Quote:
Originally Posted by pbkmaine
I find the response to my saying I had a hard time getting used to the abruptness of New Yorkers interesting. It was not meant to be derogatory. I did not say New Yorkers were bad, or wrong, or even rude. I was just describing my experience. I grew up in a place where people rarely raised their voices and moved to a place where raised voices were the norm. It took me a while to deal with that. And I must say, I never really did feel at home there. There were wonderful things about New York. The sense of humor. The vibrancy of the place. The way people pulled together after 9/11. But the response of New Yorkers to my use of the word "abrupt" is kind of proving my point.
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I thought the very same thing about the responses. I think it is a fact that New Yorkers are generally more "abrupt" than people in the midwest, south, etc. I had to get used to that, too.
The "abruptness" can make us who are from other parts of the country feel like we're not worth talking to, when really, they're just used to a more fast-paced, hustle-bustle area and don't take time to chat.
Even though I'm a midwesterner who likes to converse about lots of things with anybody around, I mentally roll my eyes when people do a sugar-coated exchange of pleasantries at the checkout counter, while the rest of us just want to buy something and go. In fact, that drives me nuts!