Generally speaking, when a New Yorker speaks to you, it is because you are in their way, and the best way to get you out of the way is to point you in the right direction and give you a verbal nudge. They are being kind and helpful. Not necessarily polite, but helping.
Getdafuckouttadaway. Wanna look at the map? Fine, but getdafuckouddadaway first.
As a Parisian, New York felt positively chill, lemme tell ya. "Oh people walk fast there, you gotta get out of their way!" Uh, no they don't. Excuse me, I'm on my leisurly walk to the NYPL and you're in my way.
In a city where there is no privacy because there is no space. NYers show how polite they are by pretending you don’t exist. They are doing you the courtesy of giving you virtual privacy. People from parts of the country where nobody wants to live so there is a lot of space and privacy think this is rude because they don’t know what not having the option for privacy is. They gut all up in other people’s faces which the city folk take as rude because they are violating the illusion of privacy.
East coasters are kind but not nice. West coasters are nice but not kind. A New Yorker will chase you down to give you back the wallet you dropped, but tell you not to be an idiot. In LA you’d never see the wallet again but plenty of people will pat you on the back and say “it’ll all work out”
Driving in L.A. ruined driving in other places for me. They drive crazy, sure, but when you need to change lanes, and I mean you're already easing in, they see you and make just enough room. Drive confidently and competently and you can cross 5 lanes in heavy traffic and get your exit in half a mile. I don't dare drive that way in Utah. They'll run you off the road and not even frown because they didn't notice you in the first place.
"Mind your business" does not go with her earlier point of strangers asking others where they're trying to get to in order to help them. That's not minding your own business, that's getting involved in someone else's business (for a good reason).
I think she means you should know what your business is and take care of it... know what you're about, where you're heading, what you're selling, whatever. Don't stand there like an idiot. If you're not doing that, they feel compelled to get you moving.
My kid never understood when I'd say "get your city walk on" (as in, hurry up) until we visited the city. OH, so THAT'S what it means. Like, yeah, hurry up and gtfo the way.
Texas kid here: shake out your boots. If you've had your footwear off for more than five minutes and you need to put them back on, shake them out before your cram your foot in and potentially get bitten by whatever might be in there.
I live in northwest Houston, in suburbia, within a two mile drive of a major state highway and it does not matter:
The New Orleanian in me says #1 rule might be don’t get black out drunk too far from home. But the Louisianian in me says if you see alligators in the water, don’t go swimming
I once out-Minnesota-Niced someone while visiting Minneapolis. I could tell they were boiling inside but couldn't let themselves show it. It was awesome.
Thank you. Everyone has all kinds of shit to say, but this is the key right here. The West Coast is considerate of your feelings, New York is consideratenof your time. As a West Coaster, I found NY refreshing.
I love this bit and her whole comedy special, but it is kinda ironic to complain about people offering their opinions on NYC and then using that complaint to launch a half an hour rant about NYC lol
Nah, it's an east coast - west coast thing. The south is plenty kind but not nice. They're blunt to people who are being annoying but will also invite total strangers home for dinner and treat them like family. That's where we get the meme of southern hospitality.
I could not disagree more. Everyone I've ever known from the south was super polite even if they fucking hated you. They put on a false front, always super polite; I'm not saying being hated there is common but 9/10 times you'd really have no way of knowing until they're gossiping behind your back. "Is that okay?" "Sure." The "sure" from someone in NY is honest. The "sure" from someone in the midwest or south could mean "sure" or could mean "absolutely not, but I'm too polite to say otherwise
I guess it depends where you go. I've spent a lot of time in the garment district and only some of the side alleys where the dumpsters are stink. And I have a very sensitive nose.
Visited for a week in 2000. Stayed in a cheap ass hostel on 48 th/8th. Back when 8th was . . . interesting. Got up early to walk to wall st. Stereotype pimp dude asks "you need girls?" nah man "ah, you need boys?" Nah, I'm good. "You need drugs?" Nah, man, just a tourist. "Ok, you have a nice day now". That was my first morning. Welcome to New York.
Not a fan of sex trafficking so hopefully that was all consensual, as an aside. But it's so funny you say this. I'm from NY and never had anyone but close friends offer me weed, and nobody ever offered anything harder.
In Germany I had someone literally fucking knock at my door with a ball of something in aluminum foil and ask if I wanted to buy some drugs. I told him no thanks and he politely told me exactly the same (have a nice day) and left lol.
For an interesting look into this read up on the "ask vs guess culture" concept. It was something drawn up I think originally on Tumblr and while "Tumblr science" is normally bullshit, I think this has a lot to it. TL;DR some cultures (southern US, UK) are overly polite, hint around and phrase things to be kind instead of honest. Other cultures (much of Europe, northeastern US aka New York) are very direct, honest and truthful, not bothering with the polite veneer. The latter people find the-
former "dishonest" and become impatient with the hinting around, and the former find the latter to be "rude" without that fake polite front that they expect socially.
The example used is if you want to stay at someone's house on vacation. "Guess" people will mention in a forced offhand manner, during other conversation, that they're travelling nearby and haven't picked a place to stay yet, and they will HOPE something is offered, and find it impolite if it isn't addressed. "Ask" people will
Ignoring everyone around you IS polite, when you are surrounded by that many people.
Just having to acknowledge everyone you cross paths with would be exhausting when you see that many people every day.
Respect is cultural. What is respectful in one area is offensive in another. Acting like the rules of one's hometown are natural laws, superior, and the way things should be done everywhere, even when traveling to someone else's hometown is the height of rudeness.
Toronto is a city that fixed many of the issues plaguing NYC which is why it has none of the charm. The most boring central city I've ever been to out of the 20 nations I've seen.
Its a north east thing. New York, Boston, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island. The people are "good but not nice" we're gonna help you, but we will roast you the entire time. Oh and Vermont more follow canada than us so they are the odd cousin of the family
Same thing in Germany. Germans get a bad rap for being "rude and unfriendedly" when in reality they are some of the most genuine, helpful people around. They just aggressively and proactively respect boundaries. They *will not* get involved unasked in your situation. Crying on the bus? No one's gonna ask if you're OK. Not their business. Crying on the bus because you're lost and you're looking for help? Absolutely immediate and caring help without hesitation. They don't front, and it's great
A lot of Europe and a lot of the northeast of the US (and I believe CA?) are direct people, with honest, straightforward communication. The UK and southern US communicate with a veneer of extremely polite overlay. They find Europeans and New Yorkers rude, and Europeans/New Yorkers can find the southern US folk to be annoying and dishonest with the beating-around-the-bush or outright lying for politeness.
As a New Yorker, I find Germans to be exactly my brand of communication. I feel more at home in Germany than I do visiting ex. Indiana, where people won't say what they think, and I have to play a fucking guessing game to know whether "it's fine" actually means "it's fine" or "I don't want to make a fuss but I'll hold a grudge and tell everyone about it behind your back."
The first time I visited New York, I got hustled by a dude at the bus terminal. He asked me where I was trying to get to, I told him my terminal number and he helped me find it, but then said he was short for a ticket home, could I help him out, etc, so I gave him $20. Didn't think anything of it at the time, didn't realize I'd been played until years later, but I still don't mind at all because he did help me, after all.
Don't let shit like that stop you from helping others. These incidents say things about them, they are predators. There will always be predators, but dont let it stop you from helping others.
People will do that kinda thing all the time, but in the end if they're begging for money, they need money. A lot of the time it's just understood that the lie is a lie and if you give them cash you are doing so with the knowledge that they're probably full of shit but need it anyway lol
That's not a hustle. A hustle implies some kind of con or trick. Guy needed money, helped a stranger in the hope of a reward, got one. Why he needed the money may potentially have been a white lie, but that doesn't make it a hustle.
Playing off someone's sympathy with a sob story is the definition of a con or trick. Nigerian Princes also need money, but you aren't rushing to their defence or calling their tactic a "white lie". The only difference is the scale of the con.
But that's explicitly why I *didn't* call it a con, because I don't have any malice for the guy and I'm not offended by what he did. It's obviously a pretty important, low-stakes memory about my first time in a big city, and now I know better.
I wouldn't call playing off sympathy a con or a trick. It can be a tactic used as part of a con sure, but that doesn't define it as such. What do you mean "now I know better" though? Given the exact same scenario in the future of being a bit lost, someone helps you, and then asks for monetary help, would you not give the money next time?
You got hustled? A guy asked you for $20 and you gave it to him. If you knew you were not getting that money back when you handed it over, that's not a hustle. You may have been LIED TO, but you were not tricked. In fact, you don't even know that guy was lying to you, all that shit might be true. "Getting hustled" means you lost money you weren't trying to give up.
You can argue with me like the last comment, but it sounds like you just don't really understand the concept of "getting hustled".
Neat. That still ain't a "hustle", tho. Nobody's gonna argue with you using "lie" or "trick" or "boohoo, I got directions for $20", but that's not what a hustle is.
"This homeless guy HUSTLED me out of my spare change by asking for it outside a circle K!!!!" Lmao
HandoB4Javert
...that NY trash is a feature, not a bug...
tinyfootprints
The first time I visited NYC, it took me about five minutes to score some weed. My kind of town.
azazyel
“Seattle people are very polite but not very friendly. New Yorkers are friendly but not polite”
evilspock
Generally speaking, when a New Yorker speaks to you, it is because you are in their way, and the best way to get you out of the way is to point you in the right direction and give you a verbal nudge. They are being kind and helpful. Not necessarily polite, but helping.
Getdafuckouttadaway. Wanna look at the map? Fine, but getdafuckouddadaway first.
ItHappenedInThe20thCentury
As a Parisian, New York felt positively chill, lemme tell ya. "Oh people walk fast there, you gotta get out of their way!" Uh, no they don't. Excuse me, I'm on my leisurly walk to the NYPL and you're in my way.
Barjack
In a city where there is no privacy because there is no space. NYers show how polite they are by pretending you don’t exist. They are doing you the courtesy of giving you virtual privacy. People from parts of the country where nobody wants to live so there is a lot of space and privacy think this is rude because they don’t know what not having the option for privacy is. They gut all up in other people’s faces which the city folk take as rude because they are violating the illusion of privacy.
JPomNomNom
Midtown isn't the middle tho.
krstd
I visited NYC once, it was nice but didn't have any good burgers.
Syko73
Awesome special!
thekadeshi
East coasters are kind but not nice. West coasters are nice but not kind. A New Yorker will chase you down to give you back the wallet you dropped, but tell you not to be an idiot. In LA you’d never see the wallet again but plenty of people will pat you on the back and say “it’ll all work out”
tinyfootprints
New Yorkers are like some kinds of candy - hard and crusty on the outside, but generally soft and sweet inside.
CrumpetsWithHoneyAreCrumpetsWithBeeVomit
Who's this? She's cool.
AndrewTheLionheart
Lol, as if New Yorkers aren't compelled to tell you how THEY feel about New York
InconspicuousLampshade
Driving in L.A. ruined driving in other places for me. They drive crazy, sure, but when you need to change lanes, and I mean you're already easing in, they see you and make just enough room. Drive confidently and competently and you can cross 5 lanes in heavy traffic and get your exit in half a mile. I don't dare drive that way in Utah. They'll run you off the road and not even frown because they didn't notice you in the first place.
unclesporky
"Mind your business" does not go with her earlier point of strangers asking others where they're trying to get to in order to help them. That's not minding your own business, that's getting involved in someone else's business (for a good reason).
InconspicuousLampshade
I think she means you should know what your business is and take care of it... know what you're about, where you're heading, what you're selling, whatever. Don't stand there like an idiot. If you're not doing that, they feel compelled to get you moving.
TeamSpicyTacos
I live in Boston now and I have picked up the local vibe and it's FUCK YOU
LiamRobertsonjr
Hey, Fuck you. (Followed by a handshake/hug)
wkearney99
My kid never understood when I'd say "get your city walk on" (as in, hurry up) until we visited the city.
OH, so THAT'S what it means. Like, yeah, hurry up and gtfo the way.
Keitterman
Her description of New York isn't far off from how I've known people to describe prison.
androgenoide
Big cities, small towns, they all have their own rules.
Keitterman
Big city = mind your own business to survive
Small town = get in to everyone's business to survive
DarthWaiterSE
Texas kid here: shake out your boots. If you've had your footwear off for more than five minutes and you need to put them back on, shake them out before your cram your foot in and potentially get bitten by whatever might be in there.
I live in northwest Houston, in suburbia, within a two mile drive of a major state highway and it does not matter:
Shake. Out. Your. Boots.
albaboss
The New Orleanian in me says #1 rule might be don’t get black out drunk too far from home. But the Louisianian in me says if you see alligators in the water, don’t go swimming
NotAllowedToArgueUnlessYouPay
I once out-Minnesota-Niced someone while visiting Minneapolis. I could tell they were boiling inside but couldn't let themselves show it. It was awesome.
TheMostKink
I come from a pretty small, rural place. About 300 people, and more than a stone toss away from the next place. There was only one rule: Don't
thegoodowl
GO YANKEES
BlindGardener
It’s called ‘making small talk’.
grandfalloon
Thank you. Everyone has all kinds of shit to say, but this is the key right here. The West Coast is considerate of your feelings, New York is consideratenof your time. As a West Coaster, I found NY refreshing.
75dmcnamara10
Nah. All New Yorkers I meet talk so much about being New Yorkers i can’t get a word in to ask anything.
cuzitsthere
I love this bit and her whole comedy special, but it is kinda ironic to complain about people offering their opinions on NYC and then using that complaint to launch a half an hour rant about NYC lol
Feralkyn
False. We're too busy walkin' here.
ialwaysupvoteShibe
There’s a reason why the phrase “Bless your heart” is really an insult
BonkyMcSignFace
She’s really showcasing her sitcom facial expressions, hoping to land a pilot next season
thinkybrainpains
USA New England: kind but not nice. USA South: Nice but not kind.
unclesporky
Nah, it's an east coast - west coast thing. The south is plenty kind but not nice. They're blunt to people who are being annoying but will also invite total strangers home for dinner and treat them like family. That's where we get the meme of southern hospitality.
Feralkyn
I could not disagree more. Everyone I've ever known from the south was super polite even if they fucking hated you. They put on a false front, always super polite; I'm not saying being hated there is common but 9/10 times you'd really have no way of knowing until they're gossiping behind your back. "Is that okay?" "Sure." The "sure" from someone in NY is honest. The "sure" from someone in the midwest or south could mean "sure" or could mean "absolutely not, but I'm too polite to say otherwise
Feralkyn
and now I hate you."
ZIMISME
New York smells of piss and rat droppings. Pass.
textilelover
I guess it depends where you go. I've spent a lot of time in the garment district and only some of the side alleys where the dumpsters are stink. And I have a very sensitive nose.
Evi1Gav
Visited for a week in 2000. Stayed in a cheap ass hostel on 48 th/8th. Back when 8th was . . . interesting. Got up early to walk to wall st. Stereotype pimp dude asks "you need girls?" nah man "ah, you need boys?" Nah, I'm good. "You need drugs?" Nah, man, just a tourist. "Ok, you have a nice day now". That was my first morning. Welcome to New York.
Feralkyn
"You have a nice day now" lol
Not a fan of sex trafficking so hopefully that was all consensual, as an aside. But it's so funny you say this. I'm from NY and never had anyone but close friends offer me weed, and nobody ever offered anything harder.
In Germany I had someone literally fucking knock at my door with a ball of something in aluminum foil and ask if I wanted to buy some drugs. I told him no thanks and he politely told me exactly the same (have a nice day) and left lol.
Feralkyn
For an interesting look into this read up on the "ask vs guess culture" concept. It was something drawn up I think originally on Tumblr and while "Tumblr science" is normally bullshit, I think this has a lot to it. TL;DR some cultures (southern US, UK) are overly polite, hint around and phrase things to be kind instead of honest. Other cultures (much of Europe, northeastern US aka New York) are very direct, honest and truthful, not bothering with the polite veneer. The latter people find the-
Feralkyn
former "dishonest" and become impatient with the hinting around, and the former find the latter to be "rude" without that fake polite front that they expect socially.
The example used is if you want to stay at someone's house on vacation. "Guess" people will mention in a forced offhand manner, during other conversation, that they're travelling nearby and haven't picked a place to stay yet, and they will HOPE something is offered, and find it impolite if it isn't addressed. "Ask" people will
Feralkyn
straight-up say "I'll be in X area, was wondering if you have a room free?" or w/e, and will take no offense if told no.
The former would be seen as irritating, greedy and dishonest by "ask" people; the latter phrasing, as incredibly rude by "guess" people.
thedarkcanuck
People in Toronto are polite but not nice. People in NYC are nice but not polite.
Heisanevilgenius
What part of Toronto?
igglebotato
the populated part (j/k)
jasondeslin
Ignoring everyone around you IS polite, when you are surrounded by that many people.
Just having to acknowledge everyone you cross paths with would be exhausting when you see that many people every day.
Respect is cultural. What is respectful in one area is offensive in another. Acting like the rules of one's hometown are natural laws, superior, and the way things should be done everywhere, even when traveling to someone else's hometown is the height of rudeness.
ExTechOp
Somewhat like how the Late John Callahan put it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Callahan_(cartoonist)
SarcasticComment
Toronto is a city that fixed many of the issues plaguing NYC which is why it has none of the charm. The most boring central city I've ever been to out of the 20 nations I've seen.
eathotdog
Mn nice and southern hospitality are lime Toronto fake polite to your face but not nice
Xique
Its a north east thing. New York, Boston, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island. The people are "good but not nice" we're gonna help you, but we will roast you the entire time. Oh and Vermont more follow canada than us so they are the odd cousin of the family
ialwaysupvoteShibe
Maryland is a weird mix of both.
GeneralAnubis
Same thing in Germany. Germans get a bad rap for being "rude and unfriendedly" when in reality they are some of the most genuine, helpful people around. They just aggressively and proactively respect boundaries. They *will not* get involved unasked in your situation. Crying on the bus? No one's gonna ask if you're OK. Not their business. Crying on the bus because you're lost and you're looking for help? Absolutely immediate and caring help without hesitation. They don't front, and it's great
Feralkyn
A lot of Europe and a lot of the northeast of the US (and I believe CA?) are direct people, with honest, straightforward communication. The UK and southern US communicate with a veneer of extremely polite overlay. They find Europeans and New Yorkers rude, and Europeans/New Yorkers can find the southern US folk to be annoying and dishonest with the beating-around-the-bush or outright lying for politeness.
Feralkyn
As a New Yorker, I find Germans to be exactly my brand of communication. I feel more at home in Germany than I do visiting ex. Indiana, where people won't say what they think, and I have to play a fucking guessing game to know whether "it's fine" actually means "it's fine" or "I don't want to make a fuss but I'll hold a grudge and tell everyone about it behind your back."
EekumBokumEekumBokum
Sounds like the mother fucking midwest as well.
Feralkyn
Yuup.
NaughtButOne
The first time I visited New York, I got hustled by a dude at the bus terminal. He asked me where I was trying to get to, I told him my terminal number and he helped me find it, but then said he was short for a ticket home, could I help him out, etc, so I gave him $20. Didn't think anything of it at the time, didn't realize I'd been played until years later, but I still don't mind at all because he did help me, after all.
Bundalicious
Don't let shit like that stop you from helping others. These incidents say things about them, they are predators. There will always be predators, but dont let it stop you from helping others.
Feralkyn
People will do that kinda thing all the time, but in the end if they're begging for money, they need money. A lot of the time it's just understood that the lie is a lie and if you give them cash you are doing so with the knowledge that they're probably full of shit but need it anyway lol
Slewth87
That's not a hustle. A hustle implies some kind of con or trick. Guy needed money, helped a stranger in the hope of a reward, got one. Why he needed the money may potentially have been a white lie, but that doesn't make it a hustle.
NaughtButOne
Playing off someone's sympathy with a sob story is the definition of a con or trick. Nigerian Princes also need money, but you aren't rushing to their defence or calling their tactic a "white lie". The only difference is the scale of the con.
But that's explicitly why I *didn't* call it a con, because I don't have any malice for the guy and I'm not offended by what he did. It's obviously a pretty important, low-stakes memory about my first time in a big city, and now I know better.
Slewth87
I wouldn't call playing off sympathy a con or a trick. It can be a tactic used as part of a con sure, but that doesn't define it as such. What do you mean "now I know better" though? Given the exact same scenario in the future of being a bit lost, someone helps you, and then asks for monetary help, would you not give the money next time?
HamSlamwich
You are using the phrase "hustled" incorrectly.
HamSlamwich
You got hustled? A guy asked you for $20 and you gave it to him. If you knew you were not getting that money back when you handed it over, that's not a hustle. You may have been LIED TO, but you were not tricked. In fact, you don't even know that guy was lying to you, all that shit might be true. "Getting hustled" means you lost money you weren't trying to give up.
You can argue with me like the last comment, but it sounds like you just don't really understand the concept of "getting hustled".
NaughtButOne
"You may have been lied to, but you were not tricked".
What an insane thing to say. Literal abuser adjacent bullshit. Go away.
cuzitsthere
Neat. That still ain't a "hustle", tho. Nobody's gonna argue with you using "lie" or "trick" or "boohoo, I got directions for $20", but that's not what a hustle is.
"This homeless guy HUSTLED me out of my spare change by asking for it outside a circle K!!!!" Lmao
NaughtButOne