Run Away

I admit I have my prejudices. There are certain people I avoid when I'm out. When I'm walking, I avoid people that walk slowly, like the elderly, the obese, women teetering in uncomfortable heels, and roaming tourist families.
I also tend to avoid people that have bad B.O., men and women with long, straggly hair, men that have glazed piggy eyes and their mouths hanging open for no reason, men with clothes so baggy they're falling off of them, red-in-the face buff jocks that have had a few, etc.

Then there are those really aggressive, looking to stir up a mini-controversy people (many times accompanied by like-minded friends) that look challengly in the eyes of everyone around them, shoulders forward, mouth ready to spout off about how you're intentionally trying to avoid them, how you're racist, scared, and any number of unpleasant things about you and the millions of others like you. How do you handle those people? I suppose by acting the same way. Maybe you could try keeping the same posture, beating them to the punch and saying "hello" "how are you?" "how's your mother?" "have a great day."

I don't feel like I have to apologize to people on the street that get a "feeling" that I'm nervous around them. I have had inappropriate experiences with people on the street, and it's pretty hard to keep up with the news and at the same time feel comfortable around random people on the street. Just about everyone makes me nervous. But really, if some harm is going to come to me I only have a certain degree of control. So I try to maintain that control by looking at everyone around me and paying attention to their signals, not walking alone in random places at night, not dawdling with my keys next to my car, etc. I also walk pretty fast, not only for the aerobic value but to give off my own signal: I can run pretty damn fast and put up a fight, so don't mess with me.