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Whistling in public

Ray Palmer

I was recently getting a flight and while waiting in the airport a guy sitting a few seats away started whistling. Just some random tune. After ten minutes of this I turn and stare at him which he seems to understand as a request to stop. Another 10 minutes later he starts up again, I look over again and he stops. Starts again 10 minutes later, stare, stop. About 30 minutes go by and we are all called to the plane.
Going down the walk way to the plane and a queue forms again in the tunnel like part and I hear this whistling echoing all around. It is this guy again who is behind me further down the queue. So I stand out of the queue and say " Excuse me. Would you mind not whistling it is incredibly irritating?" . No word from him but there is complete silence from everybody. I turn back into the queue and face the plane. Then this women is staring at me literally open mouthed as if I had insulted her. I look at her and say "Yes?" and she slowly turns around with the same expression like a cartoon character.

Am I the only one who thinks whistling around people who aren't paying to listen is irritating?

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Comments

Ray Palmer

Mesrine65 wrote: »

& if your passive-aggressive outburst was met with an aggressive response?

The passive aggressive actions were the stares.

The request to stop was plain aggressive.

I was prepared for such a response but non-violent. I could have lead to violence if it kept escalating and I took that risk rather than continue to be irritated. That was the decision I made. I do not regret it

josip

Ray Palmer wrote: »

Very predictable comment. I could hear him over my headphones

Ray Palmer wrote: »

Fair enough, I was quite prepared for that type of response as an expect-able.

Does life hold any surprises for you?

Hemerodrome

So far, not once has this thread seen a correct, accurate useage of the term "passive-aggressive". The OP's behaviour would appear to have been aggressive, but it's not the same thing.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive-aggressive_behavior

DoozerT6

Some people are more sensitive to certain noises than others. Some people wouldn't even notice the person whistling, while for others after 30 seconds it's like nails down a blackboard. So for the OP, yes it was irritating. Maybe others didn't notice it but for him it was an issue.

OP, I hear you. I was in a similar situation on a plane this year, literally the second we took our seats the person behind me started whistling the same few bars of a tune. Over and over and over and over and over again. Before we had even taken off I was ready to strangle him. I just stuck my headphones on, turned my little telly screen up and phased it out. But if I wasn't able to block the sound out somehow, I would have turned around and asked him politely to stop as we had an 8 hour flight ahead of us. It was relentless.

Now I appreciate that he may have been nervous and that was his way of expressing it but it was certainly annoying to me, not sure about anyone else around me. And during the flight, the couple of times I took my headphones out, if he wasn't sleeping he was Still. Whistling.

Ray Palmer

MadDog76 wrote: »

I wouldn't go out of my way to irritate anybody...

It's rude to approach and speak to a stranger in the manner that you did ........ it would invoke an equally rude response from me.

He was aware it was irritating me so was going out of his way to irritate me. By your own standard he was the one initially being rude. I was rude because he was being rude repeatedly.

[Deleted User]

You've little to be worried about

I'd say you had a wonderful mother.

Mesrine65

Ray Palmer wrote: »

The passive aggressive actions were the stares.

The request to stop was plain aggressive.

I was prepared for such a response but non-violent. I could have lead to violence if it kept escalating and I took that risk rather than continue to be irritated. That was the decision I made. I do not regret it

Good man Ray, I admire that you have the courage of your convictions...y'all need to chill a wee bit though

Dyr

If someone did that to me I'd feel obliged to answer their request by whistling like the clangers.

whatismyname

Ray Palmer wrote: »

He was aware it was irritating me so was going out of his way to irritate me.

This sounds like quite a jump / assumption to make regarding his intentions. Not everything is about you. Knowing it was irritating you does not mean he was going out of his way to irritate you, maybe he just enjoys whistling.

suicide_circus

whatismyname wrote: »

You sound very passive aggressive in that encounter.

What was passive about it? He was direct and got the result he wanted. Assertive Aggressive maybe.

MadDog76

Ray Palmer wrote: »

He was aware it was irritating me so was going out of his way to irritate me. By your own standard he was the one initially being rude. I was rude because he was being rude repeatedly.

He wasn't going out of his way to irritate you .......... unless somebody told him "You know what irritates the f*ck outta Ray? Whistling!!", leading him to then start whistling with the sole purpose of irritating you.

No, he most likely has a habit of whistling and did so ......... then notices you glaring at him and thinks to himself, as I would, "cheeky bollix, trying to intimidate me into not whistling because HE doesn't like it, f*ck that!" .......... he only let himself down when he bowed down to you verbally (and rudely) intimidating him.

Sheeps

Mesrine65 wrote: »

Go on out of it you narky bollix ye :pac::pac::pac:

That is glorious

suicide_circus

For me it would depend on the quality of the whistling, it it was badly executed tuneless whistling it would annoy me. Do people think it would have been OK if the guy had been blasting tunes from his phones crappy speaker? Or roaring down the phone? Or kicking the seat in front of him making a loud banging noise?
You were dead right OP, Irish people are very afraid of standing up to people or asking people to stop with an irritating or anti social activity for fear of making a scene or being labelled a dry shìte.

whatismyname

Shall we have a singalong?

Drumpot

I reckon Most people don't realise when they are being dicks, so I will give OP benefit of the doubt.

Poll should be "is staring random strangers out of it when they disagree with you demanding that they shut up a dick move?"

Ficheall

OP should have joined in with the whistling. Probably would have been more effective.

Fr_Dougal

In a confined space like an airport, train, bus etc., travelers should show a bit more consideration for fellow passengers.

The whistling guy was out of order, but I think you may have overreacted, Ray.

recylingbin

mad muffin wrote: »

There is a time and a place for whistling. When your whacking someone's head open with a baseball bat, like a ripe melon.

Nah. Whistling is the internationally recognised method for conveying that you're not looking at your neighbour's cock at urinals.

[Deleted User]

I think it's the height of ignorance whistling in public like that. Especially on a bus etc.

I don't see any difference in this or kids blasting scooter from a nokia 3310.

Not acceptable.

MadDog76

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

I think it's the height of ignorance whistling in public like that. Especially on a bus etc.

I don't see any difference in this or kids blasting scooter from a nokia 3310.

Not acceptable.

Ah c'mon!!! Having a w@nk in public is unacceptable but whistling!??!! Mildly irritating to some at most ..........

josip

MadDog76 wrote: »

Ah c'mon!!! Having a w@nk in public is unacceptable but whistling!??!! Mildly irritating to some at most ..........

Thresholds in Sweden are different.
Better to ignore someone on the street in need of help than risk being perceived as intrusive and "rude".

LeBash

Maybe he was nervous about the flight and that was his way of getting by.

I get that it is annoying but nothing is more annoying than watching someone make a fool of themselves in front of a crowd over such a trivial thing. Maybe you should try and exercise some self control in future.

GFT

It's irritating as ****. Especially first thing in the morning like someone in my office that does.

endofrainbow

I find it irritating also but I wouldn't antagonise someone over it - specially not this guy :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMm1Wih0kug

Canterelle

Currently sitting on a train with about 6 kids nearby, all under 12 and they are noisily having the craic. It's a bit distracting but I like it too. Same with someone whistling. God what a world if we all have to go about silently for fear of annoying some old git!

Ray Palmer

Canterelle wrote: »

Currently sitting on a train with about 6 kids nearby, all under 12 and they are noisily having the craic. It's a bit distracting but I like it too. Same with someone whistling. God what a world if we all have to go about silently for fear of annoying some old git!

No where near the same. 6 different people communicating. Never expected silence. Whistling is a sound that is much louder.

whatismyname

Ray Palmer wrote: »

No where near the same. 6 different people communicating. Never expected silence. Whistling is a sound that is much louder.

One person whistling is a sound that is much louder than 6 kids noisily having the craic?

At this point, seems reasonable to presume you're on the wind-up.

Mesrine65

Try a little more patience Ray, it can go a long way...

Saipanne

I was in a very cosy cafe just now and a guy was playing the "hi hats" to a song, using a "tss "tss" sound with his mouth.

What an absolute c*nt.

darkpagandeath