Why do people think Londoners are rude?

[beejeez]

I'm obviously biased as I'm originally from London, but why do people think Londoners are rude?

I was there a few days ago and it was so great to be back. I find true Londoners so friendly (OK, maybe not when commuting in and out of work, but definitely the rest of the time).

If you talk to them then they are really friendly back!

@23chat I presume from that reply you are infact one of the rude people who live there 🤣
My point was that I had ONLY been twice but on both occasions the people had not been friendly.
@Ginmonkeyagain maybe that's what it was then, I was rather confused!

I'm going to have nightmares about that later on 🤣

Would be a cracker of a Black Mirror episode though.

It was meant a bit tongue in cheek, hence the wink. But there is sometimes a bit of an air of self importance about people who are so busy that they can't take a minute to be polite.

I wonder if the whole perception of Londoners is coloured by the fact people on some level expect lots of stereotypical British manners/ courtesy in London. And when they don't get it, and in fact get the opposite, they are really shocked (vs e.g. in America)

@EndlessRain1 I don't really see this tbh.
But I would be highly surprised if, for example, in a busy airport elsewhere in the UK, everyone talked to everyone else in the queue and everyone they passed in FGE terminal/in Duty Free? When you're dealing with large volumes of people and you're in a rush it just isn't practical.

*the terminal

Thefoxsays - I have been to many places once or twice and had all types of experiences and it means nothing whatsoever.

This thread reminds me of a type of tourist who go in their package holiday to Greece or somewhere once a year, have a not great experience in a restaurant and then declare "the Greek food is bad..." or "Green waiters are rude..." Or they may happen upon a random local who speaks English and then see fit to declare "The Greeks all speak such good English..."

@23chat but the thread is specifically why people think Londoners are rude. And in my experience as someone not from there, who has visited twice, they were. I would never start a thread saying London is awful as I don't know enough about the place, but on my two visits the people were rude/unfriendly. You may disagree and that's your prerogative.

Well, to an extent anyway, something which I did acknowledge in my post. Plus, a smile takes no additional time of course.

@EndlessRain1 okay I see. I just find it really hard when people criticise where I'm from so readily. I feel like I'm a really smiley person! That level of criticism just doesn't get launched at other places - it's always London. I can't imagine a similar thread about other UK towns/cities/villages which may have their own things that others dislike.

I then ordered some food from the chip shop & even the people working there were quite stone faced.
Good luck on finding a chip shop in London, but what were you expecting?

It's not personal. As I said, I think part of it also comes from an expectation that the British are courteous and well mannered. So if that's the expectation then London falls short. People in other cities are just the same, but it seems not quite as bad as they have reputation for it. E.g. people in Paris are massively rude IMO, but the French generally have a reputation for being a bit like that so it doesn't seem so out of place.

Anyway, these are all generalisations and not personal to anyone.

But @EndlessRain1 if there was a thread on your hometown would you not feel personally affected?

But being 'courteous and well mannered' or 'polite' isn't the same as being 'friendly'? Being courteous to me means going about my business without getting in other people's way or otherwise disturbing them while they go about theirs.

I'm always polite unless there's a very good reason for me not to be and I'm helpful if asked, but I don't go around beaming at strangers and invading their space by talking at them for no reason, and I would consider doing so to be rude, whether it's friendly or otherwise.

Imagine coming on and saying - "I have been to Manchester twice. The first time a man in a chip shop was "stone faced." The second time, someone ignored me when I asked for directions and the people on a bus did not smile."

So what? What possible bearing could any of that have on the city of Manchester?

I don't know, maybe a little. But if there was some truth to it (which, I am afraid to say there is ref London), then you just have to own it. The fact people on the commute are huffy and a bit rude, or that shop keepers aren't friendly doesn't mean that London isn't a great city in many other ways does it? Noone on this thread is saying "all people from London, including rattlinbog, are massive assholes" are they? If you really feel so agrieved perhaps make an effort to be a bit more mindful in your own behaviour, don't huff at that lost tourist, and perhaps extend a smile to the worried looking person looking out of place on the tube.

Anyway, I live in Kent (although not originall from here), and would not at all be offended about the strange things that can be said about Kent - of which there are many.

And if you do all that already, then you have nothing to worry about :)

London is one of the most welcoming places in the world. The diversity of the city speaks for itself. People from any corner of the globe, of any colour and nationality, can feel at home here. Smiling at people on the tube is one thing, but a real culture of diversity and acceptance is another.

I actually agree. It's a real melting pot of people and in many many ways I love London. That doesn't mean I don't sometimes feel relieved when the train pulls up to my rural station in kent and I know I will get off and people won't, at best, look through me like I don't exist ;)

Has it occurred to people that the majority of the "stone faced" commuters are actually from the oh-so-chatty North or the salt-of-the-earth villages anyway?

@EndlessRain1 a family of refugees pulling up into rural Kent might feel differently

Anyway enough, I'm not here to criticise other places! Just to defend London, which always gets so much more than it's fair share of criticism

As I said, I know there are many unpleasant things about Kent, the xenophobia being one I am well aware of as an EU immigrant myself. I can though acknowledge that, and don't feel personally offended by that comment.

And let's be honest, racism and xenophobia exists most places in the UK. London included.

Because that's lots of people's experiences.
People in the North (I am a Scouser) actually say hello to strangers.

I love all the nobody smiles at each other complaints. I have been all over the UK and don't recall walking down the street in other towns where everyone is beaming at each other, it would all be a bit 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' and spook the shit out of me. I get that in a small village or when out walking in the hills the social dynamics are a bit different where blanking someone would be rude but this criticism in London of no smiley small talk with randoms comes across as bit needy at times.

The expression don't owe anyone a smile is the most London thing ever.
And so depressing.