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The people I have encountered in Columbus can't even say the pleasantries such as "Good Morning," "bye," "excuse me," "how are you?" I don't think this has anything to do with not having time but outright rudeness. The "midwestern" values does not exist but I guess most places are like that. The "small town" friendliness doesn't exist either.
It isn't a place of such pleasantries for the most part. Go to the south if you want this. Pleasantries and being friendly are of course not necessarily the same thing. Many people are polite in say Minneapolis with this sort of thing, but not necessarily interested in being your friend.
Then again just because one place isn't polite doesn't mean it isn't a friendly place.
You just have to decode how friendliness manifests in place to place. Many areas of the NE a friendly display is to "bust balls" with your friends, but someone not accustomed to this behavior might thing they are fighting.
It isn't a place of such pleasantries for the most part. Go to the south if you want this. Pleasantries and being friendly are of course not necessarily the same thing. Many people are polite in say Minneapolis with this sort of thing, but not necessarily interested in being your friend.
Then again just because one place isn't polite doesn't mean it isn't a friendly place.
You just have to decode how friendliness manifests in place to place. Many areas of the NE a friendly display is to "bust balls" with your friends, but someone not accustomed to this behavior might thing they are fighting.
You're not a polite or even nice person, because neither type of person goes out of their way to trash hundreds of thousands of people. Is this the kind of stuff one would expect from people in the South? Since you're a fan of stereotyping everyone, I'm going to use you as the Southern population example. I'm not impressed.
You're not a polite or even nice person, because neither type of person goes out of their way to trash hundreds of thousands of people. Is this the kind of stuff one would expect from people in the South? Since you're a fan of stereotyping everyone, I'm going to use you as the Southern population example. I'm not impressed.
Who ever said I was a polite or nice person? Generally speaking I'm far more interested getting a true or clear view of people and places over pleasant fictions. I've been in the south now for about 5 years so I don't know if that makes me a southerner or not. Spent far longer than that in/near Columbus.
Who ever said I was a polite or nice person? Generally speaking I'm far more interested getting a true or clear view of people and places over pleasant fictions. I've been in the south now for about 5 years so I don't know if that makes me a southerner or not. Spent far longer than that in/near Columbus.
Then I wonder why we should take the word about what population is nice from someone who admits they may not even know how to be that themselves. A lot of the college students you were trashing are also not native to Columbus, but you still felt they represented Columbus people. So like it or not, you're a spokesman for the South.
Then I wonder why we should take the word about what population is nice from someone who admits they may not even know how to be that themselves. A lot of the college students you were trashing are also not native to Columbus, but you still felt they represented Columbus people.
You're putting words in my mouth again.
You know I never said I was or wasn't polite/nice either.
Why should someone take my word? Because I travel a lot, which has me interacting with people from all walks of life from ultra wealthy North Carolinians to working class West Virginians and just about everything in between.
I'm fairly social and I'd say I try to be helpful/polite to strangers. If you're my friend it's a different story. Speaking of which, I've made friends easily in most places I've been. I have a pretty good idea of what friendly means in NYC, the Midwest, in the south, and the Pacific Northwest.
The general idea is someone can look at my other posts and say, "Hey, I'm sort of like that." Then they will know whether or not they should listen to anything I have to say. My first post will give you about half an idea of my specifics anyway.
Who shouldn't listen to me much when it comes to places?
* Retirees.
* People who are far left or far right politically.
* People who enjoy car culture.
* People interested in the American SW.
* People interested in living in posh suburbs somewhere.
All things that "aren't me", but then again I'm not likely to post much on them anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbcmh81
So like it or not, you're a spokesman for the South.
Should I say you're a spokesman for Mexico City then?
To put it in perspective:
Time spent living in the south (minus Miami) about 5 years.
Time spend in and around Columbus? 20 years give or take.
With the largest chunk of my adult life spent in Pittsburgh.
At this point I wouldn't really say I'm of anywhere, but everywhere. Each place adds something to your experience.
I'm most definitely a warts and all type of person because I know if I'm the one looking for advice or understanding I want to know the good and the bad. Not only that, but also specifically in how they differ from other areas with the same type of issues.
I don't necessarily think college students in Columbus represent Columbus. Certainly they are a part of the overall fabric. And if you are to have a negative experience while in the city (outside of specifically a crime committed against you) it's likely to have something to do with an out of control college type.
Why?
I couldn't say. Although it's probably simply because the sheer number of college students in the city.
Nope. You chose to use stereotypes. No one forced you to do that. It's not my fault you don't like being called out for it.
Quote:
You know I never said I was or wasn't polite/nice either.
You seem confused as to what you are. From my perspective, stereotypes are not the realm of nice people, or at the very least, intellectually honest people who are not looking to make quick judgments about a population.
Quote:
Why should someone take my word? Because I travel a lot, which has me
interacting with people from all walks of life from ultra wealthy North
Carolinians to working class West Virginians and just about everything in
between.
I've travelled a lot too. Many people have. Travel does not make your experience anymore relevant or true than mine. I've found that people are largely the same no matter where you go. Some decent, some not, but more the former than latter. Columbus is no exception to that, immaturity of some college students notwithstanding.
Quote:
I'm fairly social and I'd say I try to be helpful/polite to strangers. If you're
my friend it's a different story. Speaking of which, I've made friends easily in
most places I've been. I have a pretty good idea of what friendly means in NYC,
the Midwest, in the south, and the Pacific Northwest.
And yet you seem to believe Columbus is some kind of rare exception to the rule, where most people are somehow different than everywhere else. That's nonsense and your limited experience there will never support that.
Quote:
Who shouldn't listen to me much when it comes to places?
* Retirees.
* People who are far left or far right politically.
* People who enjoy car culture.
* People interested in the American SW.
* People interested in living in posh suburbs somewhere
.
*People who are able to judge people individually rather than through blanket statements.
Quote:
Should I say you're a spokesman for Mexico City then?
There's no such thing as some kind of singular spokesman for anywhere. I can only give my subjective perspective, but in a city of 22 million, that's going to have very limited usefulness. I would choose to engage in facts and figures, things that would not be subjective.
Quote:
At this point I wouldn't really say I'm of anywhere, but everywhere. Each place
adds something to your experience.
If you're really as well-travelled as you seem to think you are, I would expect you to have a more open mind about making judgments against whole populations, but that's apparently not something you've learned yet.
Quote:
I'm most definitely a warts and all type of person because I know if I'm the one
looking for advice or understanding I want to know the good and the bad. Not
only that, but also specifically in how they differ from other areas with the
same type of issues.
You can only give "good and bad" perspective from a very limited viewpoint, though. So no matter what level of experience you think you have, it's really not going to have all that much relevance to any one individual. There are plenty of others who visit/live in Columbus that love it and overall have a very positive experience. Are they just really lucky to have missed all those bad things you say you saw and experienced? Are they wrong?
Quote:
I don't necessarily think college students in Columbus represent Columbus.
Certainly they are a part of the overall fabric. And if you are to have a
negative experience while in the city (outside of specifically a crime committed
against you) it's likely to have something to do with an out of control college
type.
You certainly suggested they did before, especially when you said a lot of people in Columbus are living stereotypes. Maybe your obvious disdain for that demographic is providing a self-fulfilling experience.
The people I have encountered in Columbus can't even say the pleasantries such as "Good Morning," "bye," "excuse me," "how are you?" I don't think this has anything to do with not having time but outright rudeness. The "midwestern" values does not exist but I guess most places are like that. The "small town" friendliness doesn't exist either.
I'm a little confused by this. I generally don't say those things unless I am working (where I might say good morning, etc.) but even there I am more given to a head nod and a smile when appropriate. If you talk to me, I try to be as polite and friendly as possible. But in general, no, I don't talk to every person I come across nor do I expect to be talked to. In all honesty I find it irritating when people ask "how are you" but aren't really sincere in the query. I will say "excuse me" when I am in close quarters with someone or accidentally brush or bump into them.
I have lived hear almost all of my 29 years of life, and I find the city to be plenty friendly. It might just be that I have different standards. Of course, there are also rude people and inconsiderate people everywhere. I am also not a naturally "chatty" person, and am introvert. There's probably a degree of "to each their own" at work in that.
I really would dislike it if everyone I came across had a conversation with me. I generally do have things to do and places to be. But if I am out hiking, or walking, and I exchange a nod, a smile, or a "Hi" with those I come across I consider that perfectly reasonable and friendly. In the grocery store or anywhere else I tend to be focused on what I am doing and not as apt to greet everyone in that way.
What in your mind are "mid-western values" and "small town friendliness"? Columbus is a pretty big city.
I'm a little confused by this. I generally don't say those things unless I am working (where I might say good morning, etc.) but even there I am more given to a head nod and a smile when appropriate. If you talk to me, I try to be as polite and friendly as possible. But in general, no, I don't talk to every person I come across nor do I expect to be talked to. In all honesty I find it irritating when people ask "how are you" but aren't really sincere in the query.
In the south this would be considered unfriendly or perhaps even rude. In the Midwest it's more of the norm.
Trying to just say goodbye and get off the phone with people when I first moved here was a nightmare.
I think when people think friendly (at least on here) they mean the type of friendly you get in some areas of the south - small talk, pleasantries, saying hello or more to just about everyone, knowing/talking to your neighbors, saying Sir/Mam, and so on.
Never really thought about it until now, but I don't know if the head nod exists down here. Seems like I would have noticed by now. Then again maybe I just wasn't paying attention.
Something I'd sometimes do up north was let out/wave out people who were waiting to pull out of a side street, but in the south (at least in this area) most people won't even know what you are doing and just sit there. Or they won't let people out at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbcmh81
I've found that people are largely the same no matter where you go.
The people I was talking about are people at my work which is large, people in my apartment complex and so forth. Don't get me started on people I don't know. I don't expect pleasantries from people in the street or shopping places but people don't even say excuse me and always seem angry.
The people I was talking about are people at my work which is large, people in my apartment complex and so forth. Don't get me started on people I don't know. I don't expect pleasantries from people in the street or shopping places but people don't even say excuse me and always seem angry.
No they don't. I tend to think people see and experience what they themselves put forth. People in Columbus don't go out of their way to be rude to people who are nice to them, nor are they inexplicably angry all the time. This is getting silly.
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