Maybe this is my curse but I very often find myself in super weird and awkward situations where I just want to get away, but I don’t want to upset the person I am trying to get away from.
Like… I joined a VC because a dude in the main room asked if anyone wanted to do karaoke with them. I said fuck it, and joined. I was the only one to join. This guy was drunk as a skunk and not very good; but they went all out. They had rave lights, they had a fucking stage, they had multiple camera angles to see them dancing and singing. They were clearly having a good time.
Again, they were not very good. But I wasn’t gonna be like “Ugh you fucking suck” and just bounce. I hate when people do that to me when I’m doing something I love, I’m not gonna do it to someone else. 😮💨
It sucks to feel responsible for someone elses feelings, but it doesnt sound like they’re that sensitive. I’d just be sure to share that it’s your feelings that cause you to not join and not their actions. Don’t shame if you can help it. Things are only cringe if you think they’re cringe and this person seems comfy with themselves.
For me, platitudes and remove myself from the situation.
“Hey that was pretty good! Quite the setup you have here. I’ve love to stick around, but gotta run for now”
And immediately bounce. Now you’ve learned a lesson and you won’t get caught by them again.
