Are People Who Live in New York Rude?
Joan Acocella, an essayist recently wrote in the Smithsonian Magazine about the personality traits of people who live in New York. She states that New York residents are often misunderstood, that they have cultural differences which appear to make them seem rude. For example, she writes that people who live in New York have very public lives. They ride on the subway; they eat in parks; they walk to work. It’s tough to put on a friendly face 24-7 and New Yorkers, many of whom are immigrants have not learned the art of faking the funk. They are real and express their true emotions on a second-by-second basis. People in New York are not afraid to tell you how they feel whether you want them to or not.
Being from the South, I have an entirely different take on New Yorkers. I feel that New Yorkers are tough. They live without that American Southern hospitality and outward smile. Some people who live in the South don’t want to hurt feelings or seem rude. There are sassy Southerners, of course, who tell you how it is! I find that they are few. In the South, you are expect to smile even when you are not in a good mood, or people will literally ask you why aren’t you smiling or why are you looking so mean.
I remember that when I first road on a subway in New York, I learned quickly not to stare or look directly at people with a big old friendly smile. Actually, I picked up cues that I should not look at people in the face; it was rude and you may attract unwanted attention. Maybe I was just paranoid. The first night that I spent in New York, a friend and I were walking down the street, and we looked around, taking in the bright lights and the scenery. We looked to the left at a man crouched in the doorway of an apartment.
"Yes. I am doing crack!" he said.
That was probably the first and the last time that I made eye-contact with someone in New York whom I didn’t know. On the other hand, the Acocella wrote that New Yorkers are friendly and are willing to help others. I have to agree. I don’t think that New Yorkers are coldhearted, just cautious. On one rainy day, after leaving work at the New York Times, I slipped and fell right off of Times Square. I was extremely embarrassed and tried to get up quickly without anyone noticing. All of a sudden, the eyes that had been averted, the heads that had been turned straight ahead, turned towards me. Two men offered to help me up. I was surprised. On the contrary, after leaving a club mixer at a hotel in Atlanta, I slipped, stumbled, and nearly fell to the ground. No one asked me if I was all right. In fact, one young man laughed at me, but assured me that I was still looking fine. Go figure.
What do you think? Are people who live in New York rude? Are Americans rude? Leave a comment! I’d love to read your responses.
Photo Credit: Worobod, Flickr Creative Commons License
Related Posts
Book Reviews for Summer Reading Beautiful LiesBlogrollGreat Cheap Travel Links
. . . . . . . . . .
Full Disclosure: I’m a native New Yorker, born here, raised her and still here. New Yorkers are actually extremely helpful and friendly, we just aren’t big on small talk. Believe me, I think social graces are important, but most NY’ers are just busy and trying to get to where they’re going in one piece. If you want to see how friendly we are, ask a NY’er for subway directions,a question about a specific neighborhood, the museums, The Yankees and I guarantee you’ll be having a conversation as friendly as can be found anywhere else in the US.
Living in New York can be tough, and that’s a big part of it. It’s absurdly expensive, crowded and moves at a million miles an hour. We take our privacy and alone time where we can get it, even on the streets and subways.
Yes, Mike. Although, I only lived in New York for about a month, I fully agree with your comments. New Yorkers just have a lot on their minds and are trying to get where they need to go.