California attitude: Is it like this in the entire state? (San Diego: living, bus)

[adr3naline]

OP - Out of curiosity, where are you from?

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by mrwumpus

Californians are busy and hurried so there isn't time for formalities. If you can't get to the gist in 30 seconds, it's too long. A person who lingers to talk after checking out at the grocery is most certainly not from California. If you are those type of people, you probably need to consider somewhere in the South. That being said, it's not personal, it's just what happens when you crowd 30+ million people into a very expensive, competitive state where driving is the main past-time.

Also, I've never had problems with sarcasm in California among native English speakers, except older people don't seem as quick on their feet with it.

I moved from Orange County, CA to NW Montana and the people in Montana are far less friendly, happy or energetic, which surprised me but clearly illustrates that sunshine matters a lot.

Hm! I'm a native Californian and native English speaker. I'm also an "older people" - a few months shy of 70. My parents were from New York and I have a decidedly wry sense of humor and tend to be a bit irreverent. The former I probably got from them and the latter I lay claim to all by myself.

I spent a year and a half in San Diego where I was born. Around 10 years were spent in Newport Beach where I was partially raised then worked, a few years in Whittier and Santa Monica, some years in San Bernardino and Riverside, three years in Bakersfield (don't ask) and my last 20 CA years in Sacramento, all interspersed with years in three other countries and eight other states to include my current retirement location. One might safely say I tended to get around, much of it at the behest of Uncle Sam.

Of CA locations and as an adult I consider Sacramento to have been the most friendly overall although not quite to the extent I've found in other states. Still in all, the people were relatively approachable and friendly. On occasion I was looked at askance because I've developed the habit of engaging, or attempting to, other people. However, I don't ever recall feeling shunned per se. One could do a lot worse.

[BeauCharles]

I've pretty much lived in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, the Sierra Nevada "Gold Country" and the Central Coast (Monterey and Salinas). I've never noticed people being what I would call cold or standoffish in any of those areas. I lived in what was considered one of the friendlier places in the country (Iowa) and people in those areas are every bit as outgoing as Iowans. I also went to San Jose and San Francisco for both business and pleasure about a dozen times a year - people were generally quite nice. I can't count the times I've struck up short little conversations with people on the street in San Francisco as we'd walk along (about the weather, something funny/weird that just happened nearby, good place to eat, etc...). More often than not I was not the person who initiated it. Don't know what to say - maybe its just the vibe an individual gives off as to whether people respond positively. I tend to greet everyone with a quick smile. It makes you more approachable.

[Ceece]

Yes, everyone. I think you should definitely move on. Anywhere but here.

[Bunjee]

I've had lots of acquaintances from overseas, particularly from England or Australia/New Zealand, who often feel the need to explain "taking the **** out of" me through sarcasm. Always thought it odd they didn't think I'd "get it." In the Age of Sarcasm, are they not perceptive enough to recognize I only start to furrow my brow when they pull me aside with their apology for it?

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

I don't get the sarcasm, especially to people you don't even know. I have a saying that you need to know your audience before you say anything to them. I am as polite as they come when I meet someone and start to get a feel for them. I would consider it very rude for someone to bring out a sarcastic attitude when I first meet them. I would consider them somewhat less than educated on how to be around others. Sarcasm should be kept for only those that are close to you, good friends and family, or people that you want to pi.. off.

[EclecticEars]

The self-entitled loon with the hose is simply a nutcase who presumably is divorced three times and has seven cats.

I will concede that Californians are more entitled than in most other states. Sorry, guys. I mean, just one example alone is that Californians wrote the book on being litigious. But, any more unfriendly? When I lived in coastal California, I would commonly encounter tourists and meet transplants from places like the South (where I grew up), Midwest and East Coast who would look and act just oh so excited to be wherever they were at that moment. /sarcasm

The rudest people I've met in California have been in San Francisco (city, with its smug hyper-leftism), the west side of L.A. (Hollywood and "shallow" influences), and San Diego (surprisingly). Even in much of L.A., the people I've met have been fine (again, as long as I'm not west of about La Cienaga). I don't find the people of the Central Valley or Central Coast to be particularly any more or less friendly in daily, passing interactions than the famously hospitable South.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

I don't get the sarcasm, especially to people you don't even know. I have a saying that you need to know your audience before you say anything to them. I am as polite as they come when I meet someone and start to get a feel for them. I would consider it very rude for someone to bring out a sarcastic attitude when I first meet them. I would consider them somewhat less than educated on how to be around others. Sarcasm should be kept for only those that are close to you, good friends and family, or people that you want to pi.. off.

True. I've used sarcasm around acquaintances who I thought knew me well enough to know I was being sarcastic, but it backfired. They misunderstood, and took it as a serious statement, and were offended. So caution needs to be exercised in the deployment of sarcasm.

Sometimes, especially in inter-cultural situations, you need to "flag" your sarcasm, and say something like, "just kidding", like we do on forums like this. In the absence of a tone of voice to aid with interpretation, the written word can be misunderstood, so experienced forumers tend to add a note after a sarcastic post, identifying it as such.

[the topper]

It's like that in L.A. Palm Springs, San Diego, SF, Bakersfield and Silicon Valley. The rest of the state, people are more down to earth.

[the topper]

Just cross state lines to Oregon, Ariz and Northern Nev.: very down to earth and nice people