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!

I don’t think people are more rude in London, just a bit less patient. And I think that is because of how busy it is, number of tourists etc. It’s fairly similar in the northern city I live in. I’ve never spoken to random people on buses, trains etc here either. The only other place I’ve been where people will start up conversation with you when out and about is Stoke-on-Trent. If you stand still for more than 5 seconds in Stoke someone will chat to you. Friendly and irritating at the same time!

The very first time I went to London was to visit a friend. We got on one of the last tubes home late at night. There was a man sat opposite me and I couldn't understand why he looked so startled when I said hello to him.
He looked as though to say, who is this random strange foreign woman speaking to me and what do I do?? Kind of startled.
My friend explained that you don't speak to people on the tube.
I was absolutely baffled as I'm from a big city, but in a different country where everyone is friendly.
I have found people in other parts of the UK to be much friendlier, particularly up north.

Londoners are friendly and don't mind conversations. They just never start them which is why they get the rude reputation.
They've experienced too many weird people so are often wary of others!

I live in London albeit don't take the tube as much anymore. Like others posters have said, London has many tourists who have no idea where they're going. It can be frustrating as many people take several different lines so they need to get to the next one quickly.
I don't think it's rude though. And not going around saying hello to random strangers doesn't make it rude either.

Exactly. Being squashed right up against someone else’s armpit is bad enough when you’re carefully avoiding eye contact. The same thing plus smiling and chatting would be unbearable.

Here in my part of the North Yorkshire dales, if you walk past someone, they smile and say hello. Whether you know them or not!
This is not the case with Londoners.

Of course not, 9 million people live in London and there's always a million or so visitors, you'd never get anywhere if you were smiling and saying hello to everyone you met.

I've lived in London 6 years now and it's the friendliest place I've ever lived - people always say hello and smile to me

People chat to my dog on the tube too

I've made loads of friends since living here - more than I've made in 20 years living in the Home Cunties

I live

I have lived in London on and off for nearly 25 years with stints in Stockholm, Paris and Milan and to be honest I have found London neither more or less friendly then any other major city. Yes there is an unwritten rule on public transport that nobody talks to each other but nobody was exactly chatting to each other on the new York metro either. To be honest I am happy to chat to strangers down the pub or other social setting but have always been perplexed by the need of some to have random small talk about the weather or whatever with some complete stranger they are never going to see again. I am content to spend my journey reading a book, newspaper, listening to a podcast or learning a language etc. Sure, if you are at the same station every day at the same time you see familiar faces and say hello but random journeys on the tube lasting several minutes then I will probably just want to be left alone.
Also, as alluded to already London is vast with central areas stuffed full of tourists many of whom don't speak English anyway. I'm sure if you went for a pint down some suburban local rather then the "traditional yea olde authentic English tourist pub" off Oxford Street (with laminate menus in German, French and Japanese) you would soon be having a chat with your neighbour.

Eek.

I live in Dublin. It's broadly a friendly place - lots of incidental chats, people will be helpful - but also with plenty of arseholes, like anywhere.

I love London; I love the busy-ness & feel of it. Am not there often now - and with the pandemic, not for several years - but at one stage was there frequently with work.

I generally found people friendly but in specific one-to-one situations. For example, in a shop or a cafe or if you asked someone for help.

Interestingly I was in Nottingham for a conference for a few days some time ago, and in my limited experience of those few days, did not find people approachable or chatty at all.

In a world city of nine million people, when you're encountering a random slice of them in close quarters on public transport you need social barriers, not friendliness. You need to be able to get to your destination without being bothered by a crazy person or blocked by a family of confused tourists.

Outside public transport there are plenty of opportunities to meet people and be friendly. I have tons of friends around my local area. But no I don't want to fucking talk to you on the Tube, even if my face isn't in your armpit. I have a book.

It's not just about commuting etiquette, it's "don't give a fuckness". London is exactly the sort of place where, if you collapse on the pavement, people will step over you or skirt round you and "not get involved". (I grew up in London then moved up north and never went home again).

My experience is the complete opposite.

I don't want to fucking talk to you on the Tube, even if my face isn't in your armpit. I have a book.

This I don't really get. I mean, not that I'd expect loads of chats on the Tube! I don't have them on the train / DART in Dublin.

But most of the times I travel on public transport in Dublin, there'll be some small chat, where appropriate - might be waiting on the platform, or a quick mention of weather / Christmas / busy-ness of the train - I really value these micro-interactions, and recognised that when they were gone during the pandemic

I find exactly the opposite. I'm from the north. On many an occasion I've been standing in London looking puzzled and a random stranger has come and asked if they could help. And no, they didn't have an ulterior motive. Neither did they nick my handbag 🤣

Viva London 😍😍

I was born in London and have lived most of my life here. I wouldn't call Londoners rude, but generally they are busy rushing from A to B and don't have time for pleasantries. I certainly notice the difference when we take holidays in rural parts of England - people are mostly far more willing to smile, say hello and have a chat.

Where I live now, on my walk into town I might see 2-3 people and generally say hello. When I worked in London, on a walk of the same distance I would have passed thousands of other commuters. A friendly hello in those circumstances was not really practical. On the other hand, someone asking for help/directions in London is likely to receive help.

I love London and don’t find it unfriendly per se, but I did notice the difference when I travelled in America. It was quite disconcerting at first. I was thinking ‘what do you want?’ every time someone started a conversation.

How is it a problem?

I don't live in London but I do pass I'd say at last 300 people on my commute. Do I owe each of them a smile and a chat?

It’s not an attack on Cockneys or Londoners, it’s the rudeness of people in London.

I find London really friendly for a big city. Its busy and there are lots of visitors too.

I'm from the SE (not London, but not far away).
My friend is from Newcastle. After a visit to London recently he reported back to me on how rude "all you Southerners" are. His example was someone bashing into his DC on a busy tube and not apologising. I'll agree, that's definitely rude.
But his response was to call the person "a fucking cunt". Which I personally think is far more rude.
So maybe its a different perception of rudeness.

And if said friend/his GF recognise this story... hi!

I do get that lots of people dashing past with their heads down at a tube station can seem 'unfriendly' but they are just trying to get to work. I have always walked at a fast pace and felt I'd found my people when I moved here!

But I moved here with a tiny baby and in years of negotiating public transport with a buggy was always offered help at stairs etc

When I walk the dog in my local park on the outskirts of London everyone says hello to each other. Walking around Oxford Circus you don’t get the same as there are literally thousands of people

Which is complete bollocks. Londoners might not be up for a talk on the tube but there is usually plenty of folk on hand to help with buggies, give up their seat for those in need of it, assist when someone is in distress etc. When I was on crutches having to commute people parted like the red sea to give me space, offered to carry my bag and generally made a fuss.