thank you for defending me, but as you can see, being a minority is not easy: a neutrally worded and genuine question is met by animosity because people like maalus simply don’t understand or don’t want to understand. And he get’s upvoted. Even worse, he and his followers assume malevolence.

Just wanted you to know that I appreciate the feeling, but they are more and talk waaay more.

But still, I don’t know what to tell my delicate coworkers.

And make no mistake, this post will also be downvoted…

so how do you survive them? and on a daily basis?

Live your life according to your own schedule and speak your actual truth.

Last time I tried this approach they made me feel like shit and bullied me.

actually I don’t agree.

To me this is deflection: they ask me something I don’t want to answer, I lie to them and try to stay away from them: I don’t disclose anything about me, they don’t feel offended, don’t start drama and leave me alone.

Gossips are gonna gossip no matter what I say, they need it, so I’d better disclose false information so they can attack me the least.

My strategy if they ask me again about my age if they suspect I lied to them or if they hear from other gossips my real age: lie again or say a ludicrous number. If they keep pestering me, remind them to go to work and go to work.

Sometimes I think I should work somewhere else.

I’ve never really had a problem.

then my coworkers are all busybodies who don’t know what boundaries are.

Still, answering ‘how old are you’ with ‘none of your business’ seems overkill. I just want them to leave me alone.

everything’s good, I didn’t understand your /s

yeah, 40 and unmarried. I’m so lonely. I scream and cry myself to sleep every night. I drink 5 gallons of vodka just to make it thru a shift.

I imagine myself using your answers with my coworkers, who are gossips and they replying how rude I am, feeling outraged and refusing to help me with my job.

The thing is, I’d use this answer with people that separate their private life from their jobs, but where I am, and in nursing in general, this doesn’t happen. And if they don’t separate both things, then they stop helping all together when they perceive you as unfriendly, meaning I have to work more.

I guess the price I pay for their help is faking interest in their lives.

I need to work somewhere else, don’t I?

do you understand that this is an emotional response and it’s kinda off to ask a person not to have trauma? do you think people like being bullied?

I don’t understand why you have to answer at all when someone asks your age

what would be your answer, when you don’t want to disclose it?

and that guarantees that they furiously gossip about it when I’m not around.

bullying

I respected his decision.

these coworkers do not. I wouldn’t need to lie if all coworkers were this respectful.