I wear a hoodie most of the time. I don't mind if you feel suspicious of me; one reason I have a hood up is because I don't want to engage with random people. Sounds like you would go out of your way to avoid me so mission accomplished.

Of course not. I am the guy in long coat, hoodie or toque, big black boots, and face mask.

Crime rates have dropped massively, you're being driven into a panic by pro-police, racist media manipulation.

I think you can be aware or possibly even "wary" if you see that, but I think it is a little absurd to let that become actual worry or suspicion.

Just be aware of your surroundings. Clock the person in a hoodie, make a mental note of it, and continue on your way. I feel like this is "how to live in a modern city 101." If you get this thrown by seeing someone in a hoodie, then maybe you're too anxious to be around that many people

I have cancer and I still wear a face mask everywhere due to a compromised immune system.

I also get very cold with my disease/medications. My blood circulation isn't as good now. I can be chilled when its 77 in a room without a sweatshirt. My hoodies aren't black but they are dark blues and greens.

Further, I have serious skin issues and always have that lead me to keep my hair always cropped very, very short. Meaning when I am chilled like that, I often have the hood up.

I am not here to make judgment on your position but rather just a reminder of valid reasons things like this might happen that don't involve others meaning you bodily harm.

I am a big guy, and sometimes it feels a little tiring to have the default be everyone is scared of me despite my inability to defend myself before I had cancer. I don't own guns or knives and my backpack is either full of groceries or PC maintenance equipment.

So, I was given some advice for situations like this that changed my life.

The first thing that comes to mind in these moments isn't what matters. It's what a life time of indoctrinated racism/classism/sexism etc looks like. The thing that comes to mind here isn't necessarily what you think, it's what you've been taught to think,

What matters is what you do next, after the thought has popped in to your mind.

I was raised in a very racist environment, and I struggled with feeling guilt every time some racist thought I'd been trained with popped in to my head, because that's not the person I want to be. Reframing it like this allowed me to stop getting hung up on the guilt part, and work on the part that actually means something

I always think of that scene from Hot Fuzz where they’re talking about why someone wore a hat low on their face.

“Because he’s fuck ugly?”

“Or he has something to hide.”

Both can exist and I try to keep that in mind. Someone wearing something covering their identity either is cold or doesn’t want to engage with people. If the latter, there’s a slim chance they pose a threat, or they have their own reasons that are no concern of mine.

I note these people more than if they weren’t covered, but I don’t really change my behaviours in normal situations.

You’re not doing anything wrong. A hoodie is a yellow flag without more information. Keep doing what you’re doing.

You can't trust what you can't see.

I think it's fair to be nervous around people who conspicuously hide their identity. I've been mugged twice and in neither case did the person walk up to me and introduce themselves first. There's nothing wrong with giving people hiding their features a wide berth up to crossing the street, especially late at night. People who are just wearing what's comfortable will keep on going without interactions but if someone changes course to intercept you - especially hurrying to come up behind you - it's not at all racist to react defensively, it's just rational.

People can wear what they want, I will judge them (sort of) if they are obscuring their features but I do understand there are a lot of reasons for doing so (including not wanting a negative interaction yourself). I've had busty friends that adore their hoodies because it lets them avoid unwanted attention and cat calling - but it's equally fair to be concerned that someone obscuring their identity has a malicious intent.

Just like, be informed by attire but don't pass permanent judgement - and if you get mugged because you're helping someone that looks like they're in distress (points to self) it's okay - even if it fucking sucks you made the right decision.

I feel like most of the time, people wearing a hoodie (w the hood on), don't want to be interacted with, nor do they wish to interact with others. At least that's how I feel. No need to feel bad a out it.

What does the color of the hoodie have to do with anything? 🤨

As a pale skinned ginger who will get second degree burns if I'm not careful outside I'm often covered up despite temperatures approaching 100F.

Being suspicious of people in hoodies isn't racist 🙄 if you only got nervous around black people in hoodies, then sure, but there's nothing wrong with being cautious of people who are concealing their identity. They might not be wearing it for that reason, but that's still something it does.

Eh, depends on circumstances.

Then again my PTSD keeps my head on swivel all the time, so I'm suspicious of five year olds that move too fast. Someone in a hoodie in warm weather? Nah, no guilt about scanning them at all

I'm suspicious of myself (or at least self-conscious) when I wear a black hoodie with the hood up...

So I was at a convention that happened to be next to a horror convention. Someone from the horror convention decided to come to our convention in a pastel overalls outfit with bunny mask and lavender wig. Some of us were afraid of joining his basement convention afterparty.

I guess this is kind of how you were feeling.

Where I live, people of all degrees of peace come in all colors of hoodies and hood positions. More often than not, the people here who give a hard time just present themselves like everyone else. If I saw someone with a black hoodie with the hood up, I'd be more worried about them being Death.

I don't feel guilty. It's fair to be suspicious of someone who covers their face without context like cold weather or a medical mask (could be sick or concerned about getting sick). The trick or test is to ask yourself "Do I/would I become equally concerned if this person was in a different racial category?" If the answer is "No", de-escalate yourself. If the answer is "No", look for the other markers that are actually setting off alarms for you. It's not just covering the face. As others have pointed out there can be a variety of harmless reasons why people might do that. But look for how a person carries themself: where they keep their hands how they move their eyes. Or maybe you are just paranoid about hoodies in general, in which case you should try to develop a more holistic way of sizing people up.

If I see someone in a black hoodie I'm crossing the street

More recently, I'm immediately suspicious of someone who is very obviously not immunocompromised; wearing a Covid mask with the hoodie up. Especially if they have sunglasses on. That person is either bipping cars or about to steal something. Best to just steer clear. I only ever really encounter these types in SF. They aren't worried about Covid, they just don't want their face to be seen.

I remember as a kid I locked the door to the car whenever someone would walk by. Most people don't really notice or care but once a black guy walked by and I didn't know about the racist connotation, so I just did what I always did and was devastated when I could see that I really hurt the guy's feelings. I stopped doing it after that, now I just give a little friendly wave or smile. I'm still as overly cautious, but I'd rather get stabbed to death than make someone feel like that ever again.