Kindness is often mistaken for flirtation?

I went to the grocery store tonight and I had my 2 year old daughter in the shopping cart. She brought along her hello kitty bag so she can put some of her groceries in it. I live in a very windy city and as we were entering the store, a big gust of wind carried the bag away. The next thing I know, the young store security guard was running after it. He had to run for a while. I often lose faith in humanity because of rude people so this was a nice change of pace. I thought it was very sweet of him to retrieve the bag. He came back with the bag, like a hero, with a big smile. I was smiling and laughing a bit because he was running for a while and I said Thank You.

I told my boyfriend this story, and he jealously said "oh he totally wanted you.."

now this got me thinking about a statement I've come across before "Kindness is so rare that it's often mistaken for flirtation"..

I agree with it. Well, if someone seems like they need help, I will help them regardless if I find them attractive or not lol. But somehow, someone might end up interpreting it as flirtation..

What do you guys think?

 

I Agree with you. A lot of people do think when you help them out that you are doing it because you think they are attractive and are making the move. If I do a good deed for someone, I sometimes feel paranoid about them thinking that I did it to flirt.

I'd say the guy that helped you did it out of kindness, but that still doesn't change the fact that he was probably totally into you.

 

Yeah...well boyfriends or husbands or what-have-you, like to do that, I don't know if they do it as flattery or if they have a tinge of jealousy they're batting back, but anyway, yeah, not surprising that your boyfriend said it was because the guy was into you.

As for kindness being mistaken for flirtation, definitely. In the work I do, I get it a lot. And just being nice or talkative or even smiling can make people think you want more from them. At some point I became a lot less kind in person, like the extra, smiling and speaking to people, I don't do that so much because I don't want extra attention.

It reminds me of the song Joyful Girl though. I really think of it as a sort of theme song for me, this part in particular:
i do it for the joy it brings
because i'm a joyful girl
because the world owes me nothing
and we owe each other the world
i do it because it's the least i can do
i do it because i learned it from you
and i do it just because i want to
because i want to

There's a part in 32 Flavors that goes with this too:
just the kindness i've lavished on strangers
is more than i can explain
still there's many who've turned out their porch lights
just so i would think they were not home
and hid in the dark of their windows
till i'd passed and left them alone

At this point, while I still do nice things for people, I don't do it so randomly anymore and I'm almost the person who hides behind their window at this point, but I'm usually still friendly enough to accept help or kindness.

 

He probably would not have run for a while If I had dropped something.
I do find myself helping people that little bit more If I like the look of them.
But I am generally a helpful person.
I think because it was a young child's might have been a factor.

Maybe he just wanted the exercise :\

 

Just because someone does a good deed, it does not make it flirtation. It's rather sad to think people would see that as flirtation. Chances are it had more to do with the fact that the bag belonged to a young child.

 

Damn, I am actually on the same page as Odon for a change. Scary.

 

I really like this. As I get reception on my phone, I'll be returning to read it again a few times throughout the night at work.

 

Yeah and when you get a chance listen to the songs.

 

I definitely will when I get home - I'm at work now.

 

I once told a library clerk seh was 'beautiful'.

That's it.

Next time I walk in she's whispering to he other clerk, and passes me off to him.

Know what I said?

"Hey man, you're beautiful."

 

+rep......:rofl:......:2thumbsup:



Cheers Glen.

 

Sorry, I accidentally thumb downed this on my phone. I repped you anyway, I thought it was good.

 

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