New Yorkers=RUDE and unfriendly?

Question

Where did this rumor stem from? I visited New York City and the people there were extremely friendly and hospitable..even when random tourists approached them on the street to take a picture with them. Everyone I saw was friendly. Why did NY get the image of rude people?

Answer 1

I'm not sure how this started--as you saw first-hand, the vast majority of New Yorkers are decent people who are happy to help out a stranger.  I have witnessed amazing displays of kindness on the part of New Yorkers toward each other.  We have to get along; there are so many of us.  

It can be a matter of perception:  things move pretty fast in New York City.  Many times, if you don't get someplace first, whatever it is you are trying to get might not be there if you get there too late.   If you're not the first one into a crowded subway car, for example, you won't get a seat.  So, some people will push and be rude, just because theyr'e tired and want to sit down.

I'll never forget when we took my sister's college friend from Idaho for a visit to Manhattan.  We were in Macy's, and she wanted a specific pair of OP shorts.  The saleswoman was incredibly helpful, did everything but carry this girl around the store, but in the end, they did not have the exact shorts she wanted.  The girl later remarked on how "rude" the saleswoman had been.  I was shocked and wondered what the h**l they do in Idaho that this salesperson hadn't done.  (But then, we took this girl into Tiffany and she said they had nicer jewelry stores in Boise.  She was determined to keep her warped opinion of the city, I guess)  

Answer 2

I was born in New York and have seen both the good side and bad.

Really, people aren't that bad over there.  People who never been to New York think of it as a BIG city.

And BIG cities usually have crime involved.

They also look at the movies.... rude people that murder/betray another.

Of course we are nice to tourist.  Tourists = money.

If you walk around enough, you'll see that people push each other trying to get ahead.  When you drive, people won't let you get infront of them.

For people that live outside of New York, this is considered rude.  If you live in New York, this is not rude.... this is the way of life.  It's crowded, busy and people have places to get.

Answer 3

new yorkers are friendly unitl you get on their nerves,

other than that, they are really nice.  

Answer 4

People in New York are no different than any other big city. I have been to New York and found them nice , in fact a lot nicer than those in Los Angeles.  

Answer 5

Movies propagate that rumor.  Unfair?  Perhaps.  Still, there are some rude folks here.

HOWEVER, that's the exception, not the rule.  Studies have shown this city to be polite and helpful.  I certainly try to do the same, and I don't think I disappoint.

Think about it; this is a city where eight million people from everywhere on the planet, including from places that are fighting each other in other parts of the world, have managed to put together the safest of our biggest cities.  Go figure.  That concept, I guess, is crazy enough to work!

It can be a tough city, sure.  Everyone is in a hurry, and we generally don't like it when people get in our way.  Still, we respond in kind when people are nice to us.  We're humans too, ya know?

Again, watch how this city responds to problems.  So many people instantly respond and pitch in, without a second thought.

It's a beautiful place, it really is.  Thanks for sharing that with us!