How to Avoid Meeting Someone at a Party Without Being a Jerk
You’re at a party when someone you hate walks in. Shit , you think. Should I say hello? Can I pretend I haven’t seen them? What floor am I on and can I get out through the window unharmed?
Above on cut , writer Hannah Gold has a hack of all hacks for times when you want to desperately avoid someone and don’t look like a common member. Thanks to the latest season of Curb Your Enthusiasm , it’s called The Big Goodbye. Here’s the gold:
“In this episode, Larry David is at a friend’s party and informs his friend Richard Lewis that he will be using ‘The Big Goodbye’ in Everybody Loves Raymond, executive producer Phil Rosenthal, whose silly chatter about his current TV projects Larry considers unbearable. Our curmudgeonly teacher goes on to explain his method: “You avoid people all night, and then at the end, when you are about to leave, you say goodbye to them. Then they feel good, they are very happy that you spent this time with them at the end of the night, and then you slip away. “
And we fully support this idea – it is also not difficult. By the end of the night, just find your nemesis, start a conversation by mentioning that you are about to leave, give him a quick hug or shake his hand and run away like a thief in the night.
After reading this advice in Cut, I realized that I also unwittingly performed this act of courtesy at least a few times. Often it’s just someone who talks too much or underestimates – not necessarily someone I despise – and it’s an easy way to keep us connected without being so obvious as to say, “You’re annoying me a little.”
Of course, avoiding them at all costs also works, but if you bump into each other again, you will feel even more obligated to say something. Save the energy of lasting discomfort by just making a big and fun goodbye! Of course, if you do this a few times with the same person, they will probably begin to think you are a jerk, so use it sparingly.
And if that fails, well, it’s time to drop the good old innocent lie; Here’s a sure-fire list of the Lifehacker staff’s lies and excuses in case you need a quick escape.