Sharing or Shoving:
One of my RED FLAG lines is..."I'd like to SHARE something with you"
I suppose my brain is all screwed up, because I interpret those words as "I WANT TO SHOVE SOMETHING DOWN YOUR THROAT WHETHER YOU WANT TO HEAR IT OR NOT"
If the person is sitting next to me on a plane, I just look at them and bury my head further into the novel I am reading.
However, if it is a speaker with a captive audience and I am one of the captives, then I roll my eyes and give them my HERE WE GO expression.
Perhaps, I am just not a very nice guy, but in my goofy mind sharing something with me is like asking me ... "I am about to fart....you wanna smell it?"
Yeah, it seems when someoen says they "want to share something" it translates as "I want to drop a burden on you" or " I want to criticize you" or "I wan tto try to force you to apreciate somethign you expressede no interest in"... or soemthign alogn those lines.
A couple of weeks ago I accepted an IM from an old school-age friend who I briefly saw at my 40 yr reunion 7 years ago and haven't conversed with on FB. She threw a red flag at me about some home loan program for $50,000 with nopayback. Seemed weird she would try to entice me into that. Next day she sends out a FB message warning me and other classmates someone was posing as her on FB and to ignore all messages.Send her a message with something only she and I would know about. I said do you remember() my sweet 16 party where my parents friend, a judge illegally got me and my friends drunk). She replied I'll never forget that night. It was the real Amy this time.
Sometimes it depends for me on how people "share." If they do so in a kind and respectful way, even if I don't agree I'm still appreciative. But if they're critical or overbearing or even get repetitive after I've acknowledged them and heard enough, I find that crosses a line. One of the reasons I carry headphones when I'm traveling!
You're much nicer than I am. Whenever I get that "I'd like to share something with you" line of
bullshit, I will walk away. Or, if I'm in a situation where I can't remove myself from their presence, I cut them off as soon as it's clear they're wanting to talk about their religion.
I tell them straight-up that I'm an atheist and I think their beliefs are bullshit and I don't want
to hear it. I don't care if anyone thinks I'm being rude. The rudeness started with the proselytizer.
I don't pretend to be better than anyone else. I'll fight fire with fire.
If they persist, they're just asking for it at that point, and I will dismantle their religion and their god, right down to the last brick. With no remorse.