The Oswegonian

The Independent Student Newspaper of Oswego State

DATE

Nov. 23, 2024

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Dealing with annoying people

We’ve all met that person we just didn’t "click" with.Maybe it’s the way they talk to you, or how they act when you’re around them. Or maybe you just have differing points of view.Whatever it is, you’re not sure what to do about it.So, how do you deal with someone you don’t like?

People have many ways of dealing with someone they dislike, but fighting or going insane is not the answer (at least not yet).If you want to deal with someone you don’t like without hurting them or yourself, there are three options: Ignore them, openly dislike them, or address them.

But be warned!Before you judge whether or not someone likes you, analyze the situation thoroughly. Making generalizations about a person based on hearsay or their outside appearance does not offer enough information to decide whether or not they like you.If you’ve never actually interacted with them, then you don’t know if they like you or not.Now that you’ve been warned, let’s begin.

Ignoring them may work out.You don’t have to waste your energy trying to negotiate with them. Both people can go on with their lives,but if they are someone you have to see every day, like a classmate or roommate, you may have no choice but to interact with them.In this case, ignoring them would be putting off the problem, and may even cause tensions to escalate.It may be better to just talk it out than go through the pain.

Openly showing that you dislike a person can get your point across quickly.You’re expressing yourself instead of hiding your feelings.However, calling someone names or being rude does not solve the problem.Disliking a person’s qualities or views does not justify making them suffer. This may lower the person’s self-esteem and make them dislike you more, which would only exacerbate the problem.

Addressing them is also another solution.By telling the person how you feel, you’re taking the initiative.Who knows, maybe they feel the same way.Or maybe they have nothing against you at all.Once you know each other’s differences, you can work on improving relations, or you can both finally go on with your lives and be at peace.However, cooperation requires two people. If the person still doesn’t want to change, then there’s not much you can do.

Just remember to know your limits.Often, it’s hard to change how a person perceives you because the way you appear to them is based on their own personal opinion or experiences.You’ll meet a lot of people in your life who seem crazy or whose views you just can’t relate to, but that’s OK.We’re all different, and we all have pros and cons of our own.