We've all heard the stereotype about New Yorkers. They're not friendly. They're too fast paced. They're downright rude! Well, I've had the pleasure of being both a visitor and a local of the Big Apple and I can see both sides of the argument.
When I first visited years ago, I was a little weary of experiencing this supposed "rudeness".
The one thing I realized right away was that New Yorkers spoke their mind. This was a little offsetting to me since I wasn't used to it. If you suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, don't be surprised to hear a New Yorker here and there give you a piece of their mind garnished with the occasional F bomb here and there. That's just how New York was. Was it your fault that you stopped suddenly in front of people? Yeah. Could the New Yorkers have asked more politely? Yeah. Does this qualify as rudeness or just being direct and getting to the point?
In the past year that I've lived in New York, I've come to observe a few things about New Yorkers. One of the most common questions that I get from visitors is whether a stranger would give them directions if they asked because, "You know, New Yorkers are SO rude." Well, there were many times I've seen someone ask for directions while riding the subway and not just one person helped them but two or three! They would all give different routes and take their time explaining in detail to this person how to get to their destination.
Another thing I've observed is how helpful New Yorkers are with mothers and strollers in subway stations. I've seen mothers struggle to carry a stroller with baby in tow up and down the stairs countless number of times. So many times that I've lost count. But it never fails. Every single time, I've seen a complete stranger offer their help.
Have you ever been to New York? If so, do you think New Yorkers are rude?
Comments (73)
i'm from new york.
and i could say for one that we aren't that rude.
yeah, we are fast paced, but we have places to go.
and that causes a lot of frustration.
and with people walking like they are on slug mode, well yeah, you might just get a few words thrown at you.
but like you said, we are helpful. i for one know that whenever i see someone needs help, i help.
and i know plenty of people who do help when someone needs it. even if they don't know the person.
New Yorkers, in my opinion, are pretty goddamned rude... depending on the situation.
This is how it's gone for me (and this isn't just once or twice, this is a large amount of instances.):
If you are visiting New York, they are rude to you.
If a New Yorker is visiting another city, they are rude (and they complain non stop because, you know, their city is just SO great).
If a New Yorker moves into your city/town, they end up being one of the nicest and most awesome people you meet.
I don't have an answer for when you move there considering I have never done it.
I think this will be pretty hard for a New Yorker to answer honestly because they can't step back and see their actions the way the rest of us do.
i've lived in new york for a year and i not only fell in love with the city, but i fell in love with its people. i've done enough travelling in my short life to feel that new yorkers are one of the most friendliest and kindest bunch i've come across! not just in person, but on the phone as well. i've actually never been turned off by 'rudeness'.
i've come to realize that it's not that new yorkers are fast-paced that induces some frustration from them. it's because it's a huge city with soooo many people. it becomes slow. subways are under constant construction, always re-routed, tourists on Canal and Broadway. they walk slow! so when you're a local, your life is also at a regular pace.
i miss ny so much!
I have never actually been to NewYork, but I can say and agree... yes they are rude. As a matter of fact, alot of people in the East Cooridoor, are rude. I work in a call center, and talk to m any people from many walks of life and all around the country and everytime I hear a voice, thats rushy-fast-paced and snobby.. I know it's going to be a tough call. I'm not saying that theres no other state that has rude people in it, cause Michigan damn well does, but atleast we are nice about it. I have to calm my temper when talking to people, since it is a burden to my job, otherwise ?I could very well give it back, damn it.
I love New York even though I've never been there. But about the rudeness, I think anywhere people are going to go off on you if you do something stupid like stop in the middle of the sidewalk while people are walking. Maybe New Yorkers are just giving constructive criticism to these folk.
i'm from new york and i've never really encountered rudeness as far as i can remember...
New Yorkers aren't ALL like that. I visited NY a while back for a about a week and I didn't notice that they were any more or less rude than people from N.C. The only thing I noticed is that some people from NY are a bit louder than I'm used to, but that's it. I love NY.
Maybe I've never found myself in a situation where I'm either blocking or holding someone up from getting to their destination.
ALL I KNOW is that when i visited NYC, my mom and i went into this ice cream shop and she asked for ice cream in a cone. the guy gave it to me in a cup. my mom said, "oh, i asked for it in a cone."
and the guy gave us the death glare, slowly crumpled the ice cream cup in his hand, threw it in the trash can, and got me a cone. it was scary!
hmm I've just heard that all east coasters are generally rude and snobby and all they care about is money. but obviously that's just a stereotype.
Idk... I live in the Midwest where it is pretty quieter and the folks are just down-to-earth... but you can find people like that ANYWHERE. so idk... I just think that new yorkers and people who live in D.C. just have places to go and they probably have to deal with tourists everyday and probably get sick of them because tourists have no clue what they're doing. The whole environment up there is just so different from where I live... we have no subways or really any types of buses and you rarely see cabs... so yes the people will act different because of the environment they live in . whew I'm winded lol.
i think people should give NY a break. people come to visit the city with an established sterotype about it before giving it a chance, so defenses are already up and offenses are ready to fire.
the thing about NY is that you rarely meet people who are actually born and raised in NY. that makes the population to be made up of outsiders living and growing there together, and always willing to help each other out.
Born and Raised in NY, never a hint of "stereotypical" rudeness...just human rudness. Of course people would make it sound like it is rudeness, since it is a place thats on the go, 24/7.
Maybe...its just the rest of the world has to catch up with the pace? Who knows...Maybe we're just the best at getting things @#$%ing done, and expect everybody else to be able to also. (Yay, F-bomb).
And Yes, when you do move in, NY is the one of the BEST communities you'll ever have around you, (Block Parties down in brooklyn are the best). At least, in my worldly experience, this is all I can say. ^^
No.
My experience in New York City was really good. I found people were extremely friendly, nice, and open. and complete strangers would come up to me and ask me if I was a tourist and have a conversation with me. Was it that obvious I wasn't from there??
All I hear from the New Yorkers are : "But we're rushed and have to go places! It's not our fault! We're really actually awesome!"
Excuses, excuses.
My mom and I went to New York for a few days last summer. The people were amazingly nice, actually. We stopped at a hotdog stand and my mom talked to a woman for a few minutes about smoking. Everyone we talked to was really nice and helpful, even the lady in the post office when we were trying to mail our Wii home.
Maybe it's just one of those stereotype things, maybe also depending on the day....when it's raining and everybody is rushing no matter where you are, people will be a bit grumpy.....just human not especially New Yorker.
i spend more time in NYC than in my hometown of Montreal, and i can easily vouch for New Yorkers. they are not rude. they're helpful, they're friendly, and (the best part of it all) they're upfront and honest.
come live in Toronto for a little while, and you'll see the difference. sure, us Canadians are a laid back bunch, and we're hardly ever downright rude, but in Toronto, we prefer to quietly walk passed you without acknowledging your presence, over offering unsolicitied aid upon overhearing your declaration of being lost. a New Yorker will not only volunteer to give you directions, they'll also recommend a good place to eat near your destination and tell you more than one way to get there (you know... in case traffic sucks).
side note: i'm not bashing Toronto... i'm just saying, New Yorkers volunteer their assistance with more gusto than Torontonians who need to asked directly.
I went to New York last year, however it was not New York I went too, I went to other cities and places in America and Canada this was a coach tour.
I thought that the people are very friendly and helpful. We had a good chat with two lads who was in a bar and let us sit at the same table as them.
densely populated places = shorter fuses is how i would put it. people thrive when given more breathing space. i think not knowing who you're dealing with one second to the next, whether they're nice or out to take advantage of you, put people on their guard, hence the "rudeness." this doesn't equate to a lack of compassion or ability to change.
@sophia@xanga - Funniest comment all day. Have a subway token for your trouble!
@thinkin_up_dreams@xanga - Coming from a "temporarily dislocated" New Yorker, we are awesome people, and we do have places to go.Â
As long as you don't stop dead in the middle of the sidewalk or subway turnstile, re read the overhead menu six times when it's your turn to order, or block half the subway car with your gigantic baby carriage, there'll be little to no rudeness.Â
@Jeff91199@xanga - okay, see once again I have to disagree. You guy's are all taking the OP's example and running with it: "As long as you don't slow us down!"
But there have been many other instances of rudeness from New Yorkers. ESPECIALLY when they're visiting other cities. I can usually point them out and you can believe everyone around they is giving them annoyed looks.
@thinkin_up_dreams@xanga - Understanded. Most people will be cool as long as you don't slow 'em down, but yeeeaaahh, some people aren't the best ambassadors for New York, if you get my drift. In and out of the city.
@Jeff91199@xanga - Or it could be that their area and culture has lead them to feel superior and just act out.
If this was a two or three times occurrence than maybe I would take your excuse. But considering I live in a city that gets very populated during the Summer, this becomes a regular thing.
one of my co-workers is from new york..allot of my other co-workers thinks shes rude..but i think its juss the way she talks..but she is a nice person when u get over being sensitive to the tone of voice..
I had a layover in New York and was scared cause of all the rude rumors I heard. I had nothing to worry about. Everyone I ran into was extremely friendly. Since I sell online, I have a lot of customers from New York. With the exception of one, all have been very nice.