Social embarrassments

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Have you ever done something socially that you can't imagine any else ever doing; completely embarrassing yourself? Or am I alone here?

so many times, but without realizing that what was done was socially awkward.

I talk before I think. That's pretty embarrassing. Yesterday at my clubhouse, we were talking about the fact that today was going to be cheque day. I told my best friend, "The eagle s**ts, tomorrow!" There was a staff person standing right there. That person was one of the younger, hipper staff. I'm lucky that it wasn't one of the middle aged women who was standing there. I would have been kicked out, for the rest of the day.

Yup, yup, yup.

Usually in the form of talking too loud while discussing something obscure that others don't want to hear about...or using a verbal expression that makes sense to me, but not to anyone else...

I have the problem that I often forget to say "hello" or "goodbye" to people. In Germany, where I live, people seem to really take offense at this.

Last week, I was sitting in the teacher´s room at work. Usually I´m alone and in my own world, but last week another teacher came in. He started to engage me in small talk (ugh), which I answered very briefly, then our conversation died down. He was eating a sandwich, and I was in my own world with a cup of tea. Finally, I just left...just walked out. As I was almost out of the building, I suddenly realized that I had just walked out without acknowledging him. Well, I´ve had so many instances of people being totally upset because I didn´t say "hello" or "goodbye", that I ended up walking back in the room, and apologizing to him for forgetting to say goodbye! Talk about adding insult to injury....I realized that going back and apologizing may have been an even stupider thing to do... Who knows, I guess I don´t.

I´ve done loads of stupid things, much worse than that. I could write a book about the dumb things I´ve done in my life. I bet I could sell it as a comedy.

Well, where to start....

Too many moments, probably half of them without my realization it was such a situation.
The situations of Morgana are something I can recognize. German rules can be a bit tighter, but they can be learned more easily for certain parts. Dutch rules are more hazy.

I've probably had too many to count. Usually involving high levels of stress, I tend to forget to do things, or say things, etc....and it makes me look so dumb. =\

Yes. I have facial prosopagnosia, and have embarassed myself so many times. I have avoided people who recognize me because I have no idea who they are.

My ex boyfriend/coworker had a girlfriend, and I had seen her for a few hours a couple months ago, and I knew she worked at the starbucks i frequented. Well, i went to that starbucks the next day, and she was working. I didn't recognize her at all. She messed up my drink and gave me an extra one and I, just being friendly, said, oh, I'll give this to my coworker. He was my only coworker and both she and I knew he didn't like those drinks! I was mortified when I found out that it was her.

Then, even more mortifying. I have been dating my boyfriend for 2 years. He lives with his grandmother and does not have a close relationship with his mom. However I have met his mother on several occasions. I went to 7-11 and she had gotten a job there but I did not realize it was her. She said I should try to be safe, because I was walking late at night. We talked for a few minutes, and I said that I had been mistaken for a prostitute before just by walking late at night even though what i wore wasn't revealing in the slightest. She said, "Oh, me too." And I added, "Yeah, that happened to my boyfriend's mother too, she was even picked up by the police!" It didn't connect for me. A day later my boyfriend told me that he'd run into his mother at 7-11. STILL didn't connect for me. Five hours later: I'm like OH CRAP!! !! !

nakedmardou, you win.

Yes, many times.School dances where I thought I was doing pretty good, but it turned out, many were laughing and mocking me.Then there's the talking too loud or talking before I think.

Yup. I now consider myself a socialdyslesic as almost every effort I make seems to come out backwards to the NTs around me

No you aren't alone. I've done this quite a few times without realizing it until hours later when thinking about the situation.

Most of my embarrassments have to do with not knowing how to do something that everyone is supposed to know how to do. Without ever having to learn it also seems. I'll be afraid to ask for help, then screw up when I try to figure it out on my own.

Multiple times I've not been able to figure out how to use someone else's bottle opener to get the top off a beverage. I'll be like "hmm, do I use this end or that end, or do I use the hole in the middle, f*** none of them are the right size", then someone sees me getting all flustered and shows me. Other times I was asked to set the table and I got out the wrong kind of glasses for wine and/or give everyone salad forks instead of dinner forks. Ugh.

Another time in college I was on the highway pretty late at night, coming back from a trip with two other friends. When I stopped for gas I noticed that one of my tires was losing air so I used the gas station pump to fill it. I didn't know you had to release the handle to read the tire pressure so I assumed the air wasn't getting in since the needle wasn't moving. The light was so bad I could hardly see in the first place. Then just as I was thinking "WTF is wrong with this thing", the tire ruptured with a really loud POW.

Whatever do you mean? Me? Socially inept and embarrassing myself? I can't imagine what you are talking about.

Well, except the entire month when I thought person A and person B at work were the same person. Then I saw them together for the first time, and suddenly realized why we had had so many confusing interactions. They didn't even look alike when stood next to each other, but I had been treating them as if they were the same person. "What size resister do you need on that circuit board you asked me for?" "What? What are you talking about?" "What do you mean what am I talking about?" That kind of thing.


Or the countless times my hands began to shake and my throat entirely seized up, complete with gagging sounds, when someone walked into the room. (Not everyone, or anyone in particular. Just people who I specifically didn't want to look stupid in front of.)

Or the time a very large woman sat on a bench next to me and began talking about how her knees hurt, so I took that as a cue to talk about the difficulties of losing weight. Her baby was two weeks overdue.

Or the many times I decided, on a whim, to do something outgoing and social-butterfly-like (because it works for so-and-so), and crashed and burned in a major way.

Or the time I baked Christmas cookies for the neighbors, in an attempt to teach my kids something akin to social skills. They took the cookies and were like, "Uh....Okaaaaaaay...." It was like, "What are you giving us cookies for? We sit around the dinner table talking about how freaky your entire family is." But at the time, I hadn't figured that out.

Those are a few that spring to mind.

Usually someone else is having a discussion about some well-known icon such as an actor or person from American Idol or somesuch. I haven't a clue who these people are. When I ask, I usually get stared down like I've been living on Mars all my life.