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In the U.S. what city, location, etc. has the rudest, most vile, wretched, overall community or society? From what I know it has to be New York City, but perhaps others can shed somedarknlight on it.
And while we're at it... what place in the U.S. has the most friendly, nice, peaceful community or society?
http://www.rd.com/content/good-manners/2/Quote:
World of Courtesy: Ranking of 35 Cities
Below is a ranking of the most courteous to the least courteous -- 35 major cities included in RD's Global Courtesy Test. Figures reflect the percentage of people who passed in each city. When multiple cities had identical scores, they are listed in alphabetical order.
New York USA 80%
Don't believe the hype about New York, it's a very friendly city.
I have been in much ruder, meaner places than NYC. Try Detroit, or example. Try Gary, Indiana. Seend the night in East St. Louis, if you dare.
New York doesn't even rate among the most rude, evil, dangerous cities in America.
Very surprising I have to say, you hear about New York's rudeness quite often.
I think generally cities are more forgiving at least, if you get some villagers to hate you, you can just as well move away, in a city it's not as bad as there are many people around and city people are used to meeting a lot of different characters unlike villagers. I'd call that a general trend partly supported by my own experience though I'm not an american obviously. :sweatdrop:
In that context I also found it surprising to hear that some villages in the southern US are apparently very friendly places.
NYC? I doubt anyone who's been there can claim it's a particularly rude city. It's unique in the sense that everyone seems in a hurry because everything everywhere is so busy, but rather than interpreting that as rude perhaps not adjusting to the circumstances is in fact ruder? I found most people I met there friendly and informative, at worst brusque I had too many questions or the like.
Well, I'm not much of a believer to start with. It's just that I've been to places there and NYC was one of them. From all the U.S. places I visited NYC was the worst.Quote:
Originally Posted by Proletariat
Granted, I have not seen it all which is why I said "from what I know..."
In fact, any place in America I visited seemed to be full of rude, dishonest, manipulative, evil, selfish people regardless of colour, race, class, etc. I ain't just talking they're in a hurry, no: they are plain RUDE and NASTY. The reason for this... I don't know in detail, but the fact stands.
Now, fellow people of the ORG, THAT... is one of the reasons I dislike that country.
I've been to all those places - not so bad, IMO.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemur
Rudest big US city I've visited (as in unhelpful, even hostile, to outsiders of any type): Atlanta, Georgia.
Friendliest big US city: Honolulu, Hawaii. A traveller there can almost get annoyed with how many smiling faces he sees per day.
Full disclosure: it's been 20 years since I've been to those towns.
That's a real nice generalization Bijo.......Quote:
Originally Posted by Bijo
Explaining that would be kinda nice, and you might want to take into consideration your apparent lack of tolerance. I mean how many other people regularly put up threads just to complain about things that they hate?
I'd have to say NYC isn't that bad. The people are in a rush sure, but do you expect everyone to stop on the street and say "Hi" like in a village or quite country road? No. And if you go to a restaurant, theater, or almost any other normal establishment the people are quite nice, informative and helpful. Oh yeah and there's some great food.
But they have the NYPD :cool: :Quote:
Originally Posted by Husar
http://songphon.files.wordpress.com/...e_diehard4.jpg
Hmm ... speak for yourself but don't call it "fact" as it rather seems to be a perception of you than a fact.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bijo
My own experience from half a year as an exchange student, a number of visits in the US in various areas since then and the daily interaction with people from the US in my day-to-day work supports none of your points.
When traveling in the US I rather found that in general people in the US were extremely friendly and helpful and the majority of people who spent time in the US made the same experience.
Perhaps you can give some examples of incidents that led to you (IMHO) somewhat unusual view?
Where have you been in the US and for how long?
The only fact I see standing is that it's your opinion, and not one many share. Some might even say that your comments here are rather rude and nasty to an awful lot of people from NYC.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bijo
No, it was not a generalization. I simply said that every place I visited in America was more or less BAD. This experience (among other factors) MADE me dislike the country AND I am not saying that any place in it is like how I described those others. And my lack of tolerance, whether true or false, is irrelevant.Quote:
Originally Posted by Uesugi Kenshin
The fact stands and it cannot be negated.
If I visit places and I objectively notice people are rude, is it not a fact that these people in these places are rude? Do you really think I would allow emotion, beliefs, subjectivity, and such for judgment? The fact that they were rude stands.
You should know by now I do not like opinions unless they are necessary. And the people who might think I am being rude should know I am not if they remember how I would operate in debates and discussions. I provide the facts and that's it. What you're saying comes close to ad hominem.Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoffrey S
---
Ser Clegane:
Some examples:
- ignoring when you talk
- looking dirty at you
- cursing you out
I've been there a few months.
Hmm, can't say personally for rudest. Friendliest? Well, Iowa's pretty friendly for the most part, especially in comparison to other parts of the country I've been to.
How can you objectively declare a phenomenon that is, by definition, subjective? I'm not saying that people weren't rude, I'm just saying that I think you might have to lose your license to use the word "objective" for a while. Felony malapropism!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bijo
Considering a city, or as you expanded it later a nation, as a whole rude hardly sounds objective to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bijo
Seems like you're having some trouble separating your opinion from fact.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bijo
Regardless, I remember quite well how you operate in debates and discussions. Can't say I was particularly impressed. Ad hominem? Sure; by definition one's opinion of another is.
I'm sure that when I visit Greece I'll give it a purely objective view...
Rudest place? I'd say Miami. The city of Miami is a nice place, but the traffic is horrendous, crime is up, and it's dangerous to be anywhere after dark.
Nicest place? I'd say Cedar Key, Florida. Small island off the west coast, fishing town, friendly. Honolulu is close second, but you can't go wrong with Florida State fans.
On my (obviously) limited samples, I'd say I have been struck by how very polite Americans are.Quote:
In fact, any place in America I visited seemed to be full of rude, dishonest, manipulative, evil, selfish people
I'm afraid they must get a nasty surprise when they come to England.
Novato, California... Due to the fact that every here thinks they're better than every one else. just try to cross the street and you'll get run over.
The nicest place
Fairfax, California... Due to the fact 99.9999999% of the population is a bunch of hippies who are constantly high on LSD, pot, cocaine... it goes one
One thing that I found noticeable is the amount of service; at restaurants, at shops, anywhere. It's not necessarily better, but there tend to be a lot more people than in the Netherlands/England and service is quicker. I'd imagine that'd be annoying for Yanks heading over this way.
Actually East St Louis isn't very rude, they hardly say anything to you when they sneak up from behind to murder, rob, or rape you. :laugh4:Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemur
Thats because of all the damn yankees thats moved down there, ya jerk!!!:beam:Quote:
Originally Posted by KukriKhan
I haven't been to the USA myself, but some of the most obnoxious people I met when on vacation were...
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
As tourists, our reputation is horrorible and I can see why. Last year I went to the Garda lake in Italy, the year before that to Mallorca (Spanish island) and at times I was embarassed by proxy, and sorry for the fact that neither my English or German was good enough to pretend that I wasn't one of them. Of course not all or even the majority of them...err, us are obnoxious, antisocial trash but the ones who are make enough noise to give that impression.
Beat that, NYC :shame:
I lived in Madrid, Spain, for about half a year, and I gotta say the worst-behaved tourists were
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
More than any other group, they refused to speak the local language, and mangled it horribly when they did. But then, I think Spain is where their yobs go to get drunk and obnoxious.
Detroit. Ugh. Horrible.
NYC is a very pleasant place.
Any of the cities in the South, as long as you aren't in the ghetto, are very friendly besides ATL.
Also, Im wondering what made everyone act so hateful towards the OP. Do you use deodorant? :beam:
MIA got fare share of spanish talkin' people I don't like.
Haven't been to the USA so I can't comment on the most rude American city.
The most annoying tourists? Definitly the Brits. I also get annoyed by the Dutch but that's probably because Belgians are sometimes mistaken for Dutch in other countries (same language).
I must say that in my visits to the United States, most people have been delightfully polite. There is a deep vein of hospitality that reminds one of the way I fancy the Old World might once have been.
That's not to say that your average American (let's assume there is such a person) once he takes it into his mind that you are deserving of dressing down, cannot be the most inventively rude person on the planet. New Yorkers particularly, can insult one every which way - and you will know it from the first syllable. A Parisian will destroy you while you smile, and you will only discover your fate after your last friend blanks you.
Most Americans take pride in their directness, which can be alien to those of us from more "subtle" Europe. As regulars here will know, I have the tendency to fall into pomposity, and that particular vice is anathema to our trans-Atlantic cousins. They will tell you so, and bluntly. Sometimes, if you persist, they will simply ignore you. This is hard on the ego, but good for the soul. Being direct is not rude, but can be interpreted as such by the delicate hothouse flowers of the European court, such as myself.
I have also found (to the cost of my self-esteem) that my Mr Spock impression - widely revered in the salons of l'ancien regime, provokes humiliating derision among the colonists.
Even in LA, everyone's a critic.
:stupido2:
Come to Boston, we enjoy being rude to everyone, you idiot. :wiseguy:
So true. No surprise we dutchies avoid eachother when abroad. Best tourists, americans and germans, always polite always calm. Worst, brits, dutch, russians.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kralizec
NYC is hell's butt hole. I live in Nassau and work half of my week in the city.
The people aren't evil, but the sheer number of them and their overall demeanor is: negative and rude. Plus, they tend to be pretentious know-it-alls.
I've lived in:
Ann Arbor, MI
Lyle, IL
Kingwood, TX
East Northport, NY
Hicksville, NY
I came from America's Heartland to America's athletic cup to America's over sized colon.
For some reason I keep getting closer and closer to the worst place on earth (other than the whole of European Russia)
I'd say New Hampshire. Felt like an unfriendly place from the moment I crossed the border. Just before actually, you can see their welcoming slogan on plenty of signs just before you get there.
Well, that is all well and good as you invite fortification to my words.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemur
What I was meaning is that they were indeed rude, negative, and so on. It is fact that most of them were. Then I provide this fact to you/others. Is ignoring a person when you shouldn't, cursing a person out for no apparant reason, being psychologically aggressive, and looking/staring at someone in dirty ways, not rude? We know more or less what is rude and what is not, we have more or less defined it and given it values and recognitions. Those examples I named ARE examples of general rudeness which we can all agree upon, unless you LIKE being cursed out and such? :laugh4: Subjectivity? Meh.... Consistency? Oh yes, baby.
I say that especially to Geoffrey who still seems to be assuming I applied this fact to the WHOLE nation, while in fact I stated that BECAUSE of the fact AND other unnamed reasons I started disliking the nation, NOT saying that the WHOLE nation is rude, bad, or negative just based on some rude populations I detected. It was a nice twist but ineffective. I give those who performed in it credit for fallacy skill! :clown:
Ever considered that you just are not a very social person? Had a great time in NY, it's not rude it's constantly moving. Same with Paris, it's not rude you should just take a little more time, we dutchies are a bit stuck between that. When you have a little feel for the place both are awesome. The only places I would consider rude are the scandinavian countries and Denmark in particular contempt behind a smile.
Edit, gosh I forgot Belgium. They may be nice people but not if you are dutch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fragony
I loved Paris. People were so much more helpful than you would expect. London and NYC don't hold a candle to Paris.
Frag - i loved MI, IL and TX. I also love East Northport. People are great.
The closer you get to the city the worse people get.
Bijo, I think maybe you just had particularly bad luck, or, as some suggest, it's possible your manner somehow set off the locals.
I have lived in the following places:
Iowa, Hawaii, Memphis, Virginia Beach, Kentucky, Chicago, Boston, Madrid, New York and (finally) Wisconsin. I've seen and experienced more of the U.S.A. than the average lemur. And I gotta say, New Yorkers are far from the rudest people you're gonna find. In a hurry? Yup. Self-obsessed? Sure. But rude? Not particularly.
I forget the comedian's name, but I liked his summation of New York, something along the lines of, You're making the same decision constantly: Do I look at the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, or do I look at the craziest man I've ever seen?
Never forget that being a straight male in NYC is paradise. Because of the fashion industry, media industry and finance industry, beautiful women flock there in mighty droves. And there is a disproportionate gay population. You see where this is going, right? In a town like Chicago, single straight males (gainfully employed) are thick on the ground. In NYC, by contrast, you're a hot commodity. It's sort of like the demographics of Alaska, but in reverse.
Any straight male who doesn't find wonderful female companionship in NYC is just plain unlucky.
*ahum* I'll just throw it on the two days I was there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemur
Bingo! If you start off every conversation with "Hey, stupid colonial, I have a question for you" you may get punched in the face. I'm not saying that's a bad thing as some people need that but there is a causal relationship there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fragony
Obviousy there is a scipt somehwere there, somehow. Our very own Borat.
Are you sure about Germans? What i hear is they drink a lot, reserve the best places in the sun hours before the sun comes up etc. :laugh4:Quote:
Originally Posted by Fragony
And no, I'm not a german tourist, I hardly ever get out of here. ~:mecry:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bijo
Uh-huh. Your 'fact' is that the places you visited were... no, sorry, seemed to be full of rude and nasty people. From which you draw the conclusion that you dislike the US. Maybe it is just me, but I find positing your own opinion of the people you saw/met in the US as fact rather curious. Sure, a fact it may well be that that is your opinion, but what does that mean in any case?Quote:
Originally Posted by Bijo
That, and I find the line between you saying that "any place in America I visited seemed to be full of rude, dishonest, manipulative, evil, selfish people regardless of colour, race, class, etc." and actually coming out and replacing "seemed to be" with "is" (which, a little later you do with "they are plain RUDE and NASTY") extremely thin in this case indeed. So I feel justified in finding your opinion quite objectionable.
Since this has gone to a conversation about tourists, I'd like to mention an interesting magazine article I read the other day. They polled members of the hospitality industry in a bunch of different countries and asked them questions about tourists. I was surprised to find that Americans ranked the second best tourists in the world based on criteria like willingness to use the language and how well they dressed, as well as politeness. Going by sterotypes I would never have expected that.
Most of the tourists here in the State's I've met have been fairly nice, although my wife has had bad experiences with Japanese tourists when she worked at a tailor's in California. The me used to snap their fingers at her when they wanted her attention.
I remember an old story I heard/read. Sadly I don't remember it well, so won't be able to tell it well, but I'll try.
A man was traveling and came to a city. He asked one of the locals what the people there were like and was asked in return how he found them in most of the places he'd been. The man said everywhere he'd been people were rude and untelligent. The local said they were the same in the city and he'd probably best move on.
Another man traveled to the city with the same question. When asked about his experiences elsewhere he said the people were always friendly and hospitable. The local said they were the same in the city and welcomed him in.
In my experience traveling in and out of my own country, people generally treat you the way you treat them, and you get as much out of traveling abroad as you expect to.
Ha, I live in Michigan about 30 miles North of Detroit in a little town called Romeo (it's within Washington Township, but somehow it's its own town) and have been to Detroit regularly, about 7 or 8 times a month. Visit there if you want, it isn't the worst city in the US for nothing...Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemur
Oh, come now.Quote:
Originally Posted by TuffStuffMcGruff
That's surprising to me. My impression both personally and through the stories of others is that the 'American Tourist' is clueless, self-centered, and loud. However, most of our members impressions seem to be that their own countrymen make the worst tourists. Perhaps we're just a little self-conscious about how our nations represent themselves to others in the world?Quote:
Originally Posted by Fragony
For Geoffrey's sake,
Subjectivity? Yes. A lot. Plus you still gave no specific examples. Who was psychologically aggressive? What did they do that you considered psychologically aggressive? What interaction had you had with them prior to their 'psychological aggressiveness?' Etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bijo
That may be your answer, Bijo. There's a lot of truth in those words.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zim
Ajax
Oh come on, that's the way you like it. Besides it's not like you can pretend that you're from another country.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fragony
And Fragony, make one joke about the Dutch and you'll be treated like a king.
We kinda owe it to ourselves, was in Ieperen a a few weeks back and the people were great, go to Antwerp or Gent and it's quite the difference. Rule number one when abroad (in a non tourist area these guys know better then that), being dutch is the coolest thing ever. People will love you just because of that. No such advantage in Belgium.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peasant Phill
do they? From my expiriense, Americans are very polite people and not as direct as Germans or French or Italians.Quote:
Originally Posted by Banquo's Ghost
Americans (just as Arabs) have quite the opposit nasty habit, however, and that habit is saying something in fact rude choosing polite words and hiding behind a polite smile. Very nasty habit, I say. If you want to insult somebody, don't hide behind your polite smile then.
so true... our chavers make me feel embarrassed when I see them :wall:Quote:
Originally Posted by Fragony
Seeing them on vacation couple of times is the reason why I'll never travel to Turkey or Egypt - their favourite leisure grounds.
I have been to America once, school skiing trip to Lake Tahoe. People there were all friendly especially in the skiing resort.
In my experience, Americans are very polite and friendly. Both the tourists over here and in America. I've never understood where the stereotype of the rude American comes from. In fact, the difference in general courteousness compared with Europeans is so great that it is simply embarrassing. :embarassed:
The one stereotype that is perhaps true is that Americans are loud. They talk louder, with bigger gestures and with more extensive facial expressions. But it is not obnoxious, simply the way they comunicate.
Entirely subjective and not based on any extensive travelling: LA was the worst, North Carolina the friendliest.
Damn straight. Gary and to a lesser extant Indianapolis are two of the most miserable cities anywhere. To the Europeans, skip 'em. Come to Chicago. We're nice people.Quote:
I have been in much ruder, meaner places than NYC. Try Detroit, or example. Try Gary, Indiana. Seend the night in East St. Louis, if you dare.
New York doesn't even rate among the most rude, evil, dangerous cities in America.
It's easy to misinterpret different habits and customs in light of what it would mean in our own culture. The directness and - yes, loudness - of many Americans is direct conflict with the British way of doing/speaking. We still have the stiff upper lip, more reserved in expressing enthusiasm, tend to be a lot quieter and more circumspect. One of the LOUDEST people I ever knew was a friend from Boston, ex-navy guy, profanest mouth west of the Atlantic :laugh4: A typical greeting would be "Hey, dumb :daisy:, what the :daisy: you doing here?" which translated as something like " Hi, there, long-lost drinking buddy. So pleasant to have you around". It was his way, and purely affectionate, but a lot of people misunderstood him. If any Brit spoke to me that way there'd be trouble, cos you'd know they meant something by it. I'm afraid to say the rudest people I ever met were Parisians (but of course I could just be misintrepeting through my own cultural bias.... :bow: )
A bostonian with a profane mouth? No :daisy: way? :thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by macsen rufus