Official "Seattle Freeze" Discussion Thread (rent, clubs)

[VeronikaW]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

As long as the work gets out the door, people at work are allowed to joke around a bit. Executives in CORNER OFFICES joke around. In Seattle, any joking around was very Stepford-ish. It's a creepy sickness, sorrry. In Seattle, I worked with a lady who went to a (Southern type of) Ivy League school and took French. I would pop my head in her office and ask her something in French every now and then. One "douche bag" of an exec (don't edit this, he's a male, so it's not sexist) was walking by said to me "You don't hear me speaking Latin to people, do you? He was not happy.

I work from home (and my office is based in San Diego), so I haven't noticed this, but it's something my husband has commented on. He said his office is like a funeral home. There's not a lot of joking around, there's no gossiping. He is used to working in an environment full of friendly banter, and that's apparently lacking here. Oh, all of his co-workers do seem to have lunch together everyday, but he says more than anything it feels obligatory, and it's not usually fun.

V. =)

[moonshadow]

Ok, so I'm not an American but I have just come back from Seattle and read this thread and the article before I left. I admit that it made me somewhat nervous before I left having read it and we actually discussed "Seattle Freeze" several times during the course of our stay.

I'm not really sure what it would be like to LIVE in Seattle but getting around and interacting with people on a day to day basis for the duration of our stay I found it to be a fabulous city. One that I was supremely comfortable in and the people that we interacted with were great. So I'm not really sure I buy this "freeze" business. I can't say that it was my experience and given the chance I would most definitely visit the city again AND I must say, of all the places I have visited around the world, it is one of the few places that I could see myself living in if I didn't live here.

[olynative]

If people would spend more time being friendly to people themselves and less time bitching on this thread about how people don't jump out of the wood-work to shake hands with them, then maybe their perceptions would change. I have never had trouble meeting people...........anywhere. Just be yourself, and you'll be surprised how many people will open up to you

[olynative]

On that note(being yourself). that is what seattle is all about. I have lived in places where people are overly nice and fake all the time and it's not very comforting to me at all. In Seattle, I know that the people I meet are genuine.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by olynative

On that note(being yourself). that is what seattle is all about. I have lived in places where people are overly nice and fake all the time and it's not very comforting to me at all. In Seattle, I know that the people I meet are genuine.

How do you know that people being what YOU consider "overly nice" is fake? It appears from your comment that you are an introvert and do not understand that there are some people that are naturally extroverted. To them behaving the way that they do is authentic. And from many comments on this thread, it is clear that if extroverts behave in a way that feels authentic to them, that they are not accepted for who they are. In fact, they are deemed "overly nice and fake". Something to consider.

[toughguy]

If this thread has taught me anything, it's that the "PNW attitude" is vastly misunderstood and/or misinterpreted quite frequently by people who consider themselves to be extroverted.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by toughguy

If this thread has taught me anything, it's that the "PNW attitude" is vastly misunderstood and/or misinterpreted quite frequently by people who consider themselves to be extroverted.

So isn't that really the crux of the entire problem? Extroverts viewing introverts as aloof and introverts judging extroverts as insincere? Neither having enough insight to understand that people sometimes interact with the world in fundamentally different ways?

A few weeks ago, someone posted a link on a thread (maybe this one) to an article that rated different parts of the country terms of introverted vs. extroverted along with a myriad of other characteristics. If my memory serves me, Washington state ranked 49th out of 50 in terms of extroversion. If there's any validity to the article at all, then we are one heck of an introverted state. I know I am not nearly as extroverted as when I first moved here back in '85.

I remember when I was a 19 year old waitress, a customer told me that he thought the only reason I was being nice to him was because I hoped to get a bigger tip. I was really hurt to think that someone would misconstrue my positive, upbeat personality in such a crass way. I worked at Denny's for christsakes, big tips were unheard of. Obviously, the guy was a miserable a-hole, but his comment impacted the way I treated customers in the future. It shouldn't have, but hey, I was 19.

[toughguy]

You make some good points...

I think too many people attribute a negative connotation to whatever characteristics make up an introverted personality, and assign a positive connotation to extroverted traits. An introverted person isn't necessarily depressed/humorless/boring just because they don't wear their heart on their sleeve and appear outwardly animated. I have been told that I am very laid back/relaxed guy that rarely displays huge outbursts of emotion, but I am far from being some uptight depressed outcast. Further, being more laid back also does not automatically make one passive/aggressive.

[Ira500]

Yup, there are exceptions to every rule. New Yorkers are extroverts, but are not thought of as " Warm and outgoing" but more generally thought of as "obnoxious", where Seattleites, who are introverts, are thought of as "nice" but also not warm and outgoing.

[tada]

Extroversion is good. Introversion is evil. If you're introverted, you're related to Satan.

[/sarcasm]

Neither one is really all-around "better" as a whole.