Most Unfriendly Part of the USA?

[Orchidflower]

When I spent some weeks in L.A., I was surprised more than once by the natives saying they wished they lived in Chicago (where I was from at the time) rather than L.A. And we people in Chicago thought L.A. was mecca. But they seemed so unhappy that I guess not.

[aaronc879]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower When I spent some weeks in L.A., I was surprised more than once by the natives saying they wished they lived in Chicago (where I was from at the time) rather than L.A. And we people in Chicago thought L.A. was mecca. But they seemed so unhappy that I guess not.

My guess is most of them wouldn't last past Christmas before they were on a plane escaping the hell that is an upper midwest winter. It's now April 20th and 200 miles directly north of Chicago I will be getting an inch or 2 of snow with windchills in the low 20's tonight.

[haha]

When I was living in Boston I had a roomate who was an assistant professor of anthropology. He was from San José. He explained this stuff to me in a way that made total sense. He said that people are not the same everywhere; they actually differ quite a lot from one another. Some of this difference is individual, some family, some subcultural and some from the larger culture. Some groups are much more open to strangers than others. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are looking to become friends, only that they are not automatically cold with strangers.

One of his favorite things was to point out stuff at parties, such as how people stood together in groups. Most ethnic easterners other than Irish are bunched together practically touching, or in fact often taking hold of one another. Westerners were more likely to space themselves out in kind of a loose semi-circle.

I tend to be conscious of these things, and to interpret them as meaningful but not as simple indicators of a single trait such as "friendliness". This kind of knowledge can also be used deliberately as anyone who has survived as a sales professional knows in his/her bones.

I like to have fun with this stuff in some moods. Once a car salesman was giving me the hearty good ol' boy treatment as we were walking along in the lot. I put my arm around his shoulder and said "I am so happy to find you!" He practically fell over laughing.

ha

[CuppaJoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaronc879 .... It's now April 20th and 200 miles directly north of Chicago I will be getting an inch or 2 of snow with windchills in the low 20's tonight.

Could you overnight some of that white stuff; low 20's sounds so refreshing. We're suffering a heat wave here without air conditioning. Hope you take winter vacations.

[aaronc879]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CuppaJoe Could you overnight some of that white stuff; low 20's sounds so refreshing. We're suffering a heat wave here without air conditioning. Hope you take winter vacations.

In July and August when it get 90 degrees with high humidity I don't even turn on the fan let alone the AC. I don't mind the heat but the cold is horrible. I know some wierd people are just the opposite.

I'll send you some white stuff if you send me some sun. When I saw the sun in march I barely knew what it was after not seeing it since early november.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CuppaJoe Could you overnight some of that white stuff; low 20's sounds so refreshing. We're suffering a heat wave here without air conditioning. Hope you take winter vacations.

San Francisco 89degF today. Without AC ->

Phoenix 96degF today! What spring? It's summer!

[bssc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound San Francisco 89degF today. Without AC -> Phoenix 96degF today! What spring? It's summer!

96 is cold. Warm is over 110. We flipped on our evaporative cooler though since we like our little luxuries.

[jazz4cash]

I voted Northeast.........specifically NJ. My experience with New Yorkers and New Englanders has been a tad better. I am a Northeasterner (DC), lived in MI, CA, IN, and travelled to many other places in the US and NJ takes the prize, but I don't view unfriendliness as a bad thing, just a different attitude toward others.

[CuppaJoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bssc 96 is cold. Warm is over 110. ....

YMMV, it was so hot, I went out on the roof as soon as it got dark, half the residents were already there and I tried to be friendly without jeopardizing my curmudgeon candidacy.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CuppaJoe YMMV, it was so hot, I went out on the roof as soon as it got dark, half the residents were already there and I tried to be friendly without jeopardizing my curmudgeon candidacy.

I looked at the book recommended by AL, Younger Next Year. He says that older men often start to get crabby and easily irritated. The author says that we should resist this creeping crabbiness with whatever skill we can bring to bear. Today I practiced personal control by not yelling at people who almost ran me down in cross walks.

Tomorrow I will be very nice to everyone of this board.

My goal is to reverse curmudgeonhood before it is too late.

I don't know whether or not this sort of thing applies to women.

Ha

[kumquat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover I think it is the equivalent of two bored kids pinching each other in the back seat on a long car ride.

Are we there yet?

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha Tomorrow I will be very nice to everyone of this board. My goal is to reverse curmudgeonhood before it is too late.

Sorry, but it appears your condition is much too far advanced to have any chance for remission....

[ratface]

Wow, lots of Chicago people here including myself. Although I work in this Sheethole I don't spend much free time around here. People are always in a hurry and the traffic congestion is deplorable. There is no trust of anyone probably for survival sake. I much prefer anything an hour or so outside the greater Chicagoland area where people are much more trusting. You can actually buy gas without pre-paying. Many places don't ask for ID when writing a check. (back in the check days) Get into the small towns and folks still leave their keys in their cars and the clerks at the motor vehicle office are actually human. I think friendliness stems from trust, the less we fear each other the more open we will behave toward one another. I have found Texas and basically the South to be very friendly. Perhaps it has something to do with population density, a nice climate, and rifles across the back of pick-up trucks which evens the playing field. Conversely I have found the Northern part of the US to be the most unfriendly.

[freebird5825]

I didn't vote on any region. People are people...
I'm a friendly person and have had good luck in many zip codes.
A smile and respect go a million miles.

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha I looked at the book recommended by AL, Younger Next Year. He says that older men often start to get crabby and easily irritated. The author says that we should resist this creeping crabbiness with whatever skill we can bring to bear. Today I practiced personal control by not yelling at people who almost ran me down in cross walks. Tomorrow I will be very nice to everyone of this board. My goal is to reverse curmudgeonhood before it is too late. I don't know whether or not this sort of thing applies to women. Ha

May I recommend a nice loud whistle for the drivers ?
Never put until tomorrow what you can easily do today.
I'll suggest a virtual box of chocolates to get you started off on the "nice" campaign.

Curmudgeonhood for women? Nah, I only get crabby when people torque me off.

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cruisinthru ...In contrast, the people in NY could not have been nicer on any of my visits. On one visit we took my FIL who was about 92 at the time. He was very excited about the trip since he had worked in NYC during the '50 and '60's. As he crossed the street near his old office he missed a step and fell. He broke his glasses and cut his head. The people on the street from the bystanders to the cab driver could not have been more helpful. We got back to our hotel and the staff was wonderful. They found a place to get his eye glasses repaired on Sunday and employees searched their lockers for bandages. Wow, and I had heard NY'ers were rude!

It's the water!
TY for telling that story.

[CuppaJoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha .... Tomorrow I will be very nice to everyone of this board. My goal is to reverse curmudgeonhood before it is too late. ....

This is a sickening development, worse than another rendition of Barbra's "People." OTOH, none of us have enough points to run against the incumbent, they say only one allowed per forum. NM, this is not an election year.

[unclemick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha When I was living in Boston I had a roomate who was an assistant professor of anthropology. He was from San José. He explained this stuff to me in a way that made total sense. He said that people are not the same everywhere; they actually differ quite a lot from one another. Some of this difference is individual, some family, some subcultural and some from the larger culture. Some groups are much more open to strangers than others. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are looking to become friends, only that they are not automatically cold with strangers. One of his favorite things was to point out stuff at parties, such as how people stood together in groups. Most ethnic easterners other than Irish are bunched together practically touching, or in fact often taking hold of one another. Westerners were more likely to space themselves out in kind of a loose semi-circle. I tend to be conscious of these things, and to interpret them as meaningful but not as simple indicators of a single trait such as "friendliness". This kind of knowledge can also be used deliberately as anyone who has survived as a sales professional knows in his/her bones. I like to have fun with this stuff in some moods. Once a car salesman was giving me the hearty good ol' boy treatment as we were walking along in the lot. I put my arm around his shoulder and said "I am so happy to find you!" He practically fell over laughing. ha

UW early sixties - cultural anthro, and the paperback 'The Silent Language' or something like that.

Distance and don't look em in the eye unless know them well enough to invade their privacy.

heh heh heh - I still vote Seattle. Especially in the 'grey' part of the year.

[deserat]

Berkeley, CA - I saw some of the rudest behavior ever there - especially at Monterey Market. Friendliest - Hill Country, Texas.

[Orchidflower]

I have to go with Moemg on this one. I found northern N.J. and NYC to be ultra-friendly.
When people vote for the NE being the least friendly area are they speaking of outside the NYC region?
Connecticut does have a cool reserve I heard, but New Hampshire is supposedly very friendly. So what exactly makes the NE area so unfriendly? Which States? Seems to vary by States/regions in the NE area.

And, yes, Texans are friendly; however, that does not mean it's an invitation to friendship. However, I found more assistance and help from "I hate Yankee" types when I got to Houston than I would have ever gotten from anyone in Chicago when I got there. And I was from Chicago. Go figure?
If I can truly say anything about the native Houstonian/Texan it's that they will extend a helping hand to others. Even their signs all along the roads say "Drive Friendly."