People who say/have said things like "Why are you so quiet?" "You never say a word" etc. to quiet/shy people in front of a group of people, why do you do this and what exactly are you trying to achieve?

You're sounding fairly uneducated on social anxiety to be honest. Should people with anxiety not hang out in friend groups and resign themselves to a life of isolation? I get how your example can be annoying where you're expected to do all the small talk in work, but if I'm in a social situation where I'm only friends with half the people there and I have no idea what the strangers perceive as good, or if they're thinking I'm weird because I'm being quiet, it's going to be very difficult feeling confident, especially because I live in the knowledge that a great deal of people can be as judgemental as yourself.

I also generally don't put myself in those situations, but even before covid theres very little opportunity for socialising in Ireland outside of the pub so a lot of anxious people can feel forced to put themselves in those incredibly uncomfortable situations in order to maintain friendships.

/r/ireland Thread Parent