Beware: I Have the "Evil Eye"!

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It happened this morning a Starbucks. I was staring off into empty space with nothing on my mind. Eventually, I noticed that someone had stepped into that space, and was staring back at me. I looked away and started staring at another empty space. That's when the person pointed at me and recited something in what sounded like Arabic. I shrugged it off, paid for my coffee, and left. One of the person's companions caught up with me and begged me in English to remove the "Isabet Elaine" (?) from his friend. I said nothing, and kept going. He said that I should be careful casting the "Evil Eye", and then he shouted a few things in Arabic (?) at me until I got around the corner.

(Did you ever try running with a hot venti mocha in your hand?)

So I wonder ... how easy is it for the "Aspie Stare" to be received as the "Evil Eye"?

How often have any of you given a blank stare that seemed to make people anxious? Were those people from the Middle East? Where else?

Nobody has complained about my staring since middle school, back then I got accused of being gay. Must've been the queer eye. Of course now people tell me I look like I'm about to strangle someone, but I avoid actually looking at people. They also find my silence unnerving, honestly I don't feel like grinding my gears to make small-talk.

Isabat al-’ayn. Yeah, Fnord, it's rude to go throwing magic eye-curses around like that [/sarcasm].


I'd expect it's quite common to mistake the aspie stare for it if you believe in that nonsense. When I was younger, my default face was slightly vacant and clueless-looking. I find this sort of makes you a target for a**holes, so I've worked actively to change it. I think I've struck a decent balance between "I'm going to strangle you!" and "please give me a wedgie".

On occasion I have gotten the "what the f**k are you staring at" words or look from others. They were most often from American blacks.

That's great. The only "evil eye" I have been accused of is when I'll be idly staring at a woman for some innocent reason, such as her unusual hairstyle or clothing, and I'll eventually wind up to her face and she's giving me the "stink eye" for apparently staring like a shameless pervert. Women, middle-eastern mysticism, you can't win.

I've been told many times by different people that I have "shifty/evil" eyes. My DnD character even grew out of it.

My gaze used to freak people out when I was younger but that was mostly due to anxiety.

Anymore the more pervasive annoyance is that a lot of people, especially behind service counters, gape at be like they're 80 and as if I'm speaking more softly than they can hear - before I even walk up to the counter or say a word. The best I can guess is that the lack of nonverbal data coming off of me trips a page-fault, their subconscious apparatus that's constantly interpreting micodetails of people's affect starts to blue screen, and they end up a bit spooked without really having any idea why.


Side note - I would figure that the evil eye going around at Starbucks, especially in early in the morning before work, would be a pretty normal thing. After all there's a reason everyone's standing in line for coffee...

Be careful, look at one spot for too long and the Little People become visible, and they don't like to be seen.
This is why the Irish are known to be "Shifty eyed" because they know to avoid such dangers.

It's their own fault they didn't bring a talisman for protection against the evil eye.They must have been in a hurry and left it behind.lol

As in American Express,"Don't leave home without it."

... and me without a spare rosary to give them.

Oh, well ... insha'Allah, and all that ...

Someone's got sticky socks...

That must have been scary. And of course everyone else call me a racist afterwards if someone like that ever happened to me. There's no such thing as an "evil eye", that belief should have stayed in the Dark Ages.

Although it might be fun to scare and manipulate some people with it.

I've been told I have really nice eyes, that they're bright and shiny. My hair is nice. My eyes are nice. My teeth are nice. But my body? Not so nice.

A little research has revealed that to cast the "Evil Eye" in some Mediterranean countries, you stare at your target while pulling down your left lower eyelid with your left pinky finger.

I'll try that the next time I drive through "Little Beirut" ...

^ That's the "wiping" hand in some places, it literally takes place of toilet paper.

I've been told I have a cold sinister stare.

Whoop-de-doo.

Your story made my day, I love it.