Where does one draw the line?
I think I come across as a very rude person, not a shy one. Well, in some cases I think people take me as being shy, but the majority of the time I'm just rude. Not looking at people, not saying hello, acting as if I don't see someone I know, not really saying much and just replying with yes and no. I must come off as a real jerk.
But, there are also people who really do come across as shy, not rude. I volunteer at an animal shelter, and one of the girls there is really quiet. She basically doesn't say a word, but she doesn't come across as rude; it's very obvious that she's shy. I don't really get why she comes across as shy and not rude though. What's the difference?

For others who suffer from social anxiety: how do you think that you come across to people? Are you "rude" or shy?

Question for everybody: if someone acts rudely by not saying hello/being very brief etc, do you automatically take it as rudeness? Or do you consider the fact that the person might be shy?

Quote:Question for everybody: if someone acts rudely by not saying hello/being very brief etc, do you automatically take it as rudeness? Or do you consider the fact that the person might be shy?

If a person failed to answer when i spoke to them, or to acknowledge me in some way.....well i would hope that i have the skills to assess wether the person was being rude, or is indeed shy.

But since ive started reading more about this condition, i have to wonder if in years gone by, if i have made mistakes and incorrectly assessed people, considering them rude, rather than shy.

I hope not

Yeah, I think it's an easy mistake to make. I mean, I do it too.
It gets you thinking though, why would someone be rude like that on purpose? Even if you don't like the other person, it's easier be polite and say hello to stay on the person's good side than to just ignore the person. So maybe the great majority of "rude" people out there are anxious on some level?

Then again, that's probably just a naive way to look at things. A lot of people are jerks, so it makes sense that they'd be rude.