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That's Orlando's problem too. Too many different cultures and too many people who .........dont care how things are done in America/the South, they're going to go about it their way, and sometimes its not friendly or the "norm"........ is the only way I know how to put it.
I agree with some of your post .... but I believe that you and other posters here grossly generalize most people in South Florida ... I lived in Miami Lakes for a couple of years in the early nineties , then Weston and now Parkland ... and most people down here are friendly and all around good neighbors ... I do not see the me first and dog eat dog attitude from everyone that you and other posters constantly complain about on this forum ... yes there are some a holes here no doubt ... but I have to question the attitudes of some of the complainers on here and where they hell they live in South Florida or what their economic status is that would cause them to live in this hell on earth . I probably travel more than anyone on here ... I have been doing so for business for 21 years ... worked for United Technologies Corp for several years .. now with Honeywell .. in fact I am in Rio De Janeiro at an Oil & Gas exhibition ... just got back to my hotel ... and I compare Miami and South Florida favorably to most cities and countries that I have been too in the world .... talk about a holes live in Paris or Rome Italy ... drive in Buenos Aires or Lima , Peru ... overall disorder , congestion and traffic .. give Mexico City , Sao Paulo Beijing or New Delhi a try .... no South Florida may not be as friendly as cities like Houston or Charlotte or even Atlanta ... but the complaints on here are again grossly exaggerated and makes me question the agenda of the constant whiners and malcontents on here ... many of who I have seen here for months or years .... the only thing that irks me more than people who see everything through rose colored glasses are people who complain about how much South Florida sucks but make no real effort to leave and instead chose to hijack this forum for their personal therapy ... again yes there are real jerks living in South Florida .. no doubt ... but the "me first " attitude is no worse no less than cities like Atlanta , Dallas , Los Angeles or New York ... the real pet peeves that I have down here are the maniacal drivers and the ghetto culture loved by some of the youth . In summary to generalize that "most " people in South Florida have me first attitudes is wrong and unfair and makes me question the character and real intentions of those who constantly complain about this ... I have met wonderful friendly caring people down here .. both at work , my daughters school , our church and yes even in our neighborhood .... maybe some of you who complain so much and hate it here should take a long hard look at yourselves and maybe see that you are part of the problem ?
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Totally right. They should try driving in Barcelona, Rome or any French city. I'd love to see them handling those nasty traffic circles (I have had two accidents in those stupid French inventions, now also everywhere in Spain). I would like them to see them driving in any Historical Center of any city here, or paying parking lots (from 7 to 12 dollars/hours) or having to pay for a parking space (60.000 to 100.000 dollars) or paying Tolls, we have most expensive toll in Europe, the tunnel from Sitges to Castelldefelds, 8 dollars for 7 miles. And gas prices and car prices, please... Most cars here are shoe boxes, and if you buy a nice and large car, it will end full of bumps and scratches if you drive in the city or small towns. Many people have to resort to mopeds and scooters (dangerous and hight priority for traffic cops and thiefs, if you buy a Honda scooter, it will end in Morrocco in no time).
And driving licenses...Driving licenses are are huge Mafia here, almost like obtaining a college degree, and it does not serve for much since there are far more accidents here per capita than in the United States.
As to saying hello, goodbye, hell, maybe in the 50's. When you hear somebody saying hello, it means he wants something for you. Not even in towns.
Rock Newman----I always find your posts to be articulate, intelligent, and inciteful. I commend you for defending South Florida and your consistency is appreciated.
I agree that unmitigated and merciless pounding of South Florida may be out of line-----I have lived down here for 26 years, and being from the midwest I would have to sat there are some discernible differences in the people.
I think in following you on line that you are a distributor and do a lot of travelling. I have worked in retail a lot down here, managing and operating convience stores. I deal with tons of people everday----that in itself is not enough to allow me to proclaim myself to be an expert----I hate people who classify themselves as an expert or an authority as it shows a tinge of arrogance.
That being said, dealing with tons of people everday allows me to draw on tons of experience when analyzing people. In general I agree with you that South Florida has an amazing amount of wonderful people----from all races and backgrounds. Making sweeping generalizations that the overall climate is of rudeness and arrogance in South Florida is going too far.
Yet I would agree with others that there are more conceited and slightly nasty people here than other areas I have lived in. I am from Milwaukee---I have also lived in Chicago, Dayton, and Peoria before coming here. The overall atmosphere of sarcasm, bitterness,and disrespect is a little higher here. Some New Yorkers have confided to me that when some of them move to South Florida, some of the transplants bring their aggressiveness learned on crowded subways, the belt parkway, Grand Central Station, and tons of other tension filled aspects of New York/ New Jersey.
Most New Yorkers have learned to adjust and acclimate to South Florida and are solid citizens and neighbors. Yet there is a considerable number who still will throw it at you that things are done better in New York---and should be done this way in S Florida. They will always insist that everything from the bagels to pizza to work ethic to standard of living is better in NY.
I know this is an arrogant minority we are talking about----but this percentage is high enough that the stereotype is transferred to the majority of fine folks. It is a problem that exists down here, and cant be ignored.
On other forums I have asked everybody that moves down here to learn to accept it for the way it is. Please dont try to mold this area into New York 2---this causes resentment and stereotyping and it portrays New Yorkers as rude in general---and this is not correct.
It is always simplistic to generalize and caterogrize people---I.E--- all New Yorkers are rude. I have had to catch myself repeatedly from doing this and I ask others down here from doing this. I also ask other New Yorkers who may be guilty of trying to increase the bitterness quotient down here to back off a little bit----you are guilty of giving too many people down here ammunition to attack.
I agree with some of your post .... but I believe that you and other posters here grossly generalize most people in South Florida ... I lived in Miami Lakes for a couple of years in the early nineties , then Weston and now Parkland ... and most people down here are friendly and all around good neighbors ... I do not see the me first and dog eat dog attitude from everyone that you and other posters constantly complain about on this forum ... yes there are some a holes here no doubt ... but I have to question the attitudes of some of the complainers on here and where they hell they live in South Florida or what their economic status is that would cause them to live in this hell on earth . I probably travel more than anyone on here ... I have been doing so for business for 21 years ... worked for United Technologies Corp for several years .. now with Honeywell .. in fact I am in Rio De Janeiro at an Oil & Gas exhibition ... just got back to my hotel ... and I compare Miami and South Florida favorably to most cities and countries that I have been too in the world .... talk about a holes live in Paris or Rome Italy ... drive in Buenos Aires or Lima , Peru ... overall disorder , congestion and traffic .. give Mexico City , Sao Paulo Beijing or New Delhi a try .... no South Florida may not be as friendly as cities like Houston or Charlotte or even Atlanta ... but the complaints on here are again grossly exaggerated and makes me question the agenda of the constant whiners and malcontents on here ... many of who I have seen here for months or years .... the only thing that irks me more than people who see everything through rose colored glasses are people who complain about how much South Florida sucks but make no real effort to leave and instead chose to hijack this forum for their personal therapy ... again yes there are real jerks living in South Florida .. no doubt ... but the "me first " attitude is no worse no less than cities like Atlanta , Dallas , Los Angeles or New York ... the real pet peeves that I have down here are the maniacal drivers and the ghetto culture loved by some of the youth . In summary to generalize that "most " people in South Florida have me first attitudes is wrong and unfair and makes me question the character and real intentions of those who constantly complain about this ... I have met wonderful friendly caring people down here .. both at work , my daughters school , our church and yes even in our neighborhood .... maybe some of you who complain so much and hate it here should take a long hard look at yourselves and maybe see that you are part of the problem ?
Rock, I don't hate it here per se. Also, this is a thread about "me first attitude and selfishness", which is obviously going to attract the kind of replies that you may not like / agree with. It's something that a lot of us experience here more than other places we've lived in. I don't think anyone is saying that everyone down here is an a**hole, but the a**hole count is definitely higher than many other places.
Not all of it is just complaining for the sake of complaining. It's one thing to interject every damn thread with pointless negativity (e.g. just saying "I hate it here" or "x place sucks". However, I do feel that anyone seriously considering relocating here should be aware of as many aspects of living here as possible so as to aid them in making the right decision. There is really no right or wrong and it's never black and white. Some people will enjoy living here and will let the negative aspects of living here slide, will others will find living here far too stressful.
As for the "me first" attitude, I do feel that it is worse here. I'm not complaining, but rather making an observation based on having lived in a lot of other places, just like you have. Of course, even within Miami itself, that tends to vary depending on the neighborhood you find yourself in, but it's very prevalent and not too hard to spot. It's the nature of the beast though, due to the fact that this part of the world attracts certain types of people who may be more prone to narcissism. Again Rock, not complaining, but rather making an observation. Miami in particular is world famous for being very materialistic and superficial. Miami wouldn't be Miami if it were otherwise
Totally right. They should try driving in Barcelona, Rome or any French city. I'd love to see them handling those nasty traffic circles (I have had two accidents in those stupid French inventions, now also everywhere in Spain). I would like them to see them driving in any Historical Center of any city here, or paying parking lots (from 7 to 12 dollars/hours) or having to pay for a parking space (60.000 to 100.000 dollars) or paying Tolls, we have most expensive toll in Europe, the tunnel from Sitges to Castelldefelds, 8 dollars for 7 miles. And gas prices and car prices, please... Most cars here are shoe boxes, and if you buy a nice and large car, it will end full of bumps and scratches if you drive in the city or small towns. Many people have to resort to mopeds and scooters (dangerous and hight priority for traffic cops and thiefs, if you buy a Honda scooter, it will end in Morrocco in no time).
And driving licenses...Driving licenses are are huge Mafia here, almost like obtaining a college degree, and it does not serve for much since there are far more accidents here per capita than in the United States.
As to saying hello, goodbye, hell, maybe in the 50's. When you hear somebody saying hello, it means he wants something for you. Not even in towns.
Where are you getting your statistics to prove that there are more accidents per capita than the the US? Europe is a lot tougher on issues such as DUI, speeding or reckless driving. A friend of mine was pulled over in Germany just for being too close to the car in front on the autobahn.
Where are you getting your statistics to prove that there are more accidents per capita than the the US? Europe is a lot tougher on issues such as DUI, speeding or reckless driving. A friend of mine was pulled over in Germany just for being too close to the car in front on the autobahn.
I have no doubt there are more accidents in places like Spain , Italy or France than in the US .... maybe not fatalities , but when I have been to these places you see "fender benders " everywhere and yes the road ways do seem more congested even with the aburdly high gas prices and excellent public transportation .... and if you think service is bad and service personnel are unfriendly .. try a restaurant in Rome or Paris ... food is great , service personnel ... NOT !!
I have no doubt there are more accidents in places like Spain , Italy or France than in the US .... maybe not fatalities , but when I have been to these places you see "fender benders " everywhere and yes the road ways do seem more congested even with the aburdly high gas prices and excellent public transportation .... and if you think service is bad and service personnel are unfriendly .. try a restaurant in Rome or Paris ... food is great , service personnel ... NOT !!
I have never been to Rome, but I did not experience poor service in Paris. I made an effort to speak French and I was careful to observe restaurant and cafe etiquette. Patience is also the key there - you cannot rush or expect the waiter to cater to your every whim (it's not like eating in Outback or Chili's). I think it's true that our perception of the French is way off and the perceived rudeness is mostly a misconception on our part. On the whole, I have found Parisians to be polite (even on the Metro). Manners were commonplace and even kids were well behaved.
I don't know - maybe your perception of rudeness is different from mine. I tend to find American customer service (if it's good) to be rather fake and phoney. I don't need the waiter to be my friend and call me by my first name (that's always been a bit creepy to me). I kind of feel sorry for people in this country who work in restaurants or in retail as they are literally expected to kiss the customer's a** and take abuse for a pittance of a wage. In Paris, the service you get is real and most importantly, professional. Call me weird, but I prefer it that way. I have never understood why Americans demand so much from waiters and store clerks.
Last edited by Your.Decision; 09-16-2010 at 05:51 AM..
I have never been to Rome, but I did not experience poor service in Paris. I made an effort to speak French and I was careful to observe restaurant and cafe etiquette. Patience is also the key there - you cannot rush or expect the waiter to cater to your every whim (it's not like eating in Outback or Chili's). I think it's true that our perception of the French is way off and the perceived rudeness is mostly a misconception on our part. On the whole, I have found Parisians to be polite (even on the Metro). Manners were commonplace and even kids were well behaved.
I don't know - maybe your perception of rudeness is different from mine. I tend to find American customer service (if it's good) to be rather fake and phoney. I don't need the waiter to be my friend and call me by my first name (that's always been a bit creepy to me). I kind of feel sorry for people in this country who work in restaurants or in retail as they are literally expected to kiss the customer's a** and take abuse for a pittance of a wage. In Paris, the service you get is real and most importantly, professional. Call me weird, but I prefer it that way. I have never understood why Americans demand so much from waiters and store clerks.
To me it's about the same, just different cultures, and both American and Mediterrenean cultures have their qualities and flaws. In those particular countries you can find rude and helpful customer service people, just like in the USA. Yes they smile less and don't use pleasantries, but when you are not used to them, you don't miss them. I'm used to both systems, having lived in the USA and in Colombia(which is similar to Europe in that sense) so as long as I get things done, I don't care to be called Mrs Princess or being asked how I am doing today. At the same time, some customer service in the USA is fake, but some are more genuine and don't sound like robots. I had a culture shock when I arrived to the USA with small talk, but with time I ended up behaving like the average American so much that some people from Colombia found me fake when I was really being genuine, I wasn't doing on purpose, I had just totally forgotten that small talk and smiling are not common there. To me it's natural and I don't find it phony or fake, just different.
When I visited France, Spain and Italy I knew what to expect so it wasn't shocking. The only thing that shocked me a little is how some Madrilenos go out of their way to help you, even when it's not part of their job description.
As far as Miami, we have a share of rude people, but I wouldn't say the majority is like that. Some come from countries or states where people are not used to pleansantries or small talk. Some come from Caribbean countries where talking loud and going straight to the point is common. Sometimes people confuse loud voices with rudeness and that is not always the case. It can be annoying for sure, but it doesn't necesarily mean they're rude. That's they way they were brought up and some Cubans can be loud but can also be the nicest and sweetest people on earth.
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