[OrlandoRE_Miracle]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Back to the OP.

Yes, Naples was where I met the rudest, most arrogant people. I will include south Fort Myers and Bonita Springs in there, too.

I found Naples to be nouveau riche. It was not The Hamptons or Martha's Vineyard. God knows they thought it was, but they have no idea what that entails.

It was people that now had money but with Walmart attitudes. Further north, up into Fort Myers, there was less money, but when the housing boom hit and they used their houses for ATMs, suddenly they were driving around with the Hummers, too. Lovely, more blue-light shoppers with money.

I'll tell you what. I am from New England. Lived there 34 years. I never saw that kind of behavior in their tourist towns and I lived right next to one. Yes, there is traffic. Yes, you can get stuck waiting to get on and off the Cape. But no one is getting out of their cars with baseball bats. We simply weren't raised that way. Heck, you'd start talking to the people in the car next to you.

Yes, I was smart and stayed the away from North Carolina. I think I was so darn traumatized by southwest Florida that I vowed that I would never move to a place where hordes of rude people resided. Research showed, in 2005, that North Carolina was going to be the "it" place. I crossed it off the list.

Yes, those people mostly come from the Midwest. I couldn't believe it. I thought those people were suppose to be so nice and friendly. Well, my husband is from Chicago, but quite frankly, I thought the Midwest must be full of a bunch of ignorant people.

As it turns out, I am in Tennessee and both of my friends are from the Midwest. In fact, I've never met another rude Midwesterner. Southwest Florida must turn them into crazy people.

And another thing. I never thought the place was pretty. It was overdeveloped; slapped up crap smoshed in like sardines. BERMUDA is beautiful. I thought the place was trash.

And yes, I HAD to move to southwest Florida. If given the choice I wouldn't have moved to Florida. It has always attracted low rent people thinking that living in warm weather was going to solve their problems. Heck, it seems like every wanted criminal heads that way.

It must be a Naples issue because I haven't found the midwesterners in central fl to be rude, and there are a lot of them here.

[RMD3819]

I'm going to go against the flow here.

I've lived here for 23 years. I am middle class. I just don't see the constant rude snobbish behavior everyone is talking about. I have met some rich people who had a sense of entitlement. I've also met illegals who have that same sense of entitlement.

Even my daughter-who complains about everything-worked at a restaurant for over a year in a wealthy area. She had rude rich people, but she also had rude middle class. It wasn't some overwhelming trait of the customers that dined there.

I totally agree about the driving. It is nuts, especially in the winter.

Maybe I need to get out more.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by OrlandoRE_Miracle

It must be a Naples issue because I haven't found the midwesterners in central fl to be rude, and there are a lot of them here.

I can't agree more. Midwesterners are wonderful!

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

I'm going to go against the flow here.

I've lived here for 23 years. I am middle class. I just don't see the constant rude snobbish behavior everyone is talking about. I have met some rich people who had a sense of entitlement. I've also met illegals who have that same sense of entitlement.

Even my daughter-who complains about everything-worked at a restaurant for over a year in a wealthy area. She had rude rich people, but she also had rude middle class. It wasn't some overwhelming trait of the customers that dined there.

I totally agree about the driving. It is nuts, especially in the winter.

Maybe I need to get out more.

Regarding Naples and a bit further north. I agree. There is a rude, arrogant sense of entitlement from almost all. It is not a rich thing. I think that's my point and I could have stated it better. The rich, for a large part, are not old money and have not been brought up with manners.

Back in the 90s and early 2000s I observed a lot of retirees, many of them retired auto workers, that sold their Northern homes for a very nice price and bought a McMansion for a song in southwest Florida. That did not suddenly make them refined, polite people. They were the same people in a better house.

[imagardener]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Regarding Naples and a bit further north.... It is not a rich thing. I think that's my point and I could have stated it better. The rich, for a large part, are not old money and have not been brought up with manners.

I agree with hiknapster, it's not a rich thing. And having worked for rich people most of my career it is true they have better manners. They may be thinking things but they don't SAY them and they don't act rude as "newly" or "falsely" rich people do.

Having said that, I have always admired Southern manners (the Carolinas, Alabama, Georgia, etc). They have the most amazing way of not appearing rude. Many is the time I have come to the realization days later that they totally disagreed with me and said it in such a charming way that I was clueless.

I think all US ambassadors should be appointed from southern states. We could have world peace in 2 years.

[JMadison]

Originally Posted by imagardener

You are WAY off-base. And prejudiced. Jewish people have nothing to do with Naples rudeness. I grew up, lived with and know many Jews. Naples is rude with no religious affiliations except the god of Money.

Please don't bring your bigotry to the discussion.

I'd say from experience though, that northeasterners that come down to Florida, typically from around NYC *do* have a coarseness and rudeness about them. A good portion are jewish. I have at least one good jewish friend he actually refers to himself that way. "Yo I'm a New Yawk Jew, whattdya expect Madison?"

Go over to Boca Raton, same deal. Anecdotally, seems to be a factual observation.

However I could level the same at other groups from that area too. There's definitely an Italian variant of the same thing. "Yo! I'm Joey-bagga-Donuts, I'm in yo face!" and so on.

So it may not neccesarily be bigotry.

Just out of curiousity, are factual observations of behavior a defense to the charge of bigotry?

(No flames intended.)

[Scientifical Madness]

Originally Posted by imagardener

I agree with hiknapster, it's not a rich thing. And having worked for rich people most of my career it is true they have better manners. They may be thinking things but they don't SAY them and they don't act rude as "newly" or "falsely" rich people do.

Having said that, I have always admired Southern manners (the Carolinas, Alabama, Georgia, etc). They have the most amazing way of not appearing rude. Many is the time I have come to the realization days later that they totally disagreed with me and said it in such a charming way that I was clueless.

I think all US ambassadors should be appointed from southern states. We could have world peace in 2 years.

It's amazing the difference... I am always shocked after living in Orlando for a while now how nice people are other places. I remember eating at a restaurant, in NC, and being in line, and people just walking by and saying hello, or giving me the head nod. We were looking for a high chair for my little one, and my wife was looking around and said "I dont see any high chairs" and several men, probably 25-30 yrs old, all looked around and helped us find one. When one did, he said "Here's one ma'am."

In Orlando, I'd never expect that.

[Scientifical Madness]

Originally Posted by JMadison

I'd say from experience though, that northeasterners that come down to Florida, typically from around NYC *do* have a coarseness and rudeness about them. A good portion are jewish. I have at least one good jewish friend he actually refers to himself that way. "Yo I'm a New Yawk Jew, whattdya expect Madison?"

Go over to Boca Raton, same deal. Anecdotally, seems to be a factual observation.

However I could level the same at other groups from that area too. There's definitely an Italian variant of the same thing. "Yo! I'm Joey-bagga-Donuts, I'm in yo face!" and so on.

So it may not neccesarily be bigotry.

Just out of curiousity, are factual observations of behavior a defense to the charge of bigotry?

(No flames intended.)

I have a family member from NYC and he's Jewish. He really has a way with rubbing people the wrong way. I know what you are saying Madison. In a parking lot once, I saw him honk at a car because he thought they were backing up as he was about to exit the parking lot. Hw must have thought that they were going to not see him and just back up into him. Well, there wasnt even anyone in the car I dont think. The people that owned this car must have had their lights on and forgot to turn them off. So basically, it was just a car parked with it's lights on, the owner forgot to turn them off. So as he is exiting the parking lot, he honks at the car just because he thinks someone is in there and they MIGHT be getting ready to back up. It was strange.

[TANaples]

The majority of the transplants, and transplants ARE probably the majority, in Naples are from the Midwest. Not many are from the NE, or are Jewish. I have heard a few people refer to Naples as Little Michigan.

[hiknapster]

Great post, Imagardener. You really GET what I am saying. Old money, for the most part, would never do or say the things that these people were doing in Naples.

I'm from the northeast, so maybe I have a better understanding of its people. Tell "joeybagofdonuts" to cut the crap and he'll start laughing. A lot of what they do are for laughs, but they are often taken the wrong way.

I worked in a couple of call centers in Fort Myers. I was always glad to get the people on the east coast of Florida. Talk to that little old Jewish lady. She may sound gruff at first, but keep talking. I bet you find a sweet woman with a heart of gold that has wonderful stories to tell. Folks, I've dealt with people for years in my work. It is true. Yes, you will give me the exceptions. But it is really true, for the most part.

Northeasterners don't always come across well, at first. Give them a chance. They have a heart of gold. Gosh, you all gave me a chance, didn't you? Scientifical Madness, you use to hate me!

But try to get the southwest Florida/Midwesterner to talk. They won't do it. They don't want to talk to you and they just don't care. Horrible sense of humor, too. Maybe it's from fighting in the unions there whole lives. I don't know.

Once again, I have two wonderful friends from the Midwest, but they are not retirees living in Florida!

Scientifical Madness: Your experience in North Carolina is a daily occurrence where I live. After hearing "Ma'am" and "please" and "thank you" all day, I don't think I could ever move. I'm a bit afraid to go on vacation! It's that good.