jason_els
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- Joined
- Dec 16, 2004
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- Location
- Warwick, NY, USA
- Sexuality
- 90% Gay, 10% Straight
- Gender
- Male
I live in NYC and every time I use the front door of a bus I say thank you to the driver. I would say that 99% of the ones that use the front door do the same. I never thought that it was strange.
A lot of people think that NYers are rude. Well, I've lived here for many years and after I moved here I quickly discovered that impression was incorrect! I was greatly and pleasantly surprised, to say the least!
I soon found out that it was the "tourists" to New York City that were the ones that were impolite. Of the American visitors, it seems those from the East Coast, the South, and the Mid-West, were the most polite. Those from the West Coast, some Mexicans and South Americans (especially the wealthy ones) are the most impolite of all. Most Europeans, as well as those from the Mid-East and Asia are very polite. I don't know why this is true, but maybe it has something to do with the many and various cultures, or maybe because many are not fluent in a particular language, I just don't know.
The impression of the French is that they are rude (especially the Parisians), but here in NYC I find then extremely polite and charming. Strange? Go figure!
In any case, everyone come to NYC. We love you!
My experiences match silvertriumph's. I've lived in NYC for nearly 28 years.
I love in NYC and I always say please, thank you and you are welcome. But my mother raised her boys right!
I'll go with this. My take on New Yorker's is that they're generally stand-offish. Not rude, but not forthcoming either. One can be assertive without being rude and you must be assertive to live in New York. The invisible wall thing we practice on the streets tends to lessen once indoors. If you don't say anything then neither does anyone else, but if you do say something, most people are amiable enough once they know you're not some refugee from Randall's Island. One of my favorite New York traits in the most casual restaurants is the tendency of New Yorkers to chime in on conversations. I haven't run into that elsewhere and I rarely experience it at the nice places I occasionally go to as a treat for myself.
Still as I've said before, in many places around New York, I get the feeling that being polite makes other people think you're a doormat. This is particularly true of where I live. The influx of people from New Jersey and the outer boroughs have brought rudeness to my little Mayberry in ways that shock locals. My uncle and cousin routinely get yelled at or given the finger for driving their tractors on the road even for short distances. Word of warning. Don't ever piss off a farmer pulling a manure spreader when you're driving behind him. The power take off on the tractor can sometimes engage itself without warning :tongue:.
The friendliest people I've found are down south but their friendliness can be misleading. The way they greet and treat people down there seems more sincere to we Yankees than it really is. Takes a while to get used to the fact that someone may not like you and still greet you like a long lost cousin. That seems disingenuous to us and certainly worse than if somebody came out and told you what they really think of you to your face. If someone doesn't like you up here, you'll know it pretty damn quickly.
Must agree on the French thing. Parisians are the rudest people I've ever encountered, bar none. Outside of Paris they get much nicer, particularly in the south. The French are, however, excellent tourists. Perhaps it's because they know their reputation?