It's amazing how much hostilaty you guys have there?
- Thread starter Priapus
- Start date
Man of Honour
In that situation i go completely over the top. If someone is being ignorant I like to make sure they know they arelucasade1 said:
Caporegime
At my old job (retailer) nothing pleased me more than finishing a heated discussion with a stroppy customer, other than to finish with "Have a nice day." and a huge cheesy grin, then walk off or serve another.Gilly said:In that situation i go completely over the top. If someone is being ignorant I like to make sure they know they are
Man of Honour
Gilly said:In that situation i go completely over the top. If someone is being ignorant I like to make sure they know they are
I'm sure I do it in a bit less of a Gilly-way but that does annoy me too and do react to it a little. But I usually turn up the politeness which leaves them not a leg to stand on.
I have to say that in general (read: most of the time) people are quite good are responding to my petty awkward small talk - hey some have even shown interest!! 
Soldato
Oooh, no I turn the polite dial up to 11. People seem to get very uncomfortable when you go on the smarm offensive.Gilly said:In that situation i go completely over the top. If someone is being ignorant I like to make sure they know they are
Soldato
Raikiri said:most of which like fatian are indeed nutters
I haven't read any of the other posts maybe foolishly but here is my response anyway.
I have two friends who are now living in England after living in SA since babies. The both moved here to get away from the violence they experienced, one had 2 car jackings within a week.
Now I'm not suggesting SA is all like that, only certain areas but thats the same anywhere.
I'm getting kind of tired of the England bashing to be honest. I think a lot of people who think it sucks would come running back when put somewhere else. France for example
EDIT - I also realise this thread wasn't exaclty releated but its the other thread about english bashing which made me feel the need to post.
I have two friends who are now living in England after living in SA since babies. The both moved here to get away from the violence they experienced, one had 2 car jackings within a week.
Now I'm not suggesting SA is all like that, only certain areas but thats the same anywhere.
I'm getting kind of tired of the England bashing to be honest. I think a lot of people who think it sucks would come running back when put somewhere else. France for example
EDIT - I also realise this thread wasn't exaclty releated but its the other thread about english bashing which made me feel the need to post.
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Soldato
I try and say hello to people, but have since given up, 9 times out of 10 when you i and say hello people think i'm after something
In my experience this is what happens - I must look homeless or something?
In my experience this is what happens - I must look homeless or something?
Man of Honour
Thats what I meant by over the top...fatiain said:
Permabanned
English people in general are very conservative, its just our society.
Soldato
In the UK, especially in the cities/towns, if a total stranger says "Hello" to you, he either a) wants to sell you something b) is about to mug you.
Is lack of acknowledgement really hostility? I'd say apathy was closer to the mark. I don't fob people off because I'm hostile, it's because I don't give a damn! I'd certainly be more chatty if I was out in the middle of nowhere and passed a stranger going the other way, a nod or a 'Morning' would do, but anywhere else would seem odd.
my rule of thumb for this (just realised i didnt actually post my opinion like i'd intended!!) is if i'm in a town/city, i'll acknowledge people i know, and no one else. it's stupid to expect that walking through a town, everyone's going to acknowledge you - imagine doing that in London...it'd be funny to watch, i guess.
if i go for a walk in the country, and spot a fellow walker, i'll nod my head and say hello...because you've both obviously set out for the same reason...you're not saying "hello" to that person...more "what a lovely day it is, i'm glad i'm not the only one who appreciated it enough to take it in....good show!"
if i go for a walk in the country, and spot a fellow walker, i'll nod my head and say hello...because you've both obviously set out for the same reason...you're not saying "hello" to that person...more "what a lovely day it is, i'm glad i'm not the only one who appreciated it enough to take it in....good show!"
Soldato
lucasade1 said:
In Scotland people do say "hello" , first time my English friend visited north of the border it confused the **** out of him . He was stunned that I knew everybody in my town
It was quite funny chatting with an american girl on the train in to London the other day. Her first trip to the UK, with a school (she was about 17 I guess) and as her class had been split up along the train due to it being rush hour commuter time, she was sitting apart from them. She was just asking me questions about this that and the other about the UK and the like, then she suddenly made the comment "Is it normal for people not to talk on the train? Am I breaking some kind of social taboo?"
"Yah.. pretty much."
No one but no one talks to strangers on the train. Everyone sits wrapped up in their own little world, not talking to anyone, except for the occasional mobile phone conversation.
"Yah.. pretty much."
No one but no one talks to strangers on the train. Everyone sits wrapped up in their own little world, not talking to anyone, except for the occasional mobile phone conversation.
Garp said:
I've done the whole Plymouth -> London -> Southend journey on quite a few occassions now. I've only spoke to a stranger on it once. The tube is eerily quiet, no one speaks and the C2C line from Liverpool St. to Southend is always quiet too, usually because it's fairly empty bar rush-hour.
/pedantic mode on
South Africa is just over 6000 miles away, not 12000 miles away btw, unless you went a different route
/pedantic mode off
I'm from South Africa, was born in Port Elizabeth and to be perfectly honest with you, I've never been greeted by anyone walking around in places. We generally didn't walk around in the street because that was kinda dangerous, but in shopping outlets people just got on with things. When I was at school we would have to tip our hats to adults, but that was when we were younger and very few adults greet adults that I've seen. You must obviously just live in either a really friendly place, or a place that's been taken over by extra-terrestrial life or something.
However, I'd hardly call people not greeting you in the street hostile, and thus the subject of this thread really isn't relevant to the post. I think it's quite normal to not greet everyone you see. Most people would think you're weird, and you'd never get anywhere saying hello to everyone everywhere you go. And despite people not greeting you here, it is sure as heck better than the hostility over in SA, although Britain is slowly catching up now.
South Africa is just over 6000 miles away, not 12000 miles away btw, unless you went a different route
/pedantic mode off
I'm from South Africa, was born in Port Elizabeth and to be perfectly honest with you, I've never been greeted by anyone walking around in places. We generally didn't walk around in the street because that was kinda dangerous, but in shopping outlets people just got on with things. When I was at school we would have to tip our hats to adults, but that was when we were younger and very few adults greet adults that I've seen. You must obviously just live in either a really friendly place, or a place that's been taken over by extra-terrestrial life or something.
However, I'd hardly call people not greeting you in the street hostile, and thus the subject of this thread really isn't relevant to the post. I think it's quite normal to not greet everyone you see. Most people would think you're weird, and you'd never get anywhere saying hello to everyone everywhere you go. And despite people not greeting you here, it is sure as heck better than the hostility over in SA, although Britain is slowly catching up now.
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