This. I know we can come across as cold and hostile if you're not used to us, but when you use public transportation, work in a Manhattan where the population doubles on work days, and live in multi-occupant dwellings (and most of us do at least one of those), your personal space bubble is the only privacy you have.
Weirdly enough, intruding on someone else's personal space bubble, or impeding their progress from point A to point B by making conversation, is considered aggressive and kind of rude.
I can completely understand her feeling of culture clash, though. I grew up in Manhattan, and I lived down south for a few years after college. It took me a good chunk of that time to absorb the idea that people being polite does not necessarily mean that they like you...
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branchandroot
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Date: 2013-08-04 05:50 pm (UTC)Weirdly enough, intruding on someone else's personal space bubble, or impeding their progress from point A to point B by making conversation, is considered aggressive and kind of rude.
I can completely understand her feeling of culture clash, though. I grew up in Manhattan, and I lived down south for a few years after college. It took me a good chunk of that time to absorb the idea that people being polite does not necessarily mean that they like you...