in my experience
Just thinking about an interaction today. It’s pretty interesting how I tell the average person (especially males) a story where i’m the victim and they immediately intensely victim blame me.
This is probably largely due to rock bottom low positive sentiment of the person directed towards me. I don’t know why i talk to some of people i talk to. At least when i think about it. I’m pretty sure i have higher standard for which internet acquaintances i talk to regularly then irl acquaintances. If it’s an internet interaction, if i establish they’re uhh unsuitable i don’t talk to them anymore, and maybe i should do that irl for acquintances?
Obv if you vets someone as being good company, they don’t victim blame you.
Restating what someone said to let them know that you were listening is a tried and true technique. Levity can definitely help land a tough topic. I see no issues with your approach, although if someone’s looking for a deeper connection they might appreciate less levity? Hard to say, depends on the person.
I think it’s reasonable to ask if they’re looking for help and if so, what kind of help they’re looking for. Most of the time I assume people are looking for somewhere to emotionally vent and be seen, because when people are looking for help they usually ask… but it depends on the person. Some people find it very hard to ask, but are very willing to accept help when it’s offered. Knowing your crowd is the true key. If you don’t know the person talking to you yet, it just means you should ask questions about how they like to interact and what they’re looking for when offering up this kind of information. Eventually you’ll learn what they’re looking for.
True! Forgot about this.
Good suggestions!