That’s fair. You can decline to participate in casual conversations and be annoyed.

Most people don’t mind someone initiating a casual conversation in a non threatening manner. Most will enjoy it, at least sometimes.

I’m happy for the author here, especially that he was able to shrug off these awkward interactions and move on.

As someone who wants to have meaningful interactions even if they are brief, it's super annoying when I just want to offer a compliment or joke to a stranger and they think I'm trying to talk to them. Are they so selfish that a little chuckle or "thank you" is going to break them?