I (22M) am a senior in college and I work part-time as a line cook at a restaurant. It helps me pay for rent, car payments, etc. I like the job and try to stay focused during shifts—especially prep time or slow periods—so I usually throw in one earbud and listen to podcasts or audiobooks while I work. I still stay alert and remove them when it gets busy or when I need to be fully communicative in the kitchen.

There’s this other guy my age who works there, and he just… sucks. I don’t mean he’s a bad person—he’s relatively nice—but he’s always drunk (or hungover), constantly making obnoxious, unfunny jokes. Every shift it’s uncomfortable self-deprecating comments like “I should call her” or “I’m gonna wrap my car around a tree,” or loud, cringy sex jokes that no one asked for. Just attention-seeking nonsense that gets old real fast.

The main problem is he will not stop trying to talk to me. I’ll have my earbud in, clearly zoned into what I’m doing, and he’s still talking. No social awareness at all. I give short, uninterested responses or pretend I didn’t hear him, but he keeps going. Every. Single. Shift.

I’m not trying to be rude. I just prefer to focus and not waste energy on banter during work. It’s not like I hate the guy—I just don’t want to be his therapist or his audience while I’m trying to get through a long night.

AITA for not engaging with him and making it pretty clear that I don’t want to talk during our shift? Or should I suck it up because he’s just being friendly in his own weird way? Should i tell him to stop talking or just leave it?