u/deadmemesdeaderdream

So earlier today, I decided to lie down at the lawn in a local park. There’s maybe about 600 yd.² of lawn total in this park, but this couple decides to sit next to me and walks right towards me, even though of that 600 yd.², a good 500 of that is empty.

I’m taking up about 4 yd.² of space. And there’s a few groups of people taking up maybe twice that but they’re all far away from me. I don’t have kids or a dog, and I’m not taking pictures. I’m talking on the phone, and lying down with my bag arms length from me. I expressed frustration that it seemed like those two people aimed directly for where I was, because there are plenty of other equally nice but unoccupied places they could’ve aimed to sit. But they retort like I think I’m the only person who’s entitled to be on the lawn period.

I didn’t say that, I just was wishing that they would sit on another area of the lawn. And maybe not cut off of the path as if they’re aiming to sit next to someone who clearly wants their own space, on a phone call, away from other groups as much as possible on the lawn. I was as far away from other groups of people as I could get, and then they decided to come near me. I wasn’t trying to be a diva about it, I thought that it’s perfectly reasonable that if people are in a public space, the goal is not to sit as close to other groups of people as possible.

If I walked by and saw those people on the lawn first, I would’ve picked the opposite side of the park, but they didn’t even hear out my reasoning, they just assumed that I was acting entitled. And if it’s wrong for me to be on a phone call, why would it not be wrong for someone to bring their kids? At least a phone call doesn’t run around screaming and crying or kick grass in your face. Plus, they were here to complain about that, that would be hypocritical cause they don’t have kids or a dog. If they had a dog, I would’ve gladly given them the spot.

Am I wrong for thinking that if somebody is giving closed off body language in a park that it’s not an open invitation for a random couple to sit next to them? Would I have only had the right to say something if I had a child or a dog or was taking photos? Because then they probably wouldn’t have bothered, as they didn’t target anybody else. And maybe my tone came off a little bit harsh, so how could I better phrase such a desire for a reasonable amount of space to be less of an asshole about this?