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"A collaborative political resource." |
New Yorkers Aren't Rude. You Are.
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| Contributor | Penguin |
| Last Edited | Penguin Sep 05, 2013 10:22pm |
| Category | Commentary |
| News Date | Sep 05, 2013 10:20pm |
| Description | This is, I feel, based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what this place is. New York is a massive city where most people have high-pressure jobs and their time is very precious. That isn't unique, though it's to an extreme in New York that most people from other parts of the U.S. haven't experienced.
It is also a city where the American infatuation with the combustion engine has been replaced by walking and public transportation. This is a small city, geographically, with an extensive system for getting you where you need to be without a car. Add to that tons of people, and it's going to be one of the most crowded foot traffic experiences that most people have ever been a part of. This matters because it affects the basic rules of politeness within New York to a degree that you might not expect.
Many people realize, when they enter a small town, that there are unwritten codes of conduct amongst the people there that have been arrived at by years of social interaction. One of the things that an outsider has to do if they wish to be accepted is learn and respect these rules.
The same thing with foreign countries. The concept of rudeness in a foreign country will be alien to you. Many travelers wonder why they have a bad experience abroad; the answer is often that they didn't learn the local rules for politeness and came off as total jerks. New York also has its unwritten code of conduct.
Yet, for some reason, a huge number of tourists to New York seem to totally forget that when you are a guest somewhere, it behooves YOU to learn the unwritten rules of conduct so that you will not upset the delicate social balance of the place you are visiting. Because New York relies so much on foot traffic, these people often utterly disrupt the flow in the subway or on the street, and then complain that New Yorkers are "rude" when we do not accommodate their interference with our lives. |
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