mattyman wrote:Just want to mention that I read an article talking about the Seattle freeze, describing how people in that region of the states are very closed and wary of meeting new people. the important thing is that that area has a maritime climate similar to britain.
I have a question here. I wonder which social environment is more anti-social; Britain or Washington State? I would be curious to know. Funnily enough, I should mention that some have said that they find americans more socially open than brits.
It always baffles me that whenever I try to meet people in public in Britain they all seem SO uncomfortable and unapproachable (especially young people). How come, even when I've been to various classes and voluntary work, people are always distant and want to go their own seperate ways and stick with their own little tight clique. Why are english people so bloody terrified of talking to strangers and including new people in their group?
It sucks that meeting new people is confined to pubs and clubs. It is a form of social exclusion. Why are people, especially young people terrified of having conversations? I absolutely detest it.
The fact that meeting people is limited to pubs and clubs, work, mutual introductions etc. is just too bloody restrictive. It enfuriates me when people say 'join clubs, classes and societies'. I've done that. People just want to have polite chit-chat (at most) then keep to themselves. They don't want to meet new people, be invited out, get to know you or even just bring you into their circle. They just go their own seperate ways. Even if you are persistent, it takes YEARS just to meet a handful of people because of this. I really don't get it. I'm sick to death of it.
Because meeting people is restricted to the channels just mentioned, if you're working at a job where people don't want anything to do with you socially, it's safe to say that you're buggered in some respects (unless you thrive in the bar/club scene). Because of the extreme cliqueyness, if you are in that situation, I that it's fair to call that a form of exclusion from from society. How many people reading this are familiar with such a predicament? You know, it feels like a bit of a dead end.
Question is, when will people stop being so f***ing paranoid and terrified of each other. When will neighbours start talking to each other and inviting each other over? What a depressing society! The weather over here really doesn't help, cloudy a lot of the time.
Just needed to vent that. Anyway, I've just gotten onto the CELTA course to train to be an EFL techer. so far it seems interesting and enjoyable. It looks like I made the right decision. Hoefully I won't need to waste time trying to befriend anti-social troglodytes.
Yea, I know what you mean. I'm from the states and so far every European from England I have ever met here in the states was rude, cold, and indifferent towards me.
One guy I worked with for over a year, and the others were random Brits who I struck up a conversation with after I heard their accent and tried to have a civil conversation with them just to be friendly.
On the other hand, I will say that Brits open up when the drinks get flowing, and that's really sad when you think about it, the fact that these people need to depend on alcohol to express human emotions.
As far as when will people go back to trusting each other, and being more open, well, I'm afraid that in any modern industrialized city it's just never going to happen. It's not going to happen because the environment prevents people from bonding with one another. People have to look for jobs, rent is sky high, young people move away to seek opportunity, young strangers move in looking for opportunity, old people are not respected so they don't get involved with young people, ect, ect....
If you visit small towns or rural areas they don't have any problems talking to one another...