> I extremely quickly dismiss them in the most polite, but firm, way possible.
replyAnd I think that's the answer; people who don't want to talk will simply tell you! And everyone carries on.
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replyBut they said it's rude just to speak to them ... which is a factually erroneous characterization.
replyFascinating how much this varies by culture too. People generally have attitudes similar to you in Nordic countries, or even Seattle, but then you go to South American countries, or India, and it feels like everyone talks to everyone all the time.
replyI have found people in Seattle are very friendly and ready to talk. Maybe not on a morning commute, but in general.
reply> it would seem an incredibly rude thing to do
replyIt's one thing to not want it and to be comfortable not wanting it, but viewing it as rude goes way beyond that and is not rational.
The golden rule disagrees.
replyI am bothered by random people wanting to talk to me -> Randomly talking to other people would bother them -> Bothering people is rude -> Randomly talking to people is rude.
Hence why the platinum rule is better. Once you know that other people (apparently!) aren't bothered by randomly striking up a conversation, you can adjust your actions accordingly.