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 would imagine that the stabby sort of people won't be starting up a conversation anyway, so anyone who does engage with you must be safe.

People walking eleventy abreast in London will be tourists, not locals

So some random bloke for no reason picked you out at a road crossing and physically manhandled you to one side before jabbing you in the forehead with his brolly while effecting a 'snarling' comedy Dick Van Dyke Cock-a-ney accent.

Sounds legit.

A colleague of mine used to live in London. He left because he fell down the escalator on the way to the tube, everyone stepped over him while he was on the floor and not one person stopped to ask if he was ok. It was at that point he’d had enough.

I’m from a smaller city and used to travel with my mum to London all the time as a child, she used to live there and has friends there. I’m used to it, and I quite enjoy it. However, it does feel like a breath of fresh air when I get home. People aren’t overly in your face friendly where I’m from, you don’t have to smile at everyone you walk past because it would be impossible. However, you could definitely have a chat with a randomer while waiting for a bus, or if you fell over passers by would stop and ask if you’re ok. I wouldn’t say London isn’t friendly, but because everything is on a much bigger scale people seem less patient.

If he fell down the escalator presumably it was still moving so people have to get off and walk on or cause a pile up.

People trot out the trope that Londoners are rude as it's part of the arsenal of hating London.

It's all complete rubbish of course.

The rudest person I ever met was an arsehole of a barman in Edinburgh. Ergo all people in Edinburgh are cunts? Er no I don't actually think that.

I'm a Londoner. I've spoken to strangers. I say hello to people when walking the dog. I speak to random people all over the city. I am less inclined to chat to people on the tube or a bus as they are more often than not in their own world. Plus occasionally public transport throws up nutcases so minimal social contact is sometimes better.

As for the idea of people stepping over you if you fall etc that's utter utter bollocks.

I'd would take not having any chats in London than what I experienced on my first ever trip to Bristol, where just for walking down to the road to a local Tesco from my hotel minding my own business on my own and from across the road I two men loudly saying 'oh look here is another one fresh off the boat'.

I don't then think the whole of Bristol is racist but it didn't leave a great impression. I know what I much prefer, to live in a city where I can go about my day as normal without a racist comment being thrown my way.

I'd would take not having any chats in London than what I experienced on my first ever trip to Bristol, where just for walking down to the road to a local Tesco from my hotel minding my own business on my own and from across the road I two men loudly saying 'oh look here is another one fresh off the boat'.

I don't then think the whole of Bristol is racist but it didn't leave a great impression. I know what I much prefer, to live in a city where I can go about my day as normal without a racist comment being thrown my way.

Yeah what are they meant to do in a blind panic help situation. The emergancy stop button would have been a good option but when you're coming up to an obstruction sometimes the only option is to quickly step over it

I don't see this as a good thing personally. I like to be left alone to mind my own business and don't want random strangers talking to me.

I can honestly say, in the hundreds of times I took a buggy on the tube, I never once was left to struggle up and down stairs. Every single time, someone stopped and offered help. 90% of the it was men who offered the help.

But I also have never had the time in my life to say hello to the 1000+ people I pass on my commute! And as a working Mum, that commute has been the only time for me to sit, think and / or read. Strangely precious time!

I tripped over in my local town centre and fell hard. It is an outer London Borough, not known for its safety record. Loads of people came over to help and check if I was OK - all ages and cultures. An off-duty paramedic came over and gave me a thorough check too.

I suppose they were all just visiting from the north....

I 100% don't believe his story. 100%.

It's nonsense that Londoners are less friendly. However commuting at rush hour is not a playground, it's a battlefield.

So if as a tourist you find yourself on heaving pavements near zone one tube stations from 7-10am or 4-6.30pm, you will not catch people at their best. Everyone is head down trying to get where they need to be on a creaking transport system that can't deliver what they need. I can assure you that if you're heading into central Manchester at the same time of the day the famous northern friendliness is in short supply there as well.

Away from commuting times and places Londoners certainly give you a nod. When I lived there I was on exchanging pleasantries terms with plenty of my neighbours and local business owners, and was always offered help with the buggy.

I lived in two different places in London for a total of 3 years and never knew a single one of my neighbours. I live in a village in the SW now and know most of the village. I have never known a less friendly place.

I find it rude when I'm standing in a queue, with other things to do while the shop assistant has a good old gossip with their friend/acquaintance/fellow gossip, never happened in London, happens every time I'm in the 'friendly' market town my grandparents live in, not in London. I also find all the hellos how are you etc, disingenuous when it's just a reflex rather than a genuine enquiry. I'm not sure how that's politer than leaving people to go about their business uninterrupted.
Ask for help/directions etc in London and you will get a friendly response, but strangers aren't going to assume you want to talk to them because you're on the same mode of transport

I have seen this happen once at Holborn tube which is pretty hectic during rush hour. Someone had tripped and fallen at the top which had created a pile up. First instinct was to stop and help pick the person up but they in turn are being shoved out the way by a still active escalator spitting new people out every second. Thankfully the LU worker at the ticket barrier managed to hit the emergency stop button but by that stage several people were on the floor.

That's simply not true!

Seriously???!!!!

@beejeez give up, it's more convenient for people to jump on the Londoners are arseholes bandwagon

I find it rude when I'm standing in a queue, with other things to do while the shop assistant has a good old gossip with their friend/acquaintance/fellow gossip, never happened in London, happens every time I'm in the 'friendly' market town my grandparents live in.

This happens all the time in the town where I live. OH moved up from London and it particularly gets on his nerves. They also ask you so many questions, just out of pure nosiness.

On the one hand there are posters claiming that Londoners are always lovely and helpful, not rude at all; on the other hand here we have a poster giving a sarcastic response to a poster who recounted her experience of being shoved aside with no apology. Not to mention the one further up where someone effectively said "it must have been your fault for having the temerity to be out in public with someone with short legs dawdling.

I’d say the amount of tax Londoners pay compared to the rest of the country is probably quite useful

Q: why do people think Londoners are rude?
A: lack of critical thinking

Everyone is head down trying to get where they need to be on a creaking transport system that can't deliver what they need. I can assure you that if you're heading into central Manchester at the same time of the day the famous northern friendliness is in short supply there as well.

If you think that London's infrastructure is creaking then you've clearly no experience of the congestion through Manchester Oxford Road. Everyone has plenty to discuss while waiting on the platform (for a lot longer than five minutes), hot topic being the shoddy performance of TPE - 60% of services cancelled on one particular day last month.