h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My husband has a colleague who is Australian. I get on with him quite well, but I find when he talks to me he comes up very close. I have heard that this is usual in some Asian or Arab cultures, but is it normal in Australia too to infringe the unwritten 18" rule?

TC
I'm not sure if that is normal for most Australian, but everyone has thier comfort distance. If he is infringing on your comfort distance then take about a half a step towards him, infringing into his space. He will (unknowingly) step back to reset his comfort space, then take another half step towards him, he will step back, you can keep doing this and walk him all over the house, office, bar, where-ever.

It is not normal for Australians to encroach on peoples space probably more the opposite as there are less people here we are less likely to have to be overly close to strangers. And the 18-inch rule is probably a little more. This guy obviously does not think of you as a stranger, do as Mostly Harmless suggests and make him uncomfortable.

Hi Mostly Harmless see we are both up at the same time it is not totaly incompatable

Hi Moondancer,

I'm just sitting here at work (not working) playing on H2G2.

I would try the getting-closer-to-force-him-away bit but he might think it's a come on.

Kick him in the nuts

I certainly haven't noticed it as a tendency among the Aussies I know. Perhaps I'm using the wrong toothpaste?

Perhaps I'm using the right toothpaste!!

I definitely did not notice any such tendency in my travels in Australia, so it's just this one dude's annoying quirk. It may not necessarily be a come-on, either. I've known people who did it to me who should not have been coming on to me, since they were guys... at least, I hope they weren't coming on. But these guys did it to everyone, so it was either an attempt on their part to capture the attention of their audience, or they were shameless whores.

Hum... Well, I'm not offended if he doesn't fancy me. I don't fancy him. He's 60-ish. But I don't dislike him.

One trick I've found is to walk around while talking to him (so that he walks next to me), that way, at least you're both facing the same way and not each other, so the distance isn't quite so bad, or to hold a glass or cup of coffee between us.

I'm glad to know Aussies don't usually do this. They don't have any reason to, do they, there's plenty of room in Australia to stand where you want, I should imagine.

He´s 60... ever thought about, that he cant hear you if he is further away... slightly deaf, older people tend to do that sort of thing...

Chili

I'm hard of hearing and I never invade people’s personal space to hear them - although it is a possibility.