I believe this story is at least semi-relevant.
So I was out with my friends last night and we were pre-gaming out by our cars when a pair of girls come up to us and ask our names. Now as I'm about to actually give out my name, one of my friends just says, "I think your friends want you back over there." So he pretty much sent away two cute girls without reason. And then his girlfriend called them sluts. My friends are dicks.
Yes, but only if you aren't Jewish, black or gay.Originally Posted by Roto13
Actually, being serious, yes everyone is nice here. You are seen as rude if you don't say hi to everyone (or at least smile) you pass walking down the street. Holding the door open for someone behind you is a given, even if they are a few steps behind.
I've had conversations with complete strangers on the sidewalk, at the store etc etc.
It's a Midwest thing. If you're not from the Midwest and come to visit, strangers here might ask you about what it's like where you live and stuff. It's not about being nosy, it's about being polite.
I'm a rather shy person, so when it doesn't happen at other places I visit, I don't feel bad about it. But yeah, around here I'm fine with it.
Even if it's empty, I'd rather have empty kindness than rudeness.
Yikes.
Sometimes there are things to talk about with absolute strangers. If I'm outside getting fresh air and someone's near me and I like the band on their t-shirt or something, I'll start talking to them. I've gotten into conversations with people about concerts, albums, songs. I once heard someone with a Victory Fanfare message tone and we had a whole conversation about the FF series.
Maybe I'm just extroverted -- that, and y'know, my city in general.
Oh you know I would hug you, Roto.
*HUG*
I would kick you in the nuts.
(SPOILER)<3
One time a friend-of-a-friend I was being introduced to for the first time gave me a big stupid hug. So not cool. That didn't go well for him.
One time I gave out free hugs in Harajuku with a pikachu costume on. Got some wonderful hugs! Except for the gay navy guy who pinched my butt. That was unappreciated.
Striking up small conversations with people who don't mind small talk is a pleasant way to alleviate the misery of waiting.
Depends on the person and where you are. In Northern Ireland there is nothing remotely weird about random people saying hi to each other and chatting as if they are old friends - more than once when I was a kid, I'd be out with my grandma, she'd meet someone in the street, they'd stop and chat for five minutes, bid each other farewell and when I ask "Who was that, Granny?" she'd say "I don't know." Probably less true among the younger generation but still not something that would make people blink to my knowledge.
Same is true up north in England, apparently. Where I live and further south you'd get less positive reactions, the attitude is much more hostile. A few weeks ago I was going to the store for something and a random chap hanging out in his garden chatted to me about some carnival or something starting in a couple of days and asked if I was going and stuff. I was saddened when I realized I was disconcerted precisely because he had no apparent motive other than having a brief friendly chat. I hate that I'm too screwed up to talk to people without risking a panic attack anyway, and I hate that even aside from that I assume bad intent because oh my god strangers talking to each other WHAT POSSIBLE REASON COULD THEY HAVE THEY MUST WANT TO MURDER ME. But I do and I do
I live in Montréal. And yes, we hate you. We hate everyone. Mange d'la marde, grosse pute.
I've been just about everywhere in Canada though. Vancouver and Winnipeg are the best after Montréal, when it comes to big cities.
On the more serious side though, nobody is friendlier than anyone else, at least where I've been. You'll actually find that kinda stuff in smaller, out of the way towns.
Don't blame me. Blame yourself, or blame God.
I don't hug people because you never know who could be gay and maybe have AIDs. It's a very scary reality that I have to deal with on a very daily basis.
Where I live we wave at people we don't know occasionally if are eyes meet. Hugging though? Naaah.
I've totally gotten approving nods and "Hell yeahs" for my Zelda 'found a secret' text tone. Struck up a couple conversations from it too.
No stranger has ever started a conversation with me, except for old people. Old people seem to be the only people that do it. And even most of them don't. The thought of it is really weird...
I've started doing it recently, though. People stare at you a lot in England, everyone stares at everyone, it's really weird. Recently when people stare at me I've started like nodding at them or even saying hi. It's an involuntary thing. They just start staring at me and it's weird and I can't help but greet them, my friends think it's hilarious.
This shows just how weird it is here to greet people you don't know on the street - me and my friends sometimes do it to have a laugh. Like saying hi to people on the street you don't know is so weird here we do it just to freak people out.
Vancouver is a nice place to visit but it's not so nice to live there. Way, way, way too expensive and the minimum wage is laughably low. And crime is pretty ridiculous too. Also, smurfing hipsters.
If you hug people you are a gay liberal Socialist in Memphis.
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