Boston is without a doubt the worst place I have ever lived. (Newton: credit, to live)

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by massnative71

And illiterate as well?

Some trolls are illiterate, but you can't be suggesting he/she is, are you? Maybe they just need a little anger management counseling? http://www.city-data.com/forum/images/smilies/think.gif

[Ratherbefishing]

I think the entire Northeast could use a little anger management counseling, haha.

The truth is LA sucks TOO; just in a different way. LA is materialistic, passive-aggressive, rude and narcissistic. California as a whole has a ton of problems with rude people both North and South.

If you live in Boston and you don't think the majority of the people living here are rude, IT'S BECAUSE YOUR ONE OF THEM. You don't see it because you were raised in a rude culture with other rude people and think it is normal or you're just blind.

[Ratherbefishing]

Yankees suck says it all. A culture that embraces hate like that is just despicable. I remember going to a Red Sox game as a kid and watching adults spit on fans wearing Yankees hats. Welcome to Boston!!!

[TAM88]

Have you ever been to Yankees Stadium as a Red Sox fan? You get just as bad of treatment there as a Yankees fan does at Fenway.

[TAM88]

Originally Posted by Ratherbefishing

I think the entire Northeast could use a little anger management counseling, haha.

The truth is LA sucks TOO; just in a different way. LA is materialistic, passive-aggressive, rude and narcissistic. California as a whole has a ton of problems with rude people both North and South.

If you live in Boston and you don't think the majority of the people living here are rude, IT'S BECAUSE YOUR ONE OF THEM. You don't see it because you were raised in a rude culture with other rude people and think it is normal or you're just blind.

Thank god we all have you to come in here and tell us like it is. Please, give us further details about how rude, racist and ignorant every person in this area is. Since you have obviously spent a great deal of time in this area, you should have detailed knowledge of our problems and how we can fix them.

[Ratherbefishing]

Originally Posted by TAM88

Have you ever been to Yankees Stadium as a Red Sox fan? You get just as bad of treatment there as a Yankees fan does at Fenway.

That may be true but it doesn't make Boston any friendlier. If New Yorkers are rude does that mean that Bostonians aren't? That statement doesn't mean anything. NY and MA have a lot in common. The whole Northeast has a lot in common.

The biggest differences that I've noticed between people in Boston and NYC is that Bostonians are colder and more reserved. Both places have uptight, aggressive, critical, and rude people, but at the end of the day, New Yorkers are more sociable. NYC is a very diverse place and you have people from all over, but as a whole, I would argue that the culture is more welcoming then Boston.

I don't know if you can fix it. If you really wanted to you could start with becoming aware of how messed up the culture is here. The problem is people don't realize it because they grew up with it. It's like the Nazis in Germany. Most people went along with Hitler without resistance because everyone else was going along with it. Most people are really sheeple and don't know how to think for themselves. People use defence mechanisms to protect their identities. I'm not saying that Bostonians are evil like the Nazis, but I do think people lack the ability to see things for what they really are. I am only using this analogy because it is the best example of how a culture can distort a person's thinking. People base their opinions on what other people think and what other people are doing rather than think for themselves. Try spending a week in rural Ireland and see how it compares to a day in MA.

[Bettafish]

I used to stay in a town in Texas. When I went out in the morning, totally strange people smiled and said 'morning' to me.
If I stared at someone on the street for whatever reason, s/he usually greeted too.

You never see that in Boston. But I suppose it is a big city thing in general.
Even the colleagues in my company here often have a zombie face when they see me.

[Martha Anne]

Originally Posted by Ratherbefishing

I have to agree with the OP. MA is a terrible place to live. I was born and raised in Boston and I hate it here. The people here are so rude that I can not even find the right word to describe how I feel. I am a very friendly and outgoing person and I have always felt out of place here. MA has a very insular culture that is hostile towards outsiders and strangers. People in this state are very cliquey and immature. It is kind of like people never mature past grade school.

Also, the snobbery is out of control. People in this area are very uptight, overly competitive, and arrogant which all stems from bad weather, overcrowding, culture, and insecurity. It's like everyone here has something to prove all of the time.

People in MA love to start stupid fistfights. When I was growing up, if it was a slow Saturday night, guys would go around just looking to kick someone's ass for fun. I grew up in an upscale neighbourhood.

If you are thinking about moving here, think again. Unless you are an uptight snob or an obnoxious person you will not like the people here.

Btw, I've lived all over this country. I don't think this about everyone who lives here just the majority.

I think that you just have had personal issues that make you hate Boston. Because my parents grew up in Cambridge, I summered for over 20 years in Scituate with all Boston area neighbors and most stayed in the Boston area to happily raise their families, and my friends were all natives who feel attached to Massachusetts and their communities in eastern MA - I attended a Boston college where most were locals and they still like it there, my friends. We also don't all hate the weather. We like the four seasons and don't mind that winters are cold and snowy. A lot of my friends went skiing or snow shoeing, etc. It's all a personal take on these things. I never knew anyone who had fist fights. That seems to be a thing all over the U.S. in the past 30 years anyway. Didn't you know that? Not just MA. It was not true in my era, never. Uptight snob? That's silly. I would rather live in Boston than in parts of the U.S. where you have to pretend you are religious or you are disliked or worse. I would far, far rather live in Boston than in 95% of the U.S.

[Ratherbefishing]

Originally Posted by Martha Anne

I think that you just have had personal issues that make you hate Boston. Because my parents grew up in Cambridge, I summered for over 20 years in Scituate with all Boston area neighbors and most stayed in the Boston area to happily raise their families, and my friends were all natives who feel attached to Massachusetts and their communities in eastern MA - I attended a Boston college where most were locals and they still like it there, my friends. We also don't all hate the weather. We like the four seasons and don't mind that winters are cold and snowy. A lot of my friends went skiing or snow shoeing, etc. It's all a personal take on these things. I never knew anyone who had fist fights. That seems to be a thing all over the U.S. in the past 30 years anyway. Didn't you know that? Not just MA. It was not true in my era, never. Uptight snob? That's silly. I would rather live in Boston than in parts of the U.S. where you have to pretend you are religious or you are disliked or worse. I would far, far rather live in Boston than in 95% of the U.S.

Different places have different cultures. Some people are capable of seeing the differences others just lack the ability to see what is front of them. Defence mechanisms are strange like that.

It sounds like you have conformed to the Boston way of life which is why you probably don't understand.

I should also add that there are two distinct types of people in New England. There are the descendants of the British that follow many of the customs of the Old World. These people in MA are the people with old money, the preppies, and the conservatively dressed types. These people belong to very judgemental country clubs, summer in the Vineyard and Cape, and take sailing lessons at the yacht club as kids. Many go to prestigious universities and are very critical of education. They believe that they have better manners and are of a higher class then others, even though they would never admit it. These are the proper people who are fake friendly to keep up with appearances but will never let you into their little circle unless you're exactly like they are. These are the snobs/yuppies that I was speaking of. These types of people like to keep new members of the community at arms length until they have completed judging you.

The other type is the blue-collar roughian. These guys talk with thick accents and love to start fights for no reason. They'll run you off the road and tailgate you even if your doing 85. They wear sweatpants whenever they aren't working and are a bunch of loud mouths. You will not meet a more pugnacious group of guys.

As I said before this isn't everyone in MA but it is enough people to make me dislike the people and culture here. My personal issue at the moment is that I'm stuck here with a bunch of rude judgemental people and overcast, cold, humid weather.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by Ratherbefishing

People use defence mechanisms to protect their identities. I'm not saying that Bostonians are evil like the Nazis, but I do think people lack the ability to see things for what they really are. I am only using this analogy because it is the best example of how a culture can distort a person's thinking.

Why use a Nazi comparison? You must admit, the emotional context of the word "nazi" goes further than just raising words like "defensive." I don't know about you, but when I hear "Nazi" I think "holocaust."