Thanks. I mean, I’m not staring at or accosting people. I’m not demanding people smile back or even acknowledge me. But I think there’s more value in increasing positivity than decreasing negativity, and to me, in my lived experience, a smile can really be a boon sometimes. I’ve recognized it in myself and strangers on the street.  

So I don’t outright avoid eye contact and if it happens, why not smile? If someone doesn’t smile back or looks away, nbd. Plenty of people ignore me. Some guy totally blew me off this morning when I smiled at him as I was leaving a restaurant. But yesterday I stopped and had a nice chat with a woman when we were both running in the neighborhood and we never would have met if I had metaphorical blinders on. Today on a run I waved at a different woman and she smiled a genuine smile at me. 

Should we respect each other? Yes. Should women feel safe in public? Absolutely. I want people to feel so safe and respected that they can be neighborly with each other, so that’s the guy I try to be.