Dear Auntie J: Fed up with being polite
Dear Auntie J, In [Community Action] this fall, I met a student “Mark” and hung out with him a lot in the first few weeks of the semester. As I got to know him better I felt that we didn’t really click as friends and that I don't enjoy his company; for example, our senses of humor don’t mesh and he is very political while I am not. Although our CA group met for lunch often early on we have since grown distant and I have not seen any of them since fall break. I would prefer to treat Mark with this same distance, but he texts me about once a week to ask straight out if I want to get a meal or hang out. Looking through my texts it’s been about fifteen times since November. I have declined with an excuse and offered no attempts to find a better time or follow-up every single time and have switched to just replying “no thanks” though I’m aware it’s a little bit rude. He has done nothing wrong so I don’t want to be mean to him, but he also has not gotten the hint. My friends and parents say to continue deflecting until he gives up, but the idea of this going on indefinitely stresses me out. What should I do? ~ Fed up with being polite
