I’m from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and everyone here greets each other on the street. I reckon an especially enthusiastic Canadian would severely terrorist London
o j Canadian: Hello! The weather’s nice today, wouldn’t you agree, eh? Londoner: **runs away** AHHHH!!! Canadian: Sorry for scaring you away, eh. **cries**
When I had first moved to London, I dropped a "How are you?" to a stranger on the street to which they responded with a "No thank you." My feelings were slightly hurt.
No canvassing in the country, little crime and probably fewer weirdos. It’s no surprise that people in big cities are apprehensive about talking to strangers
I can understand that tbh and would probably react the same way or ignore you, not realising u were talking to me bc I wouldnt understand why someone ive never met would ask how i am. Dont take it personally some people just want to keep to themselves and not have to talk to anybody (me included)
@@milliethemoo yeah but up here in the north everyone says "alright" to each other. it's not even a conversation it's just an "alright" (well technically it's "oreyt" here cos i'm in yorkshure but u get me mush)
I'm from Australia and recently visited London, I'm used to walking around and giving a quick "G'day, how you goin'?" to randoms in the street and getting a: "Good thanks, mate, yourself?" In response. I did it instinctively in London and only got funny looks and people grabbing their bags more tightly thinking I was being creepy. I also visited Ireland on the same trip and everyone was so much more friendly.
@@mazdrpan4099 Nah, Nah, Cunt, I was just translating a bit so the pommies and seppos would know what the fuck I was on about, makin it accessible for the foreigners and all that, y'know? Anyway the sparkie's here now and I gotta get some GNs in the Esky for when he's finished, that's all he takes as payment.
This reminds me of a video of a Japanese woman talking about some culture shock when she visited Disney World in the US and an American child came up to her and complimented her hoodie. She was stunned for a moment because apparently just complimenting a stranger unsolicited is just not generally done in Japan & it took her a moment to realize what he doing.
From what I've gathered with Japan, it seems like nobody talks to each other unless they are good friends or family, or co-workers / bosses. Most city folk in Japan seem wicked robotic and like they're only purpose is to work, and overwork. However, I follow Softypapa on RUclips, and he is an American that moved to Japan to teach English. His big thing was always going on nice walks and hikes in the rural mountains and countryside, and just about every stranger he came across was friendly, smiling, and would have short conversations with him before he moved on. Some would even give him helpful tips or directions. Much slower pace in the countryside.
You absolute monster. ... For best effect, make eye contact, affect a smile, maybe add the occasional 'and good day to you!'. No, I shan't take responsibility for the horrors this causes, I'm not terribly keen on London anyway.
I was helloed inappropriately a few years back and I'm only just finding the strength to talk about because of people like you sharing their experiences. Thank you
I remember listening to a podcast where a London resident described someone saying “Hello” to him in America as if it was a hostage negation. He claimed that “In London, if someone you don’t know starts talking to you, you’re either getting mugged or arrested” What a city
I'm a Northerner from Yorkshire. Some years ago, in the Tube station, a young man saw I was struggling with a suitcase and offered to help me. I was very reluctant as I'd been told London was full of pickpockets and thieves. 'I won't take it ' he said desperately. Bless him, he didn't. I've also been helped brilliantly by Black Cab drivers.
In ireland people just randomly walk into each others houses just to "pop in" , imagine if that happened in London. It would be like a terrorist attack
Years ago, I arrived in London from Canada to visit relatives. The whole time I was in London I was wondering "What's wrong with people? Why don't they talk to each other, or even look?" Then I got on a train to Chester and everything changed in a moment! "Can I help you get that baggage up on the rack, dearie?", "Where are you from?" etc. Finally, I'm in human land!
I arrived in London from the US as a backpacker getting ready to travel around the UK. I slipped and fell in a very crowded Tube station with my heavy backpack on and didn't even have room to roll on my side to stand up. No one even looked at me, much less helped. I laid there like a f*ckin' turtle. Edit to say that wouldn't have happened in NYC - and I'm positive - I lived there.
There is truth in this. Sometimes if I’m in a particularly cheery mood I’ll smile at people and they smile back. My daughter told me it’s because they think I am “simple”.
I live 100miles north of London and I can tell you that once inside the boundary(m25) the rules of driving change. 1) In London the bigger the vehicle you drive, the more right-of-way you have. 2) Never leave a gap. 3) Never make eye contact with another road user. 4) If you accidentality look at another driver you have automatically given them right of way and they will pull out in front of you. Remember that once you leave London:- 1) Can safely acknowledge other road users. 2) You must leave a gap. 3) It is acceptable to let people out at junctions.
We've got relatives who live on the south coast. They've always said they can feel themselves relaxing more and more on the roads the further north they get. The South: nice place to visit.
Spot on but I think is more like the "big city factor" rather than just London, as the same applies also here in Northern-Italy as soon as you get into very big cities.
When I worked in London a few decades back I used to have a laugh thanking people for making way for me and saying hello. The expressions on some peoples faces were priceless and made my day. However the most glorious moment was a young lad who gave up his seat for me because he thought I was pregnant (I didn't have the heart to tell him I was bloated from gas due to a medical condition). He was so proud of himself, I thanked him profusely and told him he was a credit to his family. He positively glowed. Bless. 😂
I give up my seat for the elderly, women, children and sometimes to men who are really tired. Basically to anyone who has a problem standing unless I am sick or smth.
In the 1980s I went down to London from Tyneside. Seeing a heavily pregnant female get on the tube I naturally stood up to offer her my seat. I was pushed back down by a hand in the chest and told "sit down you chauvinist pig". Made me realise the difference between north and south of Watford Gap.
@MysticalJessiThe only time I was offered a seat... I'm a 70+ man....was by a South East Asian lad. It was clearly out of respect for my age. I was delighted and took the seat. A Londoner wouldn't have given a s***. In Liverpool on buses full of school children I've never been offered a seat and have never witnessed an older person being offered, so maybe it's not just Londoners.
I'm a Northerner, now an immigrant in southern Spain, where it is normal when entering an enclosed space, a shop or bar or waiting room, to exchange greetings with those already there, and to say adios when leaving. I like this very much, it makes me feel included and welcome. If you happen to make eye contact with a passer-by, a "Buenas Dias" is often exchanged. I´ve been here since 2016, and as soon as people realised I was a resident, not a tourist, I found myself in a much warmer social climate. Post covid, handshakes are coming back and I can kiss my female friends on both cheeks (I know what you´re thinking but we don´t go THAT far ...). Here we lose our external roughness, like pebbles in a bag, in London it's more like rats in a sack.
_I can kiss my female friends on both cheeks (I know what you´re thinking but we don´t go THAT far ...)_ Which cheeks do you mean? (Just being cheeky.)
@@iodboiLike I said, I'm a Northerner, it just comes naturally. England is so London-centric, yet London bears no more resemblance to the rest of England than Amsterdam does to Holland. To spare your sensitivities and hopefully ameliorate my brutality, perhaps I should just say that seen from Europe, the sun doesn't shine out of the Thames Estuary. Indeed, something entirely different emanates from there.
@@kiwitrainguy Either ways, rats in a sack have a lot of fighting spirits and some fighting space. I can't say that about humans in packed trains/tubes/buses and what have you.
I remember the people of northern Wales as some of the nicest I'd ever met. At least, I think they were being nice. Couldn't understand a word they said, but they were smiling.
Omg I'm also from Brazil, I hope to experience that one day... When I was like 10yo I went to Canada and it was my first time seeing snow, so I was happy af. I've always been a kid who smiles a lot, even to strangers, after all is so common here in BR. Some people looked me like I was on drugs or something lol
As an American in Seoul, I wore a big badge which identified me as a Teacher. Then everyone felt comfortable practicing their English by talking to me, it was friendly and wonderful! If I took the badge off, I got very few conversations.
I'm a southerner........i moved up north to Lancashire. I can tell you this is bang on. I spent years in therapy after moving up north, the friendliness was overwhelming.
Then there is the Canadian stand off. One Canadian on his way out holding the inner door for the other Canadian on his way in holding the outer door. After you! No, after you! I insist, after you! No... I insist, after you! If there’s ever a nation that will literally kill you with kindness, it’s Canada.
The Midwest has their own version of the Canadian standoff if their are multiple doors in a row. Person 1 opens the door for person 2 who moves ahead to the next door to open it for person 1. If there is a third door in this series obligatory awkward small talk must begin. If there is a fourth door, the awkward politeness causes a rip in space-time sending everyone back to door one in an endless loop.
Eric B oh I wasn’t trying to say New Yorkers are assholes, I’m sorry if it sounded that way! I was just saying Canadians are a lot more accustom to holding doors open so there’s culture shock when you travel to the US and people don’t expect it, you know? I like New York a lot, the social conventions are just different between USA and Canada
I used to work for a hotel chain in Liverpool and the amount of Londoners who were shocked at the friendliness of scousers were pretty much all of them .. they liked the openness and warmth ❤
The sad thing is there is some truth in this. I recognize the same in my country. I lived in a small village for a long time and forgot you don't greet strangers without a reason in the city. So when I accidentally did, they looked at me with a mix of fear and awkwardness like: "Do I know you?". So it is not just London. On the other hand, I have to add that when I was 13 years old (some 40 years ago) my parents took us to London and while we were standing in the city looking at our roadmap, a typical English man in black suit and suitcase stopped and asked if he could help. I'll never forget that moment. Made me love the UK right away.
Grew up in a city in an Asian country. It is also considered to be creepy to talk to complete strangers (and I still don't get why greeting strangers on the street is a gesture to be friendly, sorry). Not to mention helping people with their suitcases or buggy in general( useless if they ask or really struggle). So when I move to London and studied, I find it super comfortable or even freer in a sense. Cuz in London everyone just happily minds their own business no matter what kind of outfit you are wearing, food you eating on the tube and always happy to help you with your suitcases. I felt completely respected for my time, space and mood but I get support when needed.
@@a6517 I think it's friendly because you acknowledge eachother, or sort of include them, and set them at ease, kind of showing them you are approachable and considerate of them. Of course, it means you could actually start a conversation and get to know a stranger too, or get help easily, if they feel inclined. But that interpretation probably depends on social norms and would not apply to places where you don't do this, would have the opposite effect. This is just my thinking but London is maybe notable because it's sort of mid-way between the set of norms, people do understand, there is some expectation of politeness (hence this sketch), but they also don't do it, so it only makes it more awkward when someone does. I get why people in big cities would not want it though. Because it may be unpleasant or dangerous.
@@Gingersnaps_the_pumpkin_kitty oh of course i got the joke lol I'm just tryna say that it's not a good thing that we can't talk to people face to face now 💀
I was born in the Southern U.S., raised in Northern England by my Irish grandparents in a West Indian neighbourhood. I'm work with children and teen. This combination means that I can learn someone's entire backstory in 60 seconds or less, whether I want to or not lol
Some years back I used to work in various sites around the UK and I can categorically say that generally speaking people in London were more rude than anywhere else. I once had to do some work in a London hospital and there was a lady with crutches and a leg in a cast and even doctors wouldnt hold the door open for the poor lady, simply pushing their way through the crowded hallways. She looked astonished when I open the door and said "after you love" lol. London.....
I am from Ireland and over in Ireland it is normal to nod to random strangers if eye contact is made. Was wandering around London doing my normal nods. Some people blanked me. Others started walking faster! Completely freaked me out. I was worried I was nodding wrong. Had I forgotten how to nod? Only person who nodded back was a woman in a wheechair. When I got back to Ireland I was nodding left, right and centre. Thankfully it was the Londoners who were the problem as my nodding powers did not desert me.
I'm from the north west. Moved to London in 1988, got told by my friend's boyfriend that I shouldn't talk to people in London. I just carried on. Lived in the East end, they were ok, same as us northerners but not so in London itself.
Here in the southern U. S. not only do we nod at complete strangers, we wave at them driving up the road. If I meet another car on the country road where I live, it's normal for us to wave at each other, whether we've seen each other or not! 🙂
This hits so hard. I greet people all the time and many people act like I’ve just threatened them, grunt at me or just ignore me completely. It’s fairly surprising when someone actually greets me back.
Considering how many people the average Londoner passes in a day can you blame them for not greeting each other? People who insist on doing it are considered self-centered and inconsiderate.
Lemme correct you: *Canadians laughing in the distance* *New Yorkers, Californians, and People from Chicago crying* *The South watching in confusion as they try to approach said spooked Northerners*
Northern American (Minnesota). We smile and say hi to everyone we pass. Smile at drivers of other cars. Offer to carry things for people. Hold doors open for other people. All sorts of suspicious behavior.
As a true blooded Yorkshire man who has visited London I have to say that it's absolutely correct, I feel almost like an alien. It's like they are in a world of their own, nice though to get back to the civilisation of Yorkshire.
I visited London 10 years ago and I saw so many people looking unhappy . I was walking down the street when a man crossed right in front of me while looking at his cellphone , he yelled at me and called me a bloody yank . I had much better results in Ireland
Arrived in London from Australia a few years back on Christmas Eve. Held myself back in the crowd to allow an elderly lady to go down the Tube stairs before me. As she approached she must have assumed I was not going to let her pass and she simply whacked me hard with her umbrella and carried on. Dirty, horrible place. I'll never return.
@Sredni Vashtar Incorrect. In American English, the noun is spelt the same as the verb. Your nomenclature is specifically British English. You can use either convention (as I just did by using 'spelt' instead of 'spelled'), but saying that one way is definitively the only way does not work in this case. In your own words, _"Back to school for you."_
I can confirm this is a northerner thing, I'm from Scotland, when I started dating my now wife who's from Teesside, we were walking around a park and everyone who passed us said 'morning' quite cheerfully. I was shocked because in Scotland when someone passes you in a park they stab you.
And you're Alive?! You'd actually do really well in one of those "Trapped in a Video/Computer Game" Horror Movies. You & your Wife would get All the Clues, Solve All the Mazes, Evade all the Traps & Win All the Death Games. You'd be Final Guy & Final Girl! Everyone else? Totally Dead!
As an American, this is a culture shock thing that I feel like I would struggle with when visiting other countries... I'm so used to strangers just...chatting with each other all the time.
Welsh taxi driver here. Had a run to central London a couple of years ago, and, as is the custom in Wales, politely waved/flashed out a lady waiting at a junction to squeeze into the busy traffic flow. The look she gave me! 😂 You'd swear I had horns on my head!😂
I'm a New Zealander. I tried to say hello to a person on a train station in London and they actually flinched with fear. It was 1991 and I still remember it.
I like to imagine you were wearing a hockey mask and holding a bloodstained axe at the time, because you forgot to hide them when you got on the tube 😂 But seriously, I hate london. Such a grumpy place.
@@peterclarke7240 in that moment, for the very first time, I really understood what tourists meant when they say how friendly New Zealanders are. Till then i just assumed everyone was like that.
@@sonyavincent7450 Sadly not. In the UK, for example, I'm fairly convinced that "near-crippling social anxiety towards strangers bordering on the aggressive unless they have a friendly dog who wants to let you pat him on the head and call him a good boy" is a defining national characteristic.
Lol- I'm from Brisbane and was on the Piccadilly line back to Heathrow when we were suddenly told to change trains on the way. I made a comment to another lady on the train who at 1st freaked right out, then we had a lovely chat all the way to Hounslow before she got off lol!
Can't be happy today in the USA.. someone will hate you for it just like they will hate you for being free. Sad times both government and media have created.
Oh that's hillarious. I'm a Londoner but no longer live in London. I like going up North simply because people chat to you and are friendlier. However, when I'm on a bus on Kent most people chat to each other, but I think that's an age thing more than anything else. Older people seem to spring up conversations with other older people.
Saw this a long time ago, loved it and shared with my friends in London. Having travelled to London for work/ friends for nearly 2 decades, this resonated with me. They all tell me (I paraphrase) "Move here. London is the place to be" but in the next breath tell me how expensive it is to live (apart from my v wealthy ones) so they dont actually have £ to do much in the great city, have less quality of life. They have few friends, some none locally at all, and quite lonely. Many of them have no idea of any UK life/culture past Watford Junction. One thought everyone "up North" lived in terrace houses (think Coronation Street Soap style). You can't blame them if they're using TV for references- how many articulate, erudite, people with northern accents are on TV/media outside of dumb soap operas? The only one I can think of is Brian Cox (astronomer not actor) LOL It's only in London that people get caught up in judging people by accent. Even though they're geographically such a small part of the UK. So I'll always love to visit, love my Southern mates, but I'm happy - if that's still legal : ) just where I am.
Twitter users preach all about equality and understanding but God forbid if you have remotely right leaning political beliefs and God help you If you're white or male...
@@johnmartinez7440 You're probably being sarcastic so I'm just going to say that no y'all aren't being oppressed but people on the internet WANT you guys to be oppressed
@@Zamntron I love that XD classic "I want respect and free speech for everyone except if they think different from me" Besides that i don't get them. I'm white male and heterosexual and I haven't got any privilege in my mail yet. I assume that's because I'm Mexican but still, i have meet Mexicans who are catalogued as whites because we'll... They're white skinned. So yeah I'm still waiting for my money bitches and grades >:c
Honestly I am from Northern England . We just say if its morning or afternoon etc . We dont smile. It's not an invite for a long discussion, it's brief interaction .
I'm Italian and used to live in London - I stayed there for 4 years, in the early 2000s. Once, I fainted on the Tube. As I was losing my senses, lying on the floor of the carriage, I had a sense of people stepping around and over me and doing their very best to ignore me, though for all they knew I could be dying. When I came to, I found myself on a bench at a tube station, with a kind and concerned woman sitting next to me. It turns out, she was a visitor from Yorkshire who'd come to my aid while everyone else ignored me! She had carried me out of the train, offered to call an ambulance and had not left my side until I woke up. We spoke a little, she told me she was just visiting London and was absolutely shocked by the inhumanity of everyone just pretending to not see me. This was my experience of Northerners in London - so lucky I came across one that day!
Most people will have seen you as a potential danger (the odds of a person collapsed on the floor being drunk or a druggy). Plus will have places to be. Big cities are often very harsh like that.
There is lots of drunks on the train, it was probably innocent enough with people not wanting to disturb you. Just another day on the underground. I´ve witnessed drunks just going to sleep and piss themselves on a carriage full of people. Best to let sleeping ´drunks´ lie.
@@krashd Can you calm the fuck down and stop calling others 'cunt'? Since when did parents allow 11 year olds to use RUclips? Clearly they don't know how to comment-
So true! As a pint-sized, teenage visitor to london, I asked a passing Londoner for directions. He leapt off the pavement in panic-stricken horror and was almost run over by a bus.
Vijay Surya it’s almost like... there’s different cultures and races in different places... did you know a Muslim can be a Londoner? Or even an American! The world is strange indeed innit? Ah but what a great diverse world we live in, ya so nice to have such good people interact and mingle in different places, right? That’s what a good life sounds like, and a wonderful look on life! It’s okay you didn’t know, we all learn new thing everyday! Have a wonderful day my friend! ❤️
@Vijay Surya What dumb people from other countries dont understand is that Britian isnt some failed european state trying to protect the borders to contain what little they've managed to hang onto, Britain is a post-imperial nation that used to own 1/4 of the world and funnels all the talent and skilled individuals in from those former colonies to this day. The modern happy-clappy interpretation of "let's all hold hands and celebrate our differences" is a very new concept, the older concept of British nationalism is something more akin to the Roman Empire which is to make all the people from all the corners of the world we encounter work for Britain, force our values on them and profit. They benefit from a wealthy and secure society, the country benefits from their efforts, and the philosophers can wax lyrical about how we're spreading civilisation to the masses. We pretend otherwise but the model really hasnt changed in 200 years, and that's no bad thing. I wouldnt expect anyone from a weak country to understand, just focus on protecting your genepool and let the grownups play lol.
Scary person in a haunted house: "BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Englishman: -_- Scary person in a haunted house: "Hello" Englishman: "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Maybe I'm just lucky, but I've been to London 3 times (I'm from the US). I found everyone to be so nice, polite, and friendly. Even the workers in the Underground and the ticket sellers at the train stations. The last time (last summer), I was with my daughters (ages 8 and 11) and they keep commenting how nice, polite, and friendly everyone was. If Londoner's are considered reserved, I can only imagine what people outside London are like...
I think you’re just lucky. Maybe it’s because it was in the summer, when not everyone was so overwhelmed with work that they wanted to avoid as many people as possible. I go there quite often and everyone is extremely reserved. Also, people are always nice when you talk to them first, but nobody wants to initiate conversation.
I sadly did not have that experience. I've wanted to visit London since I was a teenager but never made it until the year before Covid. Whether it be hotel clerks, train staff or train passengers, I found them to be either rude or miserable. As a Canadian, I realize that it isn't typical behaviour to strike up conversations with strangers, but you should at least be helpful or friendly when asked a question by a customer in your workplace. Despite NYC having a similar reputation, I felt very welcome there.
I wonder if this stereotype (?) of Londoners is a recent phenomenon or not bc I remember visiting London over 10 years ago and telling everyone back home how friendly people were despite my at the time rather poor mastery of the English language! Then again, to put this into perspective, I am from Germany and we're not exactly known for being friendly to put it mildly! 😂
As a Canadian visiting London, I took a bus and luckily managed to find a seat despite the bus being absolutely full. I was seated next to the window with a 30-ish year old man sitting next to me reading a book. I made a little comment about something and he looked stunned and glared at me probably wondering if I was talking to him or just talking to myself - I repeated myself and he answered and we have a little conversation. After a few minutes, he told me that he'd been taking the same bus for 18 years and this was the first time somebody had talked to him.
@@TonyEnglandUK I'd say the north has a more traditional culture as it hasn't been blended with other cultures as much as it has in london and so have a similar sense of humour to the ones that went to canada all those years ago
@@bait5257 you're right, no one would EVER be so miserable as to make up a whole (poorly made) story about something in their life for internet points as their own is so empty and lonely, everyone with an IQ over 90 who took longer than 10 seconds to read this comment realizes its generic made-up bullshit, almost like a copypasta
As someone from the Midwest I routinely greet people as I jog, and even if that is just a nod of acknowledgement, I still make a point of greeting people. Though it is good to know not to greet people while in London.
im not from the uk but when i went to Bristol for my study, so many ladies in their 40-50s called me love like "you alright love?". in the supermarket, at the cafe, in the shops etc. i thought it was a norm in the uk for old ladies to be greeting strangers with love
I live in the north and worked in retail there. I called all ladies 'love' and men 'mate'. And i'd get called love and mate back. The funny situation was when a guy forgetting I was a bloke because most retail staff are female called me 'love'. I'd just reply "Not a problem darling." It always caused a laugh with him and the queue.
@@alexcockburn8975 In parts of the north it's common to address everyone as "love", in a similar rfrain to calling someone "mate". I'm from Suffolk where we're reserved rather than unfriendly and I remember a lorry driver asking me for directions and saying, "Thanks, love".
I used to be a bus driver, for many years I had no end of fun greeting passengers with a VERY enthusiastic "Good morning"; 9/10 of them completely forgot where they were going and stumbled over buying their tickets. Now I am retired and have more time, I make a point of being friendly to traffic wardens and the homeless community, you should see their reactions.
This is an excellent point to make, and it is true. I often did it and started from when I was like 17 when I began driving and exploring the world/meeting more girls in life and decided I could use my youthful rebelliousness and go against the grain and actually be friendly and what would be considered overtly expressive 'Hellos!' and 'Thank you very much have a loveday sir/miss etc. etc. to people like bus drivers (In fact, strangely, I don't remember a time I never actually said thank you to a bus driver after boarding and tapping my card), McDonald's workers, waiters, traffic wardens, police constables (though I was raised to not particularly like them) etc. etc. But it had a pronounced effect; the people who were shy and caught off would just muster whatever they could and just shrink inside their shell or something, the people who are receptive of it (often service people/homeless/elderly people) are actually really grateful and it makes your day as much as it might make their day. Before it was just a fun / non-harmful way to just interact with people, I'm 24 now and I still do it almost without thinking. It's just part of my personality. And I wouldn't even say I'm an extrovert or anything, quite the opposite, my friends just see it as a silly quirk I made a habit out of but I prefer it that way. It often compels you to smile and go about yourself more confidently anyway, which I'm all for. Smiling technically uplifts your mood anyway so it goes hand in hand with my born and bred Londoner blues. And yes I'm a Londoner to the very foundation of my being. Always have been since 1997, which probably is very young to someone like yourself but I do positively identify with being a Londoner more than any other part of my Britishness. I can see how if everyone went about the way I do it will caused a mass hysteria, but for the few who like to experience something new and always rewarding in their daily lives I do genuinely recommend it. Be excellent to each other, that's all.
alot of those homeless people are not homeless, homeless people dont have time to sit around beggin so they can get there crack n smack n if that doesnt work they just suck eachother off to get the stuff. trust me. dont give em any money.
There's a difference between unfriendly and rude. It's been a while, but I didn't find Londoners rude. Unfriendly, yes, but generally not rude. Sure, you'll always get a few, especially in a big city - in a big city anywhere. But when I visited, while they weren't friendly, they were keen to be helpful giving directions, answering questions, and they did hold doors.😊
As a Northerner who lived in central London I can attest that this is far more accurate than people may think. I remember getting the tube to work every morning at the same time and because it was so early there was only ever me and another bloke on the platform every day. After a few months of this one day I said "Good morning" to him and he looked at me like I'd just landed from another planet. This is the case all over London.
And that's how we like it. I was born and raised in Grimsby, and it was sheer hell. I came to London to get away from you monsters. Don't talk to me. Don't look at me. I do not care about you, or your miserable life, and I do not want you to care about me or mine. Stay in Rotherham. STAY IN ROTHERHAM.
I love this… I’m a relocated Southerner very happily living up t’North - you have to assume that all morning & evening dog walks will involve lovely greetings and discussions wi’ strangers 😂
I grew up rural NZ. The first words spoken to me in the U.K. once I past the very unfriendly immigration official was on the tube. I made eye contact with someone, nodded and was about to say g'day when I was cut off by "What the fuck you looking at?" I lived in the U.K. for over three years. Lots of cool and interesting places and people. I hate London.
Don't worry lad, its OK - life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you get next. Btw, I had a SPECTACULAR vacation in south island in 2016. Most unforgettable time of my life. Possibly the nicest people, except one restaurant/bar dude who was still courteous and was probably miffed we dropped in as they were almost closing - he still served us, wasn't mean, but was less cheerful than the rest.
@@iodboiYeah, I live at the top of the South Island now. I sometimes forget how good I've got it. I haven't lived in many cities. I thought it's just the way big cities are. London seemed positively hostile to me, although I had come straight from an area that had 3 people per square km.
It’s funny how different cultures are to be honest. I was at a bus stop one time and this man was looking at me so I smiled because I just thought that it’s a nice thing to do but then the guy misinterpreted it and thought that I was interested in him and tried to chat me up...I was terrified...
He was looking at you because he either thought you looked odd which i doubt or mostly probably he fancied you so when you smiled he thought ding ding...this is my chance !
@@peanutforger2664 okay ra mi sa cebu city! Minus ang covid dito. (We're okay here in cebu city! They are less covid here na. /if you don't understand bisaya, I'm sorry if I'm not fluent in tagalog po ^^")
I remember when I visited America I was so uncomfortable because every time I made any eye-contact with random people, they would smile at me. And several times, they would even greet me as if they knew me, and I’d be so confused. EDIT: I’m not making fun of Americans🤦, I’m actually quite envious of countries where being friendly to strangers is the norm. I simply noticed a cultural difference and wanted to comment on it
@@starless1444 Better hope ya'll don't visit a small town in the south. You won't escape without learning everything there is to know about the town in an hour+ conversation.
jack mayor what part of the south you stay in partner. Im from Texas shit if someone wanna ask me a question well they best sit they ass down cause I’m finna fix a plate of some brisket and they better eat until they done bout to throw up.
I was wondering, what causes that awkward feeling? Is seeing people you don't know smile at you make you feel like you're about to get stabbed in an alley? Does the smile come off as mischievous?
David Reed I’m not sure really, I just feel uneasy if a stranger is making eye contact and smiling at me. Like, for a good ten minutes after I’ll be checking over my shoulder to make sure the person isn’t following me (I know it seems like paranoia to people who are genuinely friendly and like greeting people they pass in the street, but where I live it’s the norm to avoid interactions with strangers. It’s probably a cultural thing, too.)
I was having a coffee out and heard two guys next to me talking. One of them was telling the other how friendly people are in the country and how they say "Hello" to one another. So I said "Hello!" and he looked at me then ignored me. Hilarious! LOL!
Приколы
Imagine the horrors if a Canadian was set loose in London!
SnowCrasher someone from the southern usa
Or someone from straya or nz
I'm Canadian and I asked two ladies a question in London. I immediately felt terrible afterwards that I bothered them.
I’m from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and everyone here greets each other on the street. I reckon an especially enthusiastic Canadian would severely terrorist London
o j Canadian: Hello! The weather’s nice today, wouldn’t you agree, eh?
Londoner: **runs away** AHHHH!!!
Canadian: Sorry for scaring you away, eh. **cries**
The laughs are recorded, because actual British people were only crying.
...or thought it was a genuine news story... :)
Just London cried
Only Londoners. Did you understand the sketch
@@Jamesharveycomics As a Londoner from around Kent- I am currently crying while drinking tea
It's a mess
@@Rameon Nah this stung us northerners too.
When I had first moved to London, I dropped a "How are you?" to a stranger on the street to which they responded with a "No thank you." My feelings were slightly hurt.
No canvassing in the country, little crime and probably fewer weirdos. It’s no surprise that people in big cities are apprehensive about talking to strangers
I can understand that tbh and would probably react the same way or ignore you, not realising u were talking to me bc I wouldnt understand why someone ive never met would ask how i am. Dont take it personally some people just want to keep to themselves and not have to talk to anybody (me included)
BAHAHAH
@@milliethemoo yeah but up here in the north everyone says "alright" to each other. it's not even a conversation it's just an "alright" (well technically it's "oreyt" here cos i'm in yorkshure but u get me mush)
Only crazy people talk to random strangers in London. So their reaction is understandable.
I'm from Australia and recently visited London, I'm used to walking around and giving a quick "G'day, how you goin'?" to randoms in the street and getting a: "Good thanks, mate, yourself?" In response.
I did it instinctively in London and only got funny looks and people grabbing their bags more tightly thinking I was being creepy.
I also visited Ireland on the same trip and everyone was so much more friendly.
Ireland is boring af tho, couldn’t wait to get back home
This is clearly fake, proper strayan greeting is "gday awyerdoin" and proper response is "g'd m8 y'self?". I bet this guy doesnt even wear crocs.
@@mazdrpan4099 Nah, Nah, Cunt, I was just translating a bit so the pommies and seppos would know what the fuck I was on about, makin it accessible for the foreigners and all that, y'know?
Anyway the sparkie's here now and I gotta get some GNs in the Esky for when he's finished, that's all he takes as payment.
Of course they were terrified, you're an escaped prisoner.
(Aussie as well btw)
@@deanchur Yeah nah you're probably right ay, I've also got an Irish background so they probably thought I was in jail for terrorism
“Friendliness isn’t a crime until next year.” Close enough.
Was this just recommended to you, too?
Makes you think about UPIC, nothing is an accident for all of it is crafted
Can we speed up the process
Underrated
🤣
"Hello."
*...and I took that personally.*
Listen sonny I'm a south londoner, you want to keep your wallet!
MJ !!!!😂😂😂
ha
And aiiih took that persnolly***
"Hello."
Is this like a personal attack or something?
This reminds me of a video of a Japanese woman talking about some culture shock when she visited Disney World in the US and an American child came up to her and complimented her hoodie. She was stunned for a moment because apparently just complimenting a stranger unsolicited is just not generally done in Japan & it took her a moment to realize what he doing.
From what I've gathered with Japan, it seems like nobody talks to each other unless they are good friends or family, or co-workers / bosses. Most city folk in Japan seem wicked robotic and like they're only purpose is to work, and overwork.
However, I follow Softypapa on RUclips, and he is an American that moved to Japan to teach English. His big thing was always going on nice walks and hikes in the rural mountains and countryside, and just about every stranger he came across was friendly, smiling, and would have short conversations with him before he moved on. Some would even give him helpful tips or directions. Much slower pace in the countryside.
I see u watch the goddess herself too, eh?
Good to see one of my kind here.
Are you talking about when Hololive's Korone, Miko, Lui, and Flare visited Disney World recently? Because that exact thing happened to Korone.
@@gabetalks9275 Yes, but I didn't use names for the benefit of people reading comments who may not know who that was.
Terrifying, chilling, unimaginable.
This makes me want to visit London just so I can go around and say "Hello" to random people on the street.
You absolute monster.
... For best effect, make eye contact, affect a smile, maybe add the occasional 'and good day to you!'.
No, I shan't take responsibility for the horrors this causes, I'm not terribly keen on London anyway.
No please don’t . Saying hello to them will cause untold mental health damage.
"Hey, Steve! Did you see me make the news tonight?"
"What did you do?"
"Eh, just went around saying hello."
If you *really* want to freak them out offer them a chocolate biscuit.
@@neodonkey 😂🤣
I was once a victim of the "friendly greeting"
I'm still in counselling
As a south Londoner add Gin to your counselling !
I was helloed inappropriately a few years back and I'm only just finding the strength to talk about because of people like you sharing their experiences. Thank you
@@gavinmoretti3076 we all need to look out for each other, stay strong
@@gavinmoretti3076 I'm a Northerner and I have to confess, I've said "hello" to six Londoners now, five of which hid in a doorway until I'd passed.
@@TonyEnglandUK just because you confessed doesn't mean you're innocent. I'm going to contact the authorities as soon as possible
"friendliness to strangers is not a crime until next year" if only this was posted in 2019
I checked the date to see if it was!
I don’t get it lmao
Robbie Meikle pandemic
Tommy hasn’t seen star wars yet oh yeah lmao, you can still be friendly though just keeping a distance.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who had this thought
I remember listening to a podcast where a London resident described someone saying “Hello” to him in America as if it was a hostage negation. He claimed that “In London, if someone you don’t know starts talking to you, you’re either getting mugged or arrested”
What a city
This. This right here should be shown to all law enforcement officers in London. Bobbbies and what have you.. Ohh..wait..
It's worse outside of London in the South .
Seriously
I'm a Northerner from Yorkshire. Some years ago, in the Tube station, a young man saw I was struggling with a suitcase and offered to help me. I was very reluctant as I'd been told London was full of pickpockets and thieves. 'I won't take it ' he said desperately. Bless him, he didn't. I've also been helped brilliantly by Black Cab drivers.
Depends on who you say hello to
Like in Trainspotting when the American says hi to Begbie and Co😂😂
Or a schizophrenic/nutter
"They are generally friendly but they will headbutt if cornered" as a Northerner I can confirm we do headbutt for less 😂😂
In ireland people just randomly walk into each others houses just to "pop in" , imagine if that happened in London. It would be like a terrorist attack
That is honestly the best thing i have ever heard.
Maybe back in the 1980's, but defo not now. People have become more insulated.
We do that in the southern U.S. as well!
@@bluesageful wow, where in the south?
Where in ireland does this happen?
Ive lived in ireland for almost 20 years and never seen this happen unless people already know each other.
To these people, Canadians must be the scariest thing ever conceivable
HELLO BUDDEY?
toronto is slowly turning into the same as london. the rest of canada I agree
Minnesota is basically south Canada in this respect
Man now imagine Asians, Just casually invite you to their house and cooking a food for you lol
Canada was their most infamous levies in World War I.
Years ago, I arrived in London from Canada to visit relatives. The whole time I was in London I was wondering "What's wrong with people? Why don't they talk to each other, or even look?" Then I got on a train to Chester and everything changed in a moment! "Can I help you get that baggage up on the rack, dearie?", "Where are you from?" etc. Finally, I'm in human land!
I arrived in London from the US as a backpacker getting ready to travel around the UK. I slipped and fell in a very crowded Tube station with my heavy backpack on and didn't even have room to roll on my side to stand up. No one even looked at me, much less helped. I laid there like a f*ckin' turtle. Edit to say that wouldn't have happened in NYC - and I'm positive - I lived there.
@@phatmonkey11 That is TERRIBLE! I'm so sorry. I apologize on behalf of my ancestors.
There is truth in this. Sometimes if I’m in a particularly cheery mood I’ll smile at people and they smile back. My daughter told me it’s because they think I am “simple”.
Your daughter's bloody right. Smiling means either you're slow or you want to harm me.
@@bloodfiredrake7259 You might need a psychiatrist
Meanwhile in Finland: "a sober man terrorized the neighborhood by acting happy and talking to strangers. While not drunk."
Finland came 1st in "World's Happiest Countries" report by Forbes.
@@TonyEnglandUK They always finish first.
@@Balinux That was way too clever. I hope it was deliberately clever and not accidentally clever.
Hey buddy
A non-drunk Fin LOL
I love how the British are so self deprecating.
At least they do it with Horner
@I honestly couldn't care less tbh
Probably meant honour
@@ryanhughes6405 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horner%27s_method
@@stevevansteenbrugge8978 sorry i don't know how to spell for shit lol
@@stardust4001 yep
I live 100miles north of London and I can tell you that once inside the boundary(m25) the rules of driving change.
1) In London the bigger the vehicle you drive, the more right-of-way you have.
2) Never leave a gap.
3) Never make eye contact with another road user.
4) If you accidentality look at another driver you have automatically given them right of way and they will pull out in front of you.
Remember that once you leave London:-
1) Can safely acknowledge other road users.
2) You must leave a gap.
3) It is acceptable to let people out at junctions.
We've got relatives who live on the south coast. They've always said they can feel themselves relaxing more and more on the roads the further north they get.
The South: nice place to visit.
Spot on but I think is more like the "big city factor" rather than just London, as the same applies also here in Northern-Italy as soon as you get into very big cities.
@@mellilore nah, we all chat in big cities up north too.
When I worked in London a few decades back I used to have a laugh thanking people for making way for me and saying hello. The expressions on some peoples faces were priceless and made my day. However the most glorious moment was a young lad who gave up his seat for me because he thought I was pregnant (I didn't have the heart to tell him I was bloated from gas due to a medical condition). He was so proud of himself, I thanked him profusely and told him he was a credit to his family. He positively glowed. Bless. 😂
I give up my seat for the elderly, women, children and sometimes to men who are really tired. Basically to anyone who has a problem standing unless I am sick or smth.
In the 1980s I went down to London from Tyneside. Seeing a heavily pregnant female get on the tube I naturally stood up to offer her my seat. I was pushed back down by a hand in the chest and told "sit down you chauvinist pig". Made me realise the difference between north and south of Watford Gap.
definitely have to give up the seat to someone with gas. should probably give up the whole car
@@zimriel it would have been wise in my case 😂
@MysticalJessiThe only time I was offered a seat... I'm a 70+ man....was by a South East Asian lad. It was clearly out of respect for my age. I was delighted and took the seat. A Londoner wouldn't have given a s***. In Liverpool on buses full of school children I've never been offered a seat and have never witnessed an older person being offered, so maybe it's not just Londoners.
"I did not mean to be happy" 😂😂
LMAO
How does this have 7k likes but 1 comment
As soon as I read this he said it, word by word as I read each word 😂
that sounds a bit weird but ok
LMAOO
I liked this because of your name and profile pic🇩🇰
"hello"
"stay right where you are I'm calling the cops"
Cops?
Holly G police 🤦🏽♀️
Every interaction in GTA V
Can someone please explain everything to me. Not a single clue about this joke, seriously i dont understand why.
Holly G gavers or gaff
I'm a Northerner, now an immigrant in southern Spain, where it is normal when entering an enclosed space, a shop or bar or waiting room, to exchange greetings with those already there, and to say adios when leaving. I like this very much, it makes me feel included and welcome.
If you happen to make eye contact with a passer-by, a "Buenas Dias" is often exchanged.
I´ve been here since 2016, and as soon as people realised I was a resident, not a tourist, I found myself in a much warmer social climate.
Post covid, handshakes are coming back and I can kiss my female friends on both cheeks (I know what you´re thinking but we don´t go THAT far ...). Here we lose our external roughness, like pebbles in a bag, in London it's more like rats in a sack.
_I can kiss my female friends on both cheeks (I know what you´re thinking but we don´t go THAT far ...)_
Which cheeks do you mean? (Just being cheeky.)
Rats in a sack was brutal.
@@iodboiLike I said, I'm a Northerner, it just comes naturally.
England is so London-centric, yet London bears no more resemblance to the rest of England than Amsterdam does to Holland.
To spare your sensitivities and hopefully ameliorate my brutality, perhaps I should just say that seen from Europe, the sun doesn't shine out of the Thames Estuary. Indeed, something entirely different emanates from there.
...or maybe it was just, accurate.@@iodboi
@@kiwitrainguy Either ways, rats in a sack have a lot of fighting spirits and some fighting space. I can't say that about humans in packed trains/tubes/buses and what have you.
I remember the people of northern Wales as some of the nicest I'd ever met. At least, I think they were being nice. Couldn't understand a word they said, but they were smiling.
I hope this story makes it okay for more "hello" victims to come forward.
💜💜💜
😂
I did once say hello to a stranger in London, thankfully he was from Yorkshire and he said hello back.
LOL
#MeToo #HelloVictjm
i’m from brazil and when i went to london i laughed at a cab driver’s joke and he gave me a free ride lol
London's Black Cabbies are the best. I'm glad you got to experience this!
Omg I'm also from Brazil, I hope to experience that one day... When I was like 10yo I went to Canada and it was my first time seeing snow, so I was happy af. I've always been a kid who smiles a lot, even to strangers, after all is so common here in BR. Some people looked me like I was on drugs or something lol
@@anah.forratwholesome comment
@@anah.forrat haha
This was wholesome and fun to read :p
Thanks for sharing
You should’ve asked for a city tour then 😋
As an American in Seoul, I wore a big badge which identified me as a Teacher. Then everyone felt comfortable practicing their English by talking to me, it was friendly and wonderful! If I took the badge off, I got very few conversations.
I'm a southerner........i moved up north to Lancashire. I can tell you this is bang on.
I spent years in therapy after moving up north, the friendliness was overwhelming.
Did you ever grow used to it, or did you have to flee back down south?
@@vangroover1903 ....stayed up north.....wouldn't have it any other way.
@@oo7naughtyusmaximus933 Noice.......as they say. Enjoy ;@
I’m Canadian. Once I held the door open for someone in New York and they looked genuinely shocked. It was weird.
Then there is the Canadian stand off.
One Canadian on his way out holding the inner door for the other Canadian on his way in holding the outer door.
After you! No, after you! I insist, after you! No... I insist, after you!
If there’s ever a nation that will literally kill you with kindness, it’s Canada.
The Midwest has their own version of the Canadian standoff if their are multiple doors in a row. Person 1 opens the door for person 2 who moves ahead to the next door to open it for person 1. If there is a third door in this series obligatory awkward small talk must begin. If there is a fourth door, the awkward politeness causes a rip in space-time sending everyone back to door one in an endless loop.
this is cringe brother. I lived in new york. people will hold doors for each other. what is this "new yorkers are assholes" thing
Eric B oh I wasn’t trying to say New Yorkers are assholes, I’m sorry if it sounded that way! I was just saying Canadians are a lot more accustom to holding doors open so there’s culture shock when you travel to the US and people don’t expect it, you know? I like New York a lot, the social conventions are just different between USA and Canada
Calvin Nickel never seen that happen before but Canadians are really good at opening doors trust me I had mastered that skill since I was able to walk
"I did not mean to be happy."
That line broke my heart
Kiwi Kiwi same tho
Ha it's basically me
@@mcnanatherapgod3206 cute pp uwuw
@@mcnanatherapgod3206 oh shit I read your name wrong
Archyz Voidz thanks, I like yours too
I used to work for a hotel chain in Liverpool and the amount of Londoners who were shocked at the friendliness of scousers were pretty much all of them .. they liked the openness and warmth ❤
The sad thing is there is some truth in this. I recognize the same in my country. I lived in a small village for a long time and forgot you don't greet strangers without a reason in the city. So when I accidentally did, they looked at me with a mix of fear and awkwardness like: "Do I know you?". So it is not just London. On the other hand, I have to add that when I was 13 years old (some 40 years ago) my parents took us to London and while we were standing in the city looking at our roadmap, a typical English man in black suit and suitcase stopped and asked if he could help. I'll never forget that moment. Made me love the UK right away.
Grew up in a city in an Asian country. It is also considered to be creepy to talk to complete strangers (and I still don't get why greeting strangers on the street is a gesture to be friendly, sorry). Not to mention helping people with their suitcases or buggy in general( useless if they ask or really struggle). So when I move to London and studied, I find it super comfortable or even freer in a sense. Cuz in London everyone just happily minds their own business no matter what kind of outfit you are wearing, food you eating on the tube and always happy to help you with your suitcases. I felt completely respected for my time, space and mood but I get support when needed.
Northerner: Hell...Oh!....
Londoner: I don't want none of your HELL! 😂
Don't think many, any? typical English men left in London nowadays.
@@ja-qk4vd Especially the type of typical English man who was around 40 years ago. Not many of them left anywhere.
@@a6517 I think it's friendly because you acknowledge eachother, or sort of include them, and set them at ease, kind of showing them you are approachable and considerate of them. Of course, it means you could actually start a conversation and get to know a stranger too, or get help easily, if they feel inclined. But that interpretation probably depends on social norms and would not apply to places where you don't do this, would have the opposite effect. This is just my thinking but London is maybe notable because it's sort of mid-way between the set of norms, people do understand, there is some expectation of politeness (hence this sketch), but they also don't do it, so it only makes it more awkward when someone does.
I get why people in big cities would not want it though. Because it may be unpleasant or dangerous.
"Friendliness to strangers won’t be a crime until next year"
This aged like wine
no it aged like milk 🙂
@@ees3155 cheese is good. Goes well with the wine.
@@Gingersnaps_the_pumpkin_kitty eh I'm not a huge cheese fan
@@ees3155 eh the only kind I like is cheddar. I also don't like wine, people just tend to combine the two a lot.
@@Gingersnaps_the_pumpkin_kitty oh of course i got the joke lol I'm just tryna say that it's not a good thing that we can't talk to people face to face now 💀
“Friendliness isn’t a crime until next year” all of us watching in 2020
You posted this in 2021
@@thesquirtlebeach1117 LOL
Close enough
When you forget what year it is.
@@ciondub7713 better than forgetting your age, i thought i was 31 then my mum was like nah youre 32 :(
Coming from the southern US I’ve genuinely learned way too much from strangers from literally just existing next to them in line at the store.
I was born in the Southern U.S., raised in Northern England by my Irish grandparents in a West Indian neighbourhood. I'm work with children and teen. This combination means that I can learn someone's entire backstory in 60 seconds or less, whether I want to or not lol
Some years back I used to work in various sites around the UK and I can categorically say that generally speaking people in London were more rude than anywhere else. I once had to do some work in a London hospital and there was a lady with crutches and a leg in a cast and even doctors wouldnt hold the door open for the poor lady, simply pushing their way through the crowded hallways. She looked astonished when I open the door and said "after you love" lol. London.....
"Friendliness to strangers will not be a crime until next year"
This sounds pretty plausible for 2019 London.
I wonder how the news will announce it.....Lemme think-
*BREXIT, BREXIT, BREXIT WILL KILL US ALL, BREXIT, BREXIT*
Can't even flirt nowdays
@@johnnythed1175 we are well past that
Hi, I'm from the future
The right term would be Salam or Allah Akbar greeting from Germanistan
I am from Ireland and over in Ireland it is normal to nod to random strangers if eye contact is made. Was wandering around London doing my normal nods. Some people blanked me. Others started walking faster! Completely freaked me out. I was worried I was nodding wrong. Had I forgotten how to nod? Only person who nodded back was a woman in a wheechair. When I got back to Ireland I was nodding left, right and centre.
Thankfully it was the Londoners who were the problem as my nodding powers did not desert me.
*nods* Jesus, just a nod and they acted weird? I'd nod at you!
I'm from the north west. Moved to London in 1988, got told by my friend's boyfriend that I shouldn't talk to people in London. I just carried on. Lived in the East end, they were ok, same as us northerners but not so in London itself.
Here in the southern U. S. not only do we nod at complete strangers, we wave at them driving up the road. If I meet another car on the country road where I live, it's normal for us to wave at each other, whether we've seen each other or not! 🙂
Wow that's awfully depressing. It's a lot more different in my area.
This comment gets a nod from me:)
I'm an introvert from the US, and I approve this message.
This hits so hard. I greet people all the time and many people act like I’ve just threatened them, grunt at me or just ignore me completely. It’s fairly surprising when someone actually greets me back.
so you just say hello to random people??
Considering how many people the average Londoner passes in a day can you blame them for not greeting each other? People who insist on doing it are considered self-centered and inconsiderate.
@@KwikBR That's how you meet people, yeah
@@CB-so8xd that's weird
@@KwikBR Hi
*Canadians laughing in the distance*
*Americans quivering in fear*
Lemme correct you:
*Canadians laughing in the distance*
*New Yorkers, Californians, and People from Chicago crying*
*The South watching in confusion as they try to approach said spooked Northerners*
Southern hospitality - Dixie land is the nicest place on Earth. ^_^
*Latin Americans wheezing in the background*
Uh, no. You have a provincial 'knowledge' of America.
Also, *Saint Johners hysterically laughing at the stupidity of Londoners*
As an American from "the south" I would have been arrested and started an international crisis. We even wave at people from our cars 😂😂😂
Ohioan here, was scolded as a child for waving at people
I do that too, especially as a kid, & I'm from northern England
@@Kryptnyt really?? I'm in Ohio too! I used to talk to everyone in the bus as a child!
Northern American (Minnesota). We smile and say hi to everyone we pass. Smile at drivers of other cars. Offer to carry things for people. Hold doors open for other people. All sorts of suspicious behavior.
As a southern american i agree
As a true blooded Yorkshire man who has visited London I have to say that it's absolutely correct, I feel almost like an alien. It's like they are in a world of their own, nice though to get back to the civilisation of Yorkshire.
I visited London 10 years ago and I saw so many people looking unhappy . I was walking down the street when a man crossed right in front of me while looking at his cellphone , he yelled at me and called me a bloody yank . I had much better results in Ireland
“Friendliness is not a crime until next year” Hahahaha
Greg Stoll That line killed me. 🤣
One more like for 1K let's go
Its only funny because its so accurate and terrifying. Everything word wise is basically illegal in uk
castricv huh?
@@thatssofetch3481 pretty self explanatory
The most hated song in London :
Hello - Adele
XD
Hahahaha
No, Adele's from London, so it's fine. They only fear for their lives if a Northerner says "Hello."
What about Lionel Richie - Hello ?
@@Gabagooul He's not even from the United Kingdom (He's from Alabama), so that, too, would be OK.
I am a Geordie,and I am proud of it.I have never had unfriendliness shown
to me.Howay my Lads and Lasses.❤️🙏🏻❤️
Arrived in London from Australia a few years back on Christmas Eve. Held myself back in the crowd to allow an elderly lady to go down the Tube stairs before me. As she approached she must have assumed I was not going to let her pass and she simply whacked me hard with her umbrella and carried on. Dirty, horrible place. I'll never return.
"Ok, mate, you got a license for that greeting?"
"You'll never take me alive!"
@Sredni Vashtar Incorrect, "license" is a proper spelling
@Sredni Vashtar are you sure about that?
@Sredni Vashtar Incorrect. In American English, the noun is spelt the same as the verb. Your nomenclature is specifically British English. You can use either convention (as I just did by using 'spelt' instead of 'spelled'), but saying that one way is definitively the only way does not work in this case.
In your own words, _"Back to school for you."_
@@kalicula7718 You're fine. He appears to be a linguistic purist.
I can confirm this is a northerner thing, I'm from Scotland, when I started dating my now wife who's from Teesside, we were walking around a park and everyone who passed us said 'morning' quite cheerfully. I was shocked because in Scotland when someone passes you in a park they stab you.
^ underrated comment ^
@@bricology Mos def.
I wouldn't risk walking in a park in Teesside....
And you're Alive?! You'd actually do really well in one of those "Trapped in a Video/Computer Game" Horror Movies.
You & your Wife would get All the Clues, Solve All the Mazes, Evade all the Traps & Win All the Death Games.
You'd be Final Guy & Final Girl! Everyone else? Totally Dead!
Had us in the first half...haha!
“This is London, Jen. It's not someone with cake. Unless that cake is made of dog poo and knives!”
-Maurice Moss
Every time I watch this it brings tears to my eyes.
Tears of joy or sorrow?
Joy for certain!@@ForeverGratefulGAT
American version: Southerner terrifies New Yorkers by saying “Hello”
Hayulow!
Stormwatcher when I pronounced it in my head, I could only think of Goofy’s voice😂
Howdy*
As a New Yorker this is 100% accurate lol
@Band&Marvel Geek I'll boil crawfish
Northerner : "Hel-"
Londoners: "Stay back! I have a belt and I'm not afraid to hang myself"
😂
Lmao this comment went a totally different direction than I thought it would’ve 😂🤦♀️
Filthy Frank
Filthy Frank
😂🤣
As an American, this is a culture shock thing that I feel like I would struggle with when visiting other countries...
I'm so used to strangers just...chatting with each other all the time.
Well you'd just have to visit the north of England rather than the south.
NYC seems to be the same
Welsh taxi driver here. Had a run to central London a couple of years ago, and, as is the custom in Wales, politely waved/flashed out a lady waiting at a junction to squeeze into the busy traffic flow. The look she gave me! 😂 You'd swear I had horns on my head!😂
I'm a New Zealander. I tried to say hello to a person on a train station in London and they actually flinched with fear. It was 1991 and I still remember it.
😂😂😂
I like to imagine you were wearing a hockey mask and holding a bloodstained axe at the time, because you forgot to hide them when you got on the tube 😂
But seriously, I hate london. Such a grumpy place.
@@peterclarke7240 in that moment, for the very first time, I really understood what tourists meant when they say how friendly New Zealanders are. Till then i just assumed everyone was like that.
@@sonyavincent7450 Sadly not. In the UK, for example, I'm fairly convinced that "near-crippling social anxiety towards strangers bordering on the aggressive unless they have a friendly dog who wants to let you pat him on the head and call him a good boy" is a defining national characteristic.
Lol- I'm from Brisbane and was on the Piccadilly line back to Heathrow when we were suddenly told to change trains on the way. I made a comment to another lady on the train who at 1st freaked right out, then we had a lovely chat all the way to Hounslow before she got off lol!
"I apologize if I offended anyone. I did not mean to be happy." Something about that just feels so... relevant right now.
@@loxeresczech439 That's the joke. ;3
It seems that way because you are soooooo pensive!
Can't be happy today in the USA.. someone will hate you for it just like they will hate you for being free. Sad times both government and media have created.
1984
You can be happy, just don't show it.
Oh that's hillarious. I'm a Londoner but no longer live in London. I like going up North simply because people chat to you and are friendlier. However, when I'm on a bus on Kent most people chat to each other, but I think that's an age thing more than anything else. Older people seem to spring up conversations with other older people.
Saw this a long time ago, loved it and shared with my friends in London. Having travelled to London for work/ friends for nearly 2 decades, this resonated with me. They all tell me (I paraphrase) "Move here. London is the place to be" but in the next breath tell me how expensive it is to live (apart from my v wealthy ones) so they dont actually have £ to do much in the great city, have less quality of life. They have few friends, some none locally at all, and quite lonely. Many of them have no idea of any UK life/culture past Watford Junction. One thought everyone "up North" lived in terrace houses (think Coronation Street Soap style). You can't blame them if they're using TV for references- how many articulate, erudite, people with northern accents are on TV/media outside of dumb soap operas? The only one I can think of is Brian Cox (astronomer not actor) LOL It's only in London that people get caught up in judging people by accent. Even though they're geographically such a small part of the UK. So I'll always love to visit, love my Southern mates, but I'm happy - if that's still legal : ) just where I am.
In Southern America you hear life stories just standing in a grocery store.
This is the truth.
In Los Angeles, I was in line at a small grocery store practically giving my friend a life story and the clerk didn't think we were together.
like uruguay?
I hate that. I'm a Londoner
Especially in Florida
"I apologize if I offended anyone. I did not mean to be happy."
Twitter, in a nutshell
Twitter users preach all about equality and understanding but God forbid if you have remotely right leaning political beliefs and God help you If you're white or male...
ruclips.net/video/-1yzoiUIGGs/видео.html
@@Zamntron True, it's really hard being a white male, I'm so oppressed all the time!
@@johnmartinez7440 You're probably being sarcastic so I'm just going to say that no y'all aren't being oppressed but people on the internet WANT you guys to be oppressed
@@Zamntron I love that XD classic "I want respect and free speech for everyone except if they think different from me"
Besides that i don't get them. I'm white male and heterosexual and I haven't got any privilege in my mail yet. I assume that's because I'm Mexican but still, i have meet Mexicans who are catalogued as whites because we'll... They're white skinned.
So yeah I'm still waiting for my money bitches and grades >:c
This was gold - as an Australian I was thinking this could be said about any one of us while we're anywhere out of our natural habitat.
As native Hamburger, i would be just as shocked by a random guy just greeting everyone with a smile on the streets!
Honestly I am from Northern England . We just say if its morning or afternoon etc . We dont smile. It's not an invite for a long discussion, it's brief interaction .
I'm Italian and used to live in London - I stayed there for 4 years, in the early 2000s. Once, I fainted on the Tube. As I was losing my senses, lying on the floor of the carriage, I had a sense of people stepping around and over me and doing their very best to ignore me, though for all they knew I could be dying. When I came to, I found myself on a bench at a tube station, with a kind and concerned woman sitting next to me. It turns out, she was a visitor from Yorkshire who'd come to my aid while everyone else ignored me! She had carried me out of the train, offered to call an ambulance and had not left my side until I woke up. We spoke a little, she told me she was just visiting London and was absolutely shocked by the inhumanity of everyone just pretending to not see me. This was my experience of Northerners in London - so lucky I came across one that day!
Most people will have seen you as a potential danger (the odds of a person collapsed on the floor being drunk or a druggy). Plus will have places to be.
Big cities are often very harsh like that.
There's a saying for us Americans who travel to Europe, "Italians have warm hearts, the British are "cold fish" "....
There is lots of drunks on the train, it was probably innocent enough with people not wanting to disturb you. Just another day on the underground. I´ve witnessed drunks just going to sleep and piss themselves on a carriage full of people. Best to let sleeping ´drunks´ lie.
You had a close call there my friend. She could have shown you photos of her family
Doesn't surprise me
If it wasn't for the laugh track, I would've thought this was real
T H I S :)
The true hero of Naruto u tard?
The true hero of Naruto saaamee
@@krashd Can you calm the fuck down and stop calling others 'cunt'? Since when did parents allow 11 year olds to use RUclips? Clearly they don't know how to comment-
@@lakshana.3488 ahah agreed. Fucking kid lol
So true! As a pint-sized, teenage visitor to london, I asked a passing Londoner for directions. He leapt off the pavement in panic-stricken horror and was almost run over by a bus.
This feels like something you’d find on one of The Onion’s old RUclips videos.
So basically, London is an introvert's paradise?
Yep. We are all antisocial here
@Vijay Surya why are u butthurt?
Vijay Surya it’s almost like... there’s different cultures and races in different places... did you know a Muslim can be a Londoner? Or even an American! The world is strange indeed innit? Ah but what a great diverse world we live in, ya so nice to have such good people interact and mingle in different places, right? That’s what a good life sounds like, and a wonderful look on life! It’s okay you didn’t know, we all learn new thing everyday! Have a wonderful day my friend! ❤️
@Vijay Surya What dumb people from other countries dont understand is that Britian isnt some failed european state trying to protect the borders to contain what little they've managed to hang onto, Britain is a post-imperial nation that used to own 1/4 of the world and funnels all the talent and skilled individuals in from those former colonies to this day. The modern happy-clappy interpretation of "let's all hold hands and celebrate our differences" is a very new concept, the older concept of British nationalism is something more akin to the Roman Empire which is to make all the people from all the corners of the world we encounter work for Britain, force our values on them and profit. They benefit from a wealthy and secure society, the country benefits from their efforts, and the philosophers can wax lyrical about how we're spreading civilisation to the masses. We pretend otherwise but the model really hasnt changed in 200 years, and that's no bad thing. I wouldnt expect anyone from a weak country to understand, just focus on protecting your genepool and let the grownups play lol.
*Depressed
"where friendliness to strangers is not a crime until next year"
me, looking at the date this was posted: you're about... 2 years to early.
As of right now I wouldn’t be surprised if this actually becomes a news story
Late*
*too early
Wait, what the fuck is going on over there?
ruclips.net/video/wXn1-UvHQsg/видео.html 😂😂
What's scarier is a German coming up behind a Pole and whispering "Guten Tag" into their ear.
Headphones on, head down, avoid eye contact - that's how we deal with tourists here in NYC!
Scary person in a haunted house: "BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
Englishman: -_-
Scary person in a haunted house: "Hello"
Englishman: "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
YO WTF, EXCUSE ME WHAT'D U JUST SAY? HOLD ON I GOTTA GET OUTA HERE
did you just say... hello? omg NOOOOOOO
So Casper took place in England. That's why the people were so terifird when he greet them.
Its not Englishmen just Londeners lmao
I don’t think you got the skit did you
"friendliness to strangers is not a crime until next year"
you're about 2 years to early
tew trew
This friendliness to strangers law coincides remarkably well to the implementation of Brexit.
I don’t get it, explain
@@ilebillybobjoe oof. You an alien? Covid bruh
@@mirdav7954 sorry I clicked ñ instead of l
Maybe I'm just lucky, but I've been to London 3 times (I'm from the US). I found everyone to be so nice, polite, and friendly. Even the workers in the Underground and the ticket sellers at the train stations. The last time (last summer), I was with my daughters (ages 8 and 11) and they keep commenting how nice, polite, and friendly everyone was. If Londoner's are considered reserved, I can only imagine what people outside London are like...
I think you’re just lucky. Maybe it’s because it was in the summer, when not everyone was so overwhelmed with work that they wanted to avoid as many people as possible. I go there quite often and everyone is extremely reserved. Also, people are always nice when you talk to them first, but nobody wants to initiate conversation.
Have you met any roadmen yet? They’re a really fun bunch!
I sadly did not have that experience. I've wanted to visit London since I was a teenager but never made it until the year before Covid. Whether it be hotel clerks, train staff or train passengers, I found them to be either rude or miserable. As a Canadian, I realize that it isn't typical behaviour to strike up conversations with strangers, but you should at least be helpful or friendly when asked a question by a customer in your workplace. Despite NYC having a similar reputation, I felt very welcome there.
I wonder if this stereotype (?) of Londoners is a recent phenomenon or not bc I remember visiting London over 10 years ago and telling everyone back home how friendly people were despite my at the time rather poor mastery of the English language! Then again, to put this into perspective, I am from Germany and we're not exactly known for being friendly to put it mildly! 😂
Germany bombing the shit out of London in two wars might explain it.
@@mjh5437You and I may have had a different education but I don't think the Blitz happened in the last ten years.
@@mjh5437
Huh? That's why they were friendly towards him?
Watching British comedy as an American is like watching interdimensional cable.
*flips the channel*
Ooh-wee welcome to fake doors factory
Ants in his eyes Johnson is the man.
Yes, yes it is
Watching British comedy as a Serb is like trying to figure out what 2+2 is while you try to touch your nose with your tongue
As an asian, i too feel the same way
As a Canadian visiting London, I took a bus and luckily managed to find a seat despite the bus being absolutely full. I was seated next to the window with a 30-ish year old man sitting next to me reading a book. I made a little comment about something and he looked stunned and glared at me probably wondering if I was talking to him or just talking to myself - I repeated myself and he answered and we have a little conversation. After a few minutes, he told me that he'd been taking the same bus for 18 years and this was the first time somebody had talked to him.
Jeez that is a sad tale. He'll probably go another 18 years before it happens again
@@TonyEnglandUK I'd say the north has a more traditional culture as it hasn't been blended with other cultures as much as it has in london and so have a similar sense of humour to the ones that went to canada all those years ago
and then the president flew thru the window and gave you a trophy and then everyone clapped
@@dusantrifunovic2047 well you see Dusan, other people really do touch grass and interact with other people.
@@bait5257 you're right, no one would EVER be so miserable as to make up a whole (poorly made) story about something in their life for internet points as their own is so empty and lonely, everyone with an IQ over 90 who took longer than 10 seconds to read this comment realizes its generic made-up bullshit, almost like a copypasta
I love the press conference effect with scads of cameras clicking from all sides
Grew up in Montana. First time I visited Seattle, this what I felt.
Extrovert: "Hello!"
Introvert: "I have pepper spray! STAY BACK!"
introvert is more like "just minding my own business, don't notice me" lol
Ambivert: ...stonks... (I hope someone gets this lmao)
Omnivert: "The fuck you want?"
Misanthrop: Fuck off wanker.
Thats me with spray
Londoner: Makes eye contact
Northener: So you have chosen *Greeting*
Nice
Nice
🅱️ice
😂
🅾️ice
As a southerner this is completely true. Why would you scare us like that? If we don't look at you in the eye you're not there 😂
As someone from the Midwest I routinely greet people as I jog, and even if that is just a nod of acknowledgement, I still make a point of greeting people. Though it is good to know not to greet people while in London.
I was once called “love” by a northerner and nearly wet myself in alarm.
im not from the uk but when i went to Bristol for my study, so many ladies in their 40-50s called me love like "you alright love?". in the supermarket, at the cafe, in the shops etc. i thought it was a norm in the uk for old ladies to be greeting strangers with love
@@paulacawan I studied at bristol too, everybody is friendly as hell tbh
I live in the north and worked in retail there. I called all ladies 'love' and men 'mate'. And i'd get called love and mate back. The funny situation was when a guy forgetting I was a bloke because most retail staff are female called me 'love'. I'd just reply
"Not a problem darling." It always caused a laugh with him and the queue.
@@alexcockburn8975 Mate that sounds just like here in Aus haha
@@alexcockburn8975 In parts of the north it's common to address everyone as "love", in a similar rfrain to calling someone "mate". I'm from Suffolk where we're reserved rather than unfriendly and I remember a lorry driver asking me for directions and saying, "Thanks, love".
I used to be a bus driver, for many years I had no end of fun greeting passengers with a VERY enthusiastic "Good morning"; 9/10 of them completely forgot where they were going and stumbled over buying their tickets.
Now I am retired and have more time, I make a point of being friendly to traffic wardens and the homeless community, you should see their reactions.
nice
This is an excellent point to make, and it is true.
I often did it and started from when I was like 17 when I began driving and exploring the world/meeting more girls in life and decided I could use my youthful rebelliousness and go against the grain and actually be friendly and what would be considered overtly expressive 'Hellos!' and 'Thank you very much have a loveday sir/miss etc. etc. to people like bus drivers (In fact, strangely, I don't remember a time I never actually said thank you to a bus driver after boarding and tapping my card), McDonald's workers, waiters, traffic wardens, police constables (though I was raised to not particularly like them) etc. etc.
But it had a pronounced effect; the people who were shy and caught off would just muster whatever they could and just shrink inside their shell or something, the people who are receptive of it (often service people/homeless/elderly people) are actually really grateful and it makes your day as much as it might make their day.
Before it was just a fun / non-harmful way to just interact with people, I'm 24 now and I still do it almost without thinking. It's just part of my personality. And I wouldn't even say I'm an extrovert or anything, quite the opposite, my friends just see it as a silly quirk I made a habit out of but I prefer it that way. It often compels you to smile and go about yourself more confidently anyway, which I'm all for. Smiling technically uplifts your mood anyway so it goes hand in hand with my born and bred Londoner blues.
And yes I'm a Londoner to the very foundation of my being. Always have been since 1997, which probably is very young to someone like yourself but I do positively identify with being a Londoner more than any other part of my Britishness. I can see how if everyone went about the way I do it will caused a mass hysteria, but for the few who like to experience something new and always rewarding in their daily lives I do genuinely recommend it.
Be excellent to each other, that's all.
@@Jupa Being warm and kind to others is God's Gift. Keep it up!
alot of those homeless people are not homeless, homeless people dont have time to sit around beggin so they can get there crack n smack n if that doesnt work they just suck eachother off to get the stuff. trust me. dont give em any money.
@@SludgeManCometh please tell me you’re joking
There's a difference between unfriendly and rude. It's been a while, but I didn't find Londoners rude. Unfriendly, yes, but generally not rude. Sure, you'll always get a few, especially in a big city - in a big city anywhere. But when I visited, while they weren't friendly, they were keen to be helpful giving directions, answering questions, and they did hold doors.😊
Yes the 2 are separate I think. I am very polite and a complete misanthrope.
Random person: "How will you ever meet new people if you don't interact with them"
Londoner: "Exactly"
As a Northerner who lived in central London I can attest that this is far more accurate than people may think. I remember getting the tube to work every morning at the same time and because it was so early there was only ever me and another bloke on the platform every day. After a few months of this one day I said "Good morning" to him and he looked at me like I'd just landed from another planet. This is the case all over London.
imagine being a northerner, could never be me
So so true. I found it quite unnerving to be honest.
@@athythsuthakaran8477 you'd have to be English first XD
And that's how we like it. I was born and raised in Grimsby, and it was sheer hell. I came to London to get away from you monsters. Don't talk to me. Don't look at me. I do not care about you, or your miserable life, and I do not want you to care about me or mine. Stay in Rotherham. STAY IN ROTHERHAM.
@@jjdecani wow that was harsh. So is it actually true that Londoners despise hospitality?
Canadian, Japanese and New Zealander:
“What should we do?”
“Keep being nice?”
“Keep being nice.”
And American Midwest and Southerener 💗
@I like Potatoes ok was about to believe you but then you said you met nicer people in jersey
Your guy for ham you’ll probably meet the nicest people in California. And that’s not saying much.
What, Japan is famously an introverted mess
Fun Fact: Canadians are brutal in the world wars.
I love this… I’m a relocated Southerner very happily living up t’North - you have to assume that all morning & evening dog walks will involve lovely greetings and discussions wi’ strangers 😂
I grew up rural NZ. The first words spoken to me in the U.K. once I past the very unfriendly immigration official was on the tube. I made eye contact with someone, nodded and was about to say g'day when I was cut off by "What the fuck you looking at?" I lived in the U.K. for over three years. Lots of cool and interesting places and people. I hate London.
😢 horrible.
Don't worry lad, its OK - life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you get next. Btw, I had a SPECTACULAR vacation in south island in 2016. Most unforgettable time of my life. Possibly the nicest people, except one restaurant/bar dude who was still courteous and was probably miffed we dropped in as they were almost closing - he still served us, wasn't mean, but was less cheerful than the rest.
@@iodboiYeah, I live at the top of the South Island now. I sometimes forget how good I've got it. I haven't lived in many cities. I thought it's just the way big cities are. London seemed positively hostile to me, although I had come straight from an area that had 3 people per square km.
@@no_idea_is_above_scrutiny there's our clue 3 folks/sq km makes you value the humans you meet during your daily life.
It’s funny how different cultures are to be honest.
I was at a bus stop one time and this man was looking at me so I smiled because I just thought that it’s a nice thing to do but then the guy misinterpreted it and thought that I was interested in him and tried to chat me up...I was terrified...
He was looking at you because he either thought you looked odd which i doubt or mostly probably he fancied you so when you smiled he thought ding ding...this is my chance !
digitalmediafan 😂😂 oh dear
@@jessg4898 men are so desperate for attention
digitalmediafan it’s almost like it’s in their biological nature or something.
That's sometimes happens to me, but I start talking about politics and everything is okay. XD
He would be welcomed in Canada but must say sorry too.
Spent many months in Canada and not once my greetings were responded in the elevator or buses.
Ireland too, but only in cultchie territory
(Cultchies are people who don't live and aren't from the cities in Ireland)
I must apologize, but I will have to say " hello" to you. I'm sorry.
@@maythesciencebewithyou Pardon?
"They are generally friendly, but will headbutt if cornered!"
As someone from 'oop norf' who's lived 'darn souf' for over 40 years I have to say that this take on 'Southerners' is absolutely true...
Meanwhile in Asia
*Invites you to our houses and prepares our finest plates and utensils and buy food from a restaurant*
Typical in the Philippines hahaha
@@peanutforger2664 oi, kababayan. 'Musta diha???
@@elsaangana5147 wazzup kabayan🤣🤣
@@peanutforger2664 okay ra mi sa cebu city! Minus ang covid dito. (We're okay here in cebu city! They are less covid here na. /if you don't understand bisaya, I'm sorry if I'm not fluent in tagalog po ^^")
@@elsaangana5147 ay see. I'm glad you're doing well. I don't understand Bisaya but I'm fluent in Tagalog haha
I remember when I visited America I was so uncomfortable because every time I made any eye-contact with random people, they would smile at me.
And several times, they would even greet me as if they knew me, and I’d be so confused.
EDIT:
I’m not making fun of Americans🤦, I’m actually quite envious of countries where being friendly to strangers is the norm. I simply noticed a cultural difference and wanted to comment on it
I'm from America and it freaks me out
@@starless1444 Better hope ya'll don't visit a small town in the south. You won't escape without learning everything there is to know about the town in an hour+ conversation.
jack mayor what part of the south you stay in partner. Im from Texas shit if someone wanna ask me a question well they best sit they ass down cause I’m finna fix a plate of some brisket and they better eat until they done bout to throw up.
I was wondering, what causes that awkward feeling? Is seeing people you don't know smile at you make you feel like you're about to get stabbed in an alley? Does the smile come off as mischievous?
David Reed I’m not sure really, I just feel uneasy if a stranger is making eye contact and smiling at me. Like, for a good ten minutes after I’ll be checking over my shoulder to make sure the person isn’t following me
(I know it seems like paranoia to people who are genuinely friendly and like greeting people they pass in the street, but where I live it’s the norm to avoid interactions with strangers. It’s probably a cultural thing, too.)
I live in a Midwest University town, and it’s great sport to greet New York students as you pass by.
I was having a coffee out and heard two guys next to me talking. One of them was telling the other how friendly people are in the country and how they say "Hello" to one another. So I said "Hello!" and he looked at me then ignored me. Hilarious! LOL!
I would too, that's weird.