Ugh. Can west coasters stop being chatty with strangers on the train? It’s weird. You’re on the east coast now, play by the rules.
HAHAHAH
The true irony is that I grew up on the west coast and I still can’t stand it.
I’m from the east coast and I hate random convos. I don’t care about your day. You don’t care about my day. Stfu.
And then here in south we want to know how ransom strangers day were, where they are from, where they went school, what they do in their free time 😂. We are way too chatty down here
As someone who also originates from the west coast, random conversations w strangers on public transit weird me tf out
as someone who moved from the east coast, to the midwest, to very recently the west coast, i have to say that the weird “friendliness” of the west coast is, after how painfully slow people walk on the sidewalk, one of the most unsettling parts of living here
We do care! We wouldn’t ask if we didn’t care!! Staring at your shoes and ignoring people all day is so boring. I love finding out interesting things from random strangers. I think I finally understand why some people get weirded out by how personable we are at the grocery store I work at. They are a west coast company with west coast business practices. And they are considered exceptionally friendly even there. We are supposed to ask people things like “Any exciting plans this weekend? Oh have you tried x item before, or is it your first time buying it?” Not as an upselling tactic, but rather because they want it to feel like the neighborhood store where everyone knows your name. I think it’s nice, and the day is much more pleasant when I get customers who are willing to engage with me, but there are a bunch of yelp reviews complaining about being asked personal questions, lol.
don’t fucking talk to me lol
actually, you know what’s funny? I worked in retail for YEARS in New York. If I tried the above tactic, I wouldn’t have been nearly as successful, I guess is the way to put it. Customers liked that I got them in and out as quickly as possible.
Here, in New York, people sometimes think we’re rude af, and while there are some bad apples as you’ll find everywhere, there’s mostly just a cultural difference in how we do things. Our language is different. Our speed is different. Our outlook is different.
We’re not being rude. We’re actually very friendly. We just take things differently. No, we don’t want to have a conversation with most people on the subway or with the cashier, but people were very appreciative when I was got them out of the store with a smile and a “Hi, how’re you today?”
Common courtesy is a thing, it’s just different here. It’s brief, quick, might sound nasty to someone on the outside, but really two people just bonded in seconds who will never see each other again maybe without any words at all.
I think it’s very important to adapt to the cultures of the area. Public transit on the West Coast can be super chatty when it’s not rush hour, but during rush hour, everyone kinda just wants to either wake up or decompress from their work day. However, during non-peak times, it’s kinda nice to chat.
That being said, the East Coast is very respectful of personal space, both mental and physical. I don’t know whether that’s because everyone is always crowded together or something else (not from there, so I dunno). Even though I genuinely care about everyone’s well-being, I’d never strike up a conversation on public transit on the East Coast. I know that it’s viewed as rude and invasive and I don’t want to make people uncomfortable.
On either coast, however, you really have to pay attention to body language. Some people want to chat, some people don’t. Sometimes you start a conversation and the person is fine for a few pleasantries and then wants their alone time. Be aware not only of the culture of the area you’re in, but the body language of the person you are engaged with and the natural flow of the conversation.
Remember, a comfortable silence is always better than an awkward conversation.
The Archery Range 