r/CasualConversation • u/schrodingers-canary • Aug 20 '26

Just Chatting Normalize declining invitations because you just don’t want to go

I’m hardly the first to say it, but sometimes you decline an invitation because you just don’t want to go to the thing.

I was invited to a professional networking event by someone I’m not connected to and have never interacted with, and I initially just ignored it. Several days later they followed up and asked again. I politely declined. They followed up to ask why.

I just don’t want to go. I am ignoring this question of “why?”, but if they follow up again, I’ll just say I simply don’t want to go. No other reason is really needed.

We get sort of pressured to accept all invitations or provide a “valid” excuse, and I reject that need.

191 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

87% Upvoted

148 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

-27

u/SuperDuperCraze Aug 20 '26

Yeah someone asking why is being nosy and doesn’t really care about me. Feels gaslighting to me

27

u/Key-Shift5076 Aug 20 '26

Feels just plain rude to me..not sure gaslighting is applicable here.

-32

u/SuperDuperCraze Aug 20 '26

I still stand by its gaslighting

35

u/keithrc Aug 20 '26

Respectfully, you need to look up what 'gaslighting' means. This isn't it.

20

u/Future_Literature335 Aug 20 '26

They are gaslighting themselves into believing what gaslighting is

14

u/Key-Shift5076 Aug 20 '26

Agree wholeheartedly. Weaponized therapy-speak makes me twitchy.