Are people who live in the urban Northeast USA rude and unfriendly?

[sue1013]

Is it just me or is anyone else not suprised that Chubroach thinks destroying careers is a sport in the Northeast?

 

[mickeyfan1]

Originally posted by sue1013
Is it just me or is anyone else not suprised that Chubroach thinks destroying careers is a sport in the Northeast?

I can't say I am or am not surprised that this person thinks that. It is his/her opinion.

One thing I forgot to say is I was basically brought up in the DC area, I moved to Springfield, VA when I was 9 and left the DC area when I was 40. I think that in the corporate world, no matter where, there are a lot of people who will do anything it takes to get ahead, and if that means ruining someone else carreer, so be it. I think that happens in the world of Civil Service, also. But in GENERAL, people in the Northeast (DC and north) metro areas do seem a little more rushed, a little more goal oriented, a little more self serving. Not everyone, just in general.

 

[manchurianbrownbear]

I agree with those who have said that there is more of a small town / big city difference.

I have not lived outside of Minnesota since I was 2 y/o and have lived in a "large" city (Minneapolis/St Paul) most of my life, a very small town (population 990) for a couple years in high school and in a medium size town (college at Mankato State, Kimberle!).

It seems like the smaller the town, the more friendly and outgoing the people.

However, I will say that in my experience in a call center several years ago, I did not enjoy taking calls from the east coast!
Callers identified themselves with a member number that included their SSN. If you got a call from someone whose SSN began with a "0" or a "1" (which usually indicated they were from the east coast) you were much more likely to get blasted than if the caller had a midwestern SSN, beginning with a "4".

 

[Mary Ellen]

I grew up in a large West Coast city (Seattle), as an adult I've lived in a small Oklahoma town, northern Alabama, and now Colorado. We went to WDW during 'Jersey Week' once - NEVER again. I won't say rude, just a different way of life.

 

[WilmaBud]

I've spent most of my life in suburb of Philly. I lived in Philly during college. Then when I married, I moved out to California (San Diego). People I got to know in CA were often surprised at how "friendly" I was, being from NJ. That always made me laugh. There's such a misconception about people from the Northeast. We are no-nonsense and pretty direct. But people around here still wave and say hello to their neighbors and such. I'd say we're just more reserved, not unfriendly.

Life in the Northeast is definitely more frenetic. I remember even military life being more relaxed on the west coast than on the east coast. The closer you got to DC, the more strict things got (ie. dress code, saluting, etc.). But most people I encounter here in the east are very friendly, decent, and caring.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Hey Manchurianbrownbear,

I can sure believe you in the differences you noticed!! I just had to mention, if you were not expecting to be 'blasted' by folks with a SSN that begins with a 4, that is because SSN's that begin with a 4 are for those born in the South!!!

 

[Kimickey]

Chubroach


I just want to let you know that I have lived in the Washington DC area all of my life. Yes folks here tend to be clicky but I asure you that I'm not like that. In fact my husband considers me too friendly, I will talk to anyone. Give it sometime you will find someone around here who is not rude.

 

[suzannen]

I spent the first 20 years of my life in the South (NC) and the second in the North (NY). I agree with those that say it's more of a reserved or cautious approach to strangers than anything. Once someone introduces someone to you (ie vouches for them), people are as friendly as can be. I also found after living through the experience of 9-11 in NYC and this year's Blackout, that the second something goes wrong, with very few exceptions, everyone was helping everyone else in an instance. The support strangers were giving strangers was inspiring to me. That can never be called rude in my book.

 

[DD2Disney]

I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2000 I moved to Boston. Talk about your culture shock. When I first moved East (I now live in RI) I thought everyone was rude and I specifically remember thinking how disrespectful the children (HS age) were. However I now know a lot of nice friendly people. It either does not 'shock' me anymore. Or my first impressions were wrong.

And hey another thing once you learn to speak Dunky's (Dunkin Donuts) you will fit in anywhere in NE

Tricia

 

[Robinrs]

I grew up in Brooklyn. There you will find the toughest, strongest, meanest, hardest people in the world. It was called survival. You wimp out you lose.

Now I'm in Atlanta. Some people, including my son, find me abrasive. It was my upbringing. I found out very early that I didn't need the attitude because people here didn't recognize it or respond to it. It took me years but I did mellow out.

Sure, we can be what some people consider rude, but you never met more HONEST, loyal, confident, sincere people in your life. Here I don't know who's lying to me or telling me in the truth. At least in NY, I KNEW!

 

[DISshopkeeper]

I agree with most posters that it's not rudeness, but a wariness that we have here in the NE. Although I am one to make eye contact on the street and acknowlege others. About 70% of the time I get a reaction.

My sister lives in Greensboro, NC and I am always amazed at how friendly folks are there. It's very nice.

More importantly here in the NE, we don't ask other to remove their shoes upon entering our homes.

****ducking and running for cover*****

 

[MerryPoppins]

I've lived most of my life in Oklahoma. I hear that people from other parts of the country are not as laid back and open as we are here. Okies are very friendly. Most of us don't know a stranger and we smile and wave even if we don't know each other. And I have to admit I have never power walked except the few times in college when I was running late to class.

I was just remembering the Oklahoma City bombing. When all the media came here to cover the story, they were shocked at how friendly we were. I suppose if I moved where people were more reserved I would miss that. But I'm not sure I'd think anyone was rude, just not as friendly or outgoing as I was used to.

If there is a need, we pitch in and help out. On the news last night there was an elderly lady who is disabled. Someone crashed into her car recently and she couldn't afford to have it fixed. A local bodyshop stepped in and did the repairs and paint job for free. We hear stories like that all the time.

The flip side is that there are lots of old-fashioned or narrow minded folks. They are friendly and more than willing to share their views with you, even if you don't really want to hear them. So there is a healthy balance everywhere, I guess.

 

[Evil Princess]

Originally posted by DISshopkeeper


More importantly here in the NE, we don't ask other to remove their shoes upon entering our homes.

****ducking and running for cover*****

My cousins in Jersey do this, originally from New York though. It's her husband's doing...but lets not get started

 

[sue1013]

Total agreement Robin. The majority of posters seem to think being friendly is so important. Not if its phony! At least in NE people are upfront not hiding behind a smile until your out of earshot (or they think you are).

 

[JulianneP]

D.C, rude no we are just a little more uptight then most. But for those of you that live in the metro area I'm sure your agree that Marylanders are much ruder then us Virginians!!

Just had to put my 2 cents in!! I'm stuck living over on that other side of the potomac for 6 years now due to marriage and I long to be back on the other side!!

 

[Judy from Boise]

I am a native westerner, and I am always struck when we visit WDW how different people from the east interact with each other. They often speak in tone,volumn and vocabulary, to their friends and family in ways i wouldn't speak to anyone !
Of course this is just a product of cluture and geography, not any reflection on character. Differences make things interesting.

 

[Mamu]

Having grown-up in a small town in NE I would say no to your answer. Growing up you knew everyone in the town. Things have changed in the past 30 years. Towns have become cities, neighbors don't know neighbors.

The Eastern coastal area is one of the fastest growing area's in the US. I work in a very busy business in the town that I was raised in. Almost every face is a new face. Most peoples lives here in the NE are very fast paced. With this fast pace people don't seem to have the time to be friendly. Slow them down a little, and under that fast pace, unfriendly person, there is a friendly person, but it doesn't last long, soon there walking out the door.

Over all I would have to agree with you, no time to waste, like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, their always in a hurry and have no time to waste, with this come no time to stop, or talk, or wave. Time-a-wasting no time to be friendly now.

 

[onecoolmama]

Originally posted by Julianne Pasco
D.C, rude no we are just a little more uptight then most. But for those of you that live in the metro area I'm sure your agree that Marylanders are much ruder then us Virginians!!

Julianne - I don't agree with you at all! LOL! Us MDers are very nice and kind people...maybe just busier then the rest of you VAers!LOL! Actually, my family grew up in Chevy Chase (my mom and her 13 sibs and my dad in Bethesda and his 7 sibs) Here is what I have noticed..there is a underlying degree of loyalty to the side you live. Most MDers say..why would you pay those property taxes and most VAers say..no way would I live in MD! I think it depends where you were raised. We take great pride in making fun of my cousins who grew up in Stafford for the edubacation they got in VA. And they make fun of us too. I have to say I do think the schools in Montgomery County are overrated. Howard and Fairfax are just as good (if not better!)

So, to make a short point (too late) nope I compelety disagree with that and I am proof that we are in fact nice (maybe even nicer..I mean since you are comapring and all)!

I also want to say, DC has a very sarcastic humor to it. We are all very witty, but you not only have to listen quick, you have to know when people are joking with a straight face! I noticed that in Ohio that if people caught the jokes that we would tell (a few of us went to school there) it took people a minute to figure out if we were joking. So I have noticed that difference.


PS. My daughter is Julianna! We call her Julie or Juls.

 

[CBRorBust]

Well...

I can honestly say that here in Texas I think that we have some of the nicest people you will ever meet. We still believe in Southern Hospitality and so on.

I have visited the NE before, and I was prepared for a little bit of "rudness" but not to the extent that I found in Boston. Even the people that worked in the Airport were mean! I have never heard people talk to others the way I did in Boston. I'm sure this is not ALL of Boston or even the majority, but it has turned me off to Boston for the rest of my life. I no longer have ANY desire to visit there again, I felt very uncomfortable about just the general attitude of people there.

 

[kasar]

C'mon! It's nearly impossible to categorize people based on where they live! Different areas of the country have different standards and lifestyles but it's not fair to lump everyone together. I find this thread, and some of the responses extremely offensive and I'm not easily offended (I'm from the Northeast, of course).

It's fun to travel to different places and see how different people interact and live, it's fun to go somewhere like WDW and hear all the different accents from this great and diverse country. Do we really need to criticize people for the way they were raised and probably don't even realize how they appear to other people? It may be different from you, but why is that such a bad thing?