I was reading an article in the May 2008 Smithsonian magazine that I found lying around the house last week about whether or not New Yorkers are rude.  The article was making the argument that New Yorkers are NOT rude, but that they won’t put up with other people’s being out of line.  There were several hypothetical anecdotes included that were designed to prove the point of how unique New Yorkers are.  To be perfectly honest, however, the anecdotes provided sounded very much like every place I’ve ever been, so I’m really not convinced by the article that New Yorkers are or are not rude.

The few times I’ve been to New York, I have found quite a few of them to be unfriendly and pushy.  And by that I mean if they can find a way to cut in line in front of you, they will, and if you object to it they will cuss you out and intimidate you into silence.  So in my opinion, the New Yorkers that I’ve met are a little bit more brazen than most of the other folks I’ve met.  Whether you want to call that rude or not, is up to you!

But on the other hand, there have been times when I’ve found them to be friendly and sociable.  For instance one time Teri and I went to Central Park and we had her portrait drawn by one of the artists set up there.  Lots of people stopped and chatted and commented positive comments on the picture.  So in that particular instance, they were very friendly.

In conclusion, I think that New Yorkers are pretty much the same as everyone else.  If they are under some kind of pressure (only have an hour for lunch and have to get errands done quickly) they tend to be irritable and pushy (like most people I know) but if they are spending a leisurely day in the park, then they are relaxed and friendly.  Aren’t most people like that?  I think so!