I know it's faggy, but does everyone else refrain from reading in public so people won't think you're an anti-social freak?
>>7749927
Kind of. I don't read Dostoevsky in public, because you'll then look like a freak. But if you read Game of Thrones in public, you'll looks like a guy who follows trends and sees what's popular and you can even get into a conversation with someone about the books or show.
The only downside is that if you really hate the books, like I do, you're pretty much living a lie. However this is my only way of connecting with people IRL, so I can't give it up.
I lift, shave, dress decent, have great skin, people can clearly see that I'm not anti-social, even though I'm reading Seneca while taking the metro.
What? Why would you even care about what someone who's just passing by would even pay attention to you? I mean, they probably don't and, even if they did, it's meaningless.
Just stop being a fag and do what you want.
Literally who cares just do what you want jesus christ
Who the fuck cares really? I've never had anyone even approach me or look at me strangely for reading in public and I do most of my reading in public. Heck I'm in a coffee shop atm cringing at Tolstoy's theology.
>>7749945
you know you can drink coffee at home for 5% of the price, right?
>>7749954
m8 he's cringing at tolstoi's theology, he probably needs his milk foamed and striped of fat, and that's a bitch to do without serfs
>>7749927
I read in public because I'm not immature and don't care if people care or not.
the reality of your youth is you think people care when people are generally into their own thoughts and their own business of the day. they aren't thinking about you and will forget your face 5-10 minutes later if not faster than that.
>>7749954
Yes of course I know. But this is a place I devote to reading and not to video games or other time wasting activities. You pay for the table basically.
>>7749942
Is this a Tyler The Creator tweet
I find it difficult to motivate myself to read at home, so 80% of the reading I do, I do on public transit, or in restaurants and cafes. Barring that, I'll even go to one of the sitting areas in my university and stay there just to read rather than go home, where I'll inevitably be distracted and lose motivation.
It's really fine. At worst, nobody cares about you or your life, i.e. you can do what you want within reason and you don't have to be worried about judgement.
But– and this is 100% true– people who see you reading are more likely to get a positive impression of you than a negative one, reason beingeveryone who doesn't read wishes that they read more.
That said, I bought a copy of The Fault In Our Stars just to see how awful it really was, but I haven't cracked it yet because I obviously wouldn't be caught dead reading that in public. I also read The Crying of Lot 49 at home, because I didn't want to look like an amateur. I didn't bring War and Peace on the subway either, because that's a bit too pretentious. I just finished Vineland, though, and I think that's a perfect book to be reading in public, because nobody who recognizes it will think you're a pleb or a sophomoric asshole for reading it.
I read and public and don't care if others think its anti-social
>>7749982
If It Were The First Letter Of Every Word Would Be Capitalized
>>7749987
life is short. no one can enjoy the shit you like for you.
please don't give a fuck what you read in public because of what others think. you aren't likely to befriend these people nor remember their faces if you see them again anyways as they won't be remembering yours.
>>7749927
I'm fucking reading not raping a child jesus /r9k/.Even if someone has that thought they'll forget it in a matter of seconds because they have their problems to deal with.You're not the center of the fucking universe no one gives a shit about you
I read in public in hopes someone will talk to meand I'll get a qt bfbecause I don't know anyone who reads and /lit/ doesn't read. But I'm pretty ugly so no one has ever talked to me.
>>7750104
This, though preferably less angry.
Also keep in mind that people who look down on readers are almost certainly losers themselves.
What is the most shocking book I can read in public?
I've already done Lolita and Mein Kampf.
>>7749927
>reading outside
how do you even focus on it? I can't enjoy anything unless I'm in a closed room.
>>7750131
The faul in our stars
>>7749927
Paranoid teen living in intellectual prison detected.
>>7750138
I'm in the same boat as you. I see people reading near busy streets or at the train station, and it seems absurd that someone could focus when there's so much noise and turbulence around them
>reading a book in public is antisocial
>reading off a phone screen isn't
Feel bad for you son, reading on a train is great.
>>7749938
Reading Seneca is pretty /fit/.
Anyone who knows him will probably have respect for you.
>does everyone else refrain from reading in public
Usually I don't refrain from reading books as I'm out and about, but I feel a sense of silent condemnation and mockery in the eyes of people when I read my Bible in public. It doesn't keep me from doing it in anyway. However, there is an authentic repellent the book possesses for most people, and I know this isn't derived from my imagination. Some individuals will start conversations about it, and these conversations are always either insightful or refreshing, because these individuals are educated to some extant in Christianity (they have wisdom or knowledge they wish to share).
>>7749927
I refrain from reading in public because I don't want people to think that I'm only reading to appear smart. I also have few opportunities to read in public.
>>7749927
>so people won't think you're an anti-social
Quite the opposite.If they could get the hint it would be perfect but my impression is that the average non-autistic person sees it as an invitation to start a conversation:
"Oh.What do we have here?What are you reading,anon."
It's a form of socializing for them.
Sort of like asking a person walking their dog in the park about the breed or something.
I wouldn't know since I also hate animals.
Jesus christ the autists of /lit/ care too much of what random people in the world think of them.
I've do most of my public reading on my phone these days for convenience reasons but in the past I used to read in public all the fucking time.
I got the occasional strange look which I ignored but for the most part people paid no attention to me because they're too busy going about their day.
Unless you're a celebrity, extremely ugly/disfigured or a highly attractive female, chances of anybody looking at you for more than a second in public are small
Even then my cousin fits that last one and she reads in public sometimes and most people ignore her except for the occasional fuck that hits on random women in public.
>>7750207
Not as /fit/ as reading Socrates though.
>mfw reading Palicuck in Saudi Arabian airport
No, because I am anti social and I don't care.
>>7750131You'd probably enjoy it way more than you'd expect.
Too cute for reading on public. I'm just a really nervous person and I don't know what is strange about me that they stare looking at me and it really get on my nerves. Maybe I'm just semi autistic. Wish I could really do it since I spend like 3 hours daily going around in the bus. Wish I could write there too since apparently I had some ideas that could be worth it
>>7750656
Do you mean plato or are you being ironic?
I freely read in public if I have the time cause I know nobody notices or cares about me.
>>7751385
He likely legitimately doesn’t know.
>>7749927
try getting edition with blank covers
The only thing I think is weird are people who read on the treadmill or while walking around
It gives me a headache to think about
>>7750122
I read i am bf however if you expect chad you may be dissapointed (haha) ,could talk with you, just give me skype
>>7750007
That's Jaden Smith. Tyler the Creator types in all caps.
>>7749933
this. is the FEEL ive been wanting to explain for so long
>>7750122
Too bad theres a stigma against approaching girls that are reading. I cant tell you how many posts Ive seen on tumblr of girls ranting that its inappropriate for guys to talk to girls or introduce themselves in a coffee shop or something.
Good luck but I think most guys dont wanna risk approaching the wrong girl and end up getting called a pig or something by some femnazi
>>7749927
so it's midnight on the east coast of america...
are all of you americans?
i can't see why anybody would have a problem with you reading outside of that desert
>>7752562
the hell
she calls you a pig, you laugh at her stupidity and go on with your day
you know actually having a functioning relationship is far harder than getting called out for being "a pig"
fucking vagina
>>7752562
Its basic social knowledge that you dont talk to people that are reading/have headphones unless you know them
>>7752577
never talk to stangers, they could molest u or give u the cooties, stay home and watch cartoons in mommy's basement were babby will be safe
I'm too busy reading my book to give a fuck about passerbys
fucking nu-males ITT
>>7752592
If you want to bother people with awkward "flirting" and forced jokes then be my guest.
>>7752573
Nah Im just saying, theres people out there that protest, huff and puff about guys approching women. So Im saying, to people that want them to approach them, that its not likely to happen.
>>7752577
Sure but its stupid to pass up every chance at meeting someone that seems interesting because theres a weird stigma against talking to a stranger. How is anyone expected to meet anyone?
>>7752600
if you know the book and especially if you like it and the person is reading it in public, asking them about it is almost invariably welcomed
you can start off with a "that's book's great, how far into it are you"
i would be so happy to meet random people into the same reading material
please don't spread this sperg meme
>grill coworker brings shit ass GoT pulp book to work every day to read it
>I bring Oswald Spengler's Decline of the West
>not a single comment regarding what either of us are reading besides one male coworker who asked about my book when he realized I was reading it instead of joining in their retarded discussion about the Deadpool movie
Nobody really gives a shit about what books you read in public. If you just keep to yourself and read the book you'll be fine, and it will only occasionally be a springboard for social interaction when someone asks you about it.
The moral of the story is the grill who brings GoT to work every day has never asked me once about what I was reading but still tries desperately to initiate conversation with me because she wants my dick, and I would have already fucked her before she started bringing the book in if she wasn't a disgusting ladysperg landwhale. The moral of the story is as long as you're a jock Chad you could be reading a gooktoon anime manga book in public and you can still pull pussy because grills don't actually care about books, they use feigned interest in literature as a social flag in order to secure a mate.
>>7752621
fair enough, but it's very sad
>>7752627
wew ur post just saved me the embarrassment of ever reading decline of the west in public, interesting book but u look like a try hard fedora lord reading like that shit in a casual setting
>>7752621
>Sure but its stupid to pass up every chance at meeting someone that seems interesting because theres a weird stigma against talking to a stranger. How is anyone expected to meet anyone?
My overall approach is this, know your context. If I see someone say with a band tshirt I like I may strike up some smalltalk, and if it feels good then maybe I'll extend and we become friends, but overall I'm not really going to hunt around for people I can run my mouth to.
It might help for people ITT to learn some body language, that tells you alot about people without necessarily talking to them. Headphones are a pretty common "sheild" for people who want to be left alone. Phones not as much but it can definitely indicate a lack of interest.
>>7749945
>cringing at tolstoy
*tips fedora*
>>7752648
>would you read mein kampf in public?
lol since I'm Black I can get away with it
>>7752636
>know your context
Yeah of course. I wouldnt go up to a pretty girl reading just because shes pretty and I saw her once, but if i see her a lot and shes reading something I know then maybe.
Id never try something with someone with headphones in. And yeah body language is big.
>>7752654
shit
give it a shot next time, that would be a great thread
maybe follow up with message to the blackman in america
test out different stuff
>>7752671
or this
>>7752635
You're a faggot using the word "fedoralord" on an anime imageboard and I have over 300 confirmed pussy slayings.
>>7752648
I personally have never read Mein Kampf in public (I actually haven't read Mein Kampf at all) but I know one friend in high school who was also a jock and would bring it in to class and to the library to read with him until he finished it and also didn't have any problem pulling women. Now that you bring it up, I'll put Mein Kampf on the list to start reading next in public and note the results, which will probably be the same.
Bitches don't care about what you're reading.
>>7749980
that's pretty gay tb'h. a library serves this purpose better
1) its free
2) its quiet
3) you dont look like a fucking hipster sitting there with your book and/or mac because those things are typical for a library
just admit it, you're cultivating an image by reading in a coffeehouse
>>7752698
well there are probably two things there
1) ball appreciation
2) aversion to the weird as fuck
regardless, i await the thread
take pics etc
>>7749927
Not at all, in fact it caused a few to strike up conversations
Mainly just about the book I'm reading, nothing interesting
>>7752713
You're partly correct, but what I'm really trying to say is that nerds who are not jocks sometimes have this idea that women appreciate them for their intellectual capabilities and thus think they can be seen reading in public and give women the vagina tingles. This isn't the case. The case is that women don't give a fuck about reading, that the extent of a woman's reading ends at Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, and that she will lie about having read Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre in order to impress a jock, which becomes apparent when she's questioned sufficiently. What a woman gives a fuck about is whether or not you're a viable sexual mate, and so what you happen to be reading at any given time has little or nothing to do with whether or not she wants to fuck you as long as most of the other qualifications for being a viable sexual mate fall into place.
You're not going to convince a woman to fuck you because you're reading Tolstoy or DFW or insert writer here in public.
>>7752706
not him but sometimes its nice just to sit around other people. Like I dont understand why its bad or "hipster" to chill in a coffee shop or a cafe and establish connections with a local place.
Libraries are great to dont get me wrong but theres nothing wrong with sitting and reading somewhere before you go about your day. Its nothing new but for some reason in 2010s America it needs a label because a few douchebags made it a trend
>>7752733
It seems more useful to free oneself from any concern about being "suitable" for some pair of yoga pants
Sad as fuck when people dont let themselves have any identity outside of having sex
>>7752718
>Saying this like it's a good thing
>>7752736
In an ideal world I would agree with you but that's not the world we live in bro. I can only assume by the way the OP was phrased that he was concerned about looking like an anti-social freak because it would hurt his social standing and thus limit his sexual opportunities, which is what social interactions like "Hey what book are you reading?" and drinking beer at a party is ultimately a social lubricant for.
TL;DR a woman won't fuck you because you read ___ in public, she'll fuck you in spite of it as long as you fulfill other qualifications important to the feminine imperative (be a jock Chad).
>>7750116
I hope it's just because I live in Boston, but once a week I see someone reading Infinite Jest on the subway and think they are an asshole
>>7752772
>once a week I see someone reading Infinite Jest on the subway and think they are an asshole
This seems like a symptom of spending too much time on /lit/ more than anything else.
>>7752577
>Its basic social knowledge that you dont talk to people that are reading/have headphones unless you know them
>Its basic social knowledge
lol this guy.
this "basic social knowledge" of yours falls on deaf ears to attractive women. they will talk to whoever they want whenever they want.
if all of the women that men would most want to go after don't give two shits about your "basic social knowledge" then is it even a thing at that point?
>>7752838
eh idk man, but I can get that people are different depending on the area
Over here people usually will assume you want to be left alone if you have headphones in.
Not sure what you big focus on women is about
if you read in public either:
they'll ask what you're reading and you'll maybe have an interesting conversation and meet someone new
they'll think you're an anti-social freak because they're unread plebs and thus won't disturb you with their bullshit
not seeing anything bad here
>>7752846
>Not sure what you big focus on women is about
don't play coy m8 come on.
>>7752860
Are they really that big a deal to you?
>>7752863
could you please stop putting up this bullshit facade it is transparent.
>>7752876
How is that even bait? Some people have it together enough to not base their whole lives around other people. The entire point of this thread is denying such stupid insecurity.
>>7752890
if you aren't trolling then god damn are you a posturing ass.
>>7752890
Your entire life is based around other people besides you, from your parents who made you to (assuming you're not a NEET) the people who pay you for the job you perform, to the people you interact with socially and sexually. It's obvious you took issue with the conversation above about reading in public and then decided to write shitposts trivializing the discussion.
>>7752936
Nope. I'm not saying people don't matter, just that you shouldn't base your whole life on trying to be "suitable" for other people. Which is more or less the theme of this thread, with OP being so insecure about reading in public.
With the other guy, I legitimately was curious as to why he was putting so much focus on women, but then he got all itchy.
>>7749933
Goddamn dude read whatever you want people don't give a shit.
>>7750243
you seem like a really nice person
>>7750243
Down-to-earth people with real knowledge of Christianity tend to be some of the best people to have long conversations with.
I'm an atheist but I've read the Bible, which is for the most part an enjoyable and enlightening read. I can definitely understand why Christians find it so powerful and take comfort in it.
I've had quite a few lengthy conversations with devout Christians about the Bible and philosophical/moral shit. They knew I was an atheist and didn't try to convert me in some really annoying preachy manner. All we did was talk about that shit in a civil and intelligent way. Would always do again.
>>7755072
Oh, totally agreed. I've started to lose what faith I had, I honestly just don't think it's for me, but I still love the literature. There's some real depth of insight there, and a lot of stuff that's interesting and useful, even if you don't believe.
It's also a lot of fun and good mental exercise to come up with refutations for the less good parts.
>>7749927
Do you live in the 90's?
Nowadays literally everyone's buried into their phones and tablets, they won't notice that you're staring at something else.
