Re: Northeast Meeting

[http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert (robert)]

I didn't say that Bostonians and east coastians were not unapproachable.
They are simply insensitive, as I said.  ("They" == most people, not all.)
For example, when driving, they care more about getting in front of you
than letting you go, or beeping to push you forward rather than patiently
waiting for you to go at your own pace.  And, when one is on the subway or
in the work place, people talk about you while you can hear rather than
talk about you when you're not in hearing distance.  Or they'll cut in
front of you while waiting in line for food because they feel that they'll
be quicker than you without even asking first.  Or, if they are bus
drivers, they'll make fun of a passenger just because he seems a little
different.

I never, ever encountered any of these things when I was on the west coast.

And there's lots of stories I can tell you about my experiences growing up
around here.

 > From: Renee Mackey <http://www.snet.net/~rmackey>
 > Date: Wed  Sep  9, 10:13pm
 >
 > robert wrote:
 > > The west coast vs. east coast was one of them.  I guess I didn't mean
 > > "obnoxious" as much as more meant "insensitive".  I do feel that most east
 > > coast people are more insensitive and, in some ways, more cruel than those
 > > that I've met on the west coast.  I grew up in Sudbury, MA and was in
 > > constant fear and discomfort in school because of these sorts of people,
 > > people who hated me because I was different.  When I went to college on
 > > the west coast (Olympia, WA), it was like a breath of fresh air in
 > > comparison.  And it seemed the same when I moved to Oakland and then to
 > > .
 > 
 > Oh, I didn't take your preference as an insult at all, Robert - but I do
 > think you are generalizing a bit.  I tend to do that as well - I call
 > Connecticut the SJ state, after all!  It may well be, but I have to
 > watch out lest I start calling them the 'evil heartless SJs'.  Hey, I
 > was hated when I was a kid too because I was different, but in my case
 > it was because I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood and I was not a Jew
 > (leave it to me to be persecuted by the downtrodden).  But the good
 > thing is that I didn't end up hating Jewish people because of that. 
 > Funny, but the older I get, the more I see that being insensitive and
 > cruel is not a regional thing, just as it is not an ethnic thing, but
 > something that exists in just about the same proportion in any area of
 > the country (or world for that matter), the only difference being the
 > face it takes, which can be deceptive.
 > 
 > And it's all a matter of perception, too.  One of my 'smoking pals' is a
 > contractor from Indiana.  One day he told me he thinks Connecticut
 > people are downright unfriendly. I told him I had to agree.  Then he
 > said (not knowing I was from NYC) that he finds New Yorkers much
 > friendlier and approachable than CT people.  Again, I had to agree, and
 > found his perception very interesting!  New Yorkers have this undeserved
 > reputation for being rude and unfriendly, when in fact, I have found
 > them to be (in general) much nicer and friendlier than many people from
 > the surrounding suburbs.  Don't let that brusque demeanor and accent
 > fool you - underneath we're not that bad. :)  And I've found others who
 > seem kinder and gentler on the surface to be mean b**tards down deep. 
 > Hey I knew a guy from Utah at my last job who seemed like the nicest,
 > gentlest, friendliest guy until I found out what a mean b**tard he
 > really was down deep.  The 'nice' facade was just a facade.  And I was
 > fooled by that 'Western charm'!
 > 
 > Now, people from the Midwest do seem nicer to me than East Coasters, and
 > I have been out there several times in the last year and met a lot of
 > them, but then again appearances are always deceiving. :)
 > 
 > Renee