Surely this has been asked before, but I can't find anything this straightforward in the archive. What do you say when someone wants to be your friend but you just don't like them? I feel like at any given time there are a few people in my life who really want to be … Continue reading #977: “I just don’t want to be your friend:” “No thanks!” is NOT mean.
Small behaviors to leave in 2016: The Content-Free Interruption
So I'm dicking around online this morning, and a friend shared some theories about a show she's been watching (with spoilers amply warned for) and an invitation for friends who are also watching to discuss. Other people who watch the show weigh in and are happily trading theories and easter eggs and everything is fine … Continue reading Small behaviors to leave in 2016: The Content-Free Interruption
#911: “People keep asking for my crush’s info, and it pisses me off.”
Hey Cap, I have a really close friendship with “Nathan”, who I’m also In Love With. We met on Twitter and talk throughout the day most days, and a long-standing online friendship and flirtation turned into a close offline friendship and flirtation and a gradual but big escalation of my feelings. Long story short, despite … Continue reading #911: “People keep asking for my crush’s info, and it pisses me off.”
#896: “One wedding, one funeral, and a crapton of sibling conflict.”
Dear Captain Awkward, My brother died suddenly in an accident in May. He was my only full sibling. The only sibling I grew up with and lived with. I also have 3 older half siblings from my father’s first marriage- we’re not super close, we see each other at holidays and text quarterly updates. After … Continue reading #896: “One wedding, one funeral, and a crapton of sibling conflict.”
#599: It’s awkward when I run into my former students. How can I get better at these interactions?
Dear Captain Awkward, This question is not so much about a single major situation or a crisis as it is about a recurring, if minor, situation that I encounter again and again. I am a graduate student at a medium-sized research university where graduate students do a lot of teaching. As a result, I encounter … Continue reading #599: It’s awkward when I run into my former students. How can I get better at these interactions?
Shall I Compare Thee To a Summer’s Day? July Search Terms
It's July, so time for the monthly "let's answer the stuff people typed into search engines" post. It is, as always, a very mixed bag of topics. 1. "Is my partner's family using my family for money? Help!" I feel like there is a lot of backstory and context here that would be valuable to … Continue reading Shall I Compare Thee To a Summer’s Day? July Search Terms
It Came From the Search Terms
Now and then it's interesting to see the search terms that bring people here, and, since they are in the form of a question, give some short answers. I've added punctuation but otherwise left the texts unaltered. "Pushing someone to accept something they aren't ready to." Is doomed. You can maybe get someone to say … Continue reading It Came From the Search Terms