I worry this idea is being taken up as the next trend in our societal descent into antisocial avoidance.

Could it be useful if cornered by a predator at a bar, or a technique for dealing with racist grandma you can't otherwise engage with? I guess. But more likely this will be co-opted as an excuse for being unresponsive to their partners, friends, co-workers, etc., shutting down communication exactly when it is most impactful.

Be warned this is NOT a reasonable way to engage with the world. I dread a future where this is normalized into a real world form of ghosting, which is already a terrible trend turning everyone into avoidant turtles.

It is harmful to both parties - they don't know why you avoided them so they can't fix anything, and you lose assertiveness and the ability to handle any level of discomfort. And as a society we grow more and more disconnected until we simply stop breeding, like pandas.

Yep avoidance is massively damaging to people around the person adopting these strategies. In attachment theory for example, avoidance is basically the most harmful way of participating in romantic relationships, and caused massive trauma for partners.

But I agreed, modern society seems to be normalizing these tactics. Instead of encouraging people to do the hard work of behaving in healthy ways.