DC people are xyz (transplants, buying, high school)

[mikec34]

Insert anything for xyz.

According to the census nearly 50% are from another state and apprx. 13% are foregin born.

http://censtats.census.gov/data/DC/1601150000.pdf



I just wanted to point this out because I've seen so many topics about how rude people in DC are or unfriendly, etc. If this were true, then it'd really seem to be an American thing and not just a DC thing as half the poeple are from other places.

I'm sellin'. Any buyers?

[JimGriffith]

Originally Posted by mikec34

I just wanted to point this out because I've seen so many topics about how rude people in DC are or unfriendly, etc. If this were true, then it'd really seem to be an American thing and not just a DC thing as half the poeple are from other places.

I'm sellin'. Any buyers?

I'm not buying.

If it's an American thing, then it doesn't make any sense for so many Americans in so many other places to be known for their friendliness and hospitality.

The truth is this area attracts a certain type of American -- one with a volatile DNA makeup of pent-up aggression and delusions of grandeur.

That may be a tad unfair, since all types move here, but that's the group that stands out. There are multitudes of them, and they are insufferable.

[jmking]

Being a native of DC and my family goes back 150 years in the area, I do agree that it is the outsiders that have run most of the natives away for good. The area has become a rat race more so in the last 20-30 years. Not because of the crowds but a "Get out of my way because I'm so special, that is why I'm here in DC with my Harvard Degree, and besides my mommy told me so" attitude. Even tho they are two generations from abject poverty......................end of rant

[RaisedWell]

This is funny. I think people are people wherever you go. I'm a native and I am not known for being overly friendly, etc. but I will help outsiders (tourists who are lost, etc.)

[delg23]

I think the people in DC are really nice. of course i just came from nyc 6 months ago

[Moth]

Originally Posted by jmking

Being a native of DC and my family goes back 150 years in the area, I do agree that it is the outsiders that have run most of the natives away for good. The area has become a rat race more so in the last 20-30 years. Not because of the crowds but a "Get out of my way because I'm so special, that is why I'm here in DC with my Harvard Degree, and besides my mommy told me so" attitude. Even tho they are two generations from abject poverty......................end of rant

Pretty much true.
I was born and raised in DC and am sometimes shocked at the changes. Luckilly, I pretty much run with my old crowd from high school (true DC people) and am thus insulated from this for the most part.

I also spent half my life in New York where machismo it at a premium so the arrogant outsiders don't fool me for a second. I have a BA as well as a Masters and lived in studied in Europe so they can all stuff it.

Still, it would be nice if some of them just went away and let us have our world back.

[juniperbleu]

Originally Posted by RaisedWell

This is funny. I think people are people wherever you go. I'm a native and I am not known for being overly friendly, etc. but I will help outsiders (tourists who are lost, etc.)

Originally Posted by delg23

I think the people in DC are really nice. of course i just came from nyc 6 months ago

I'm not a native (been here about 1 1/2 years), but the people here have never really bothered me either. I've tried to make an effort to smile and acknowledge people when I'm walking around, just because I did it once or twice and got good results (i.e. it made them really happy, even at the crack of dawn). Sure, I've met arrogant people, but they don't bother me that much. I've found that some relax after a while when they realize they don't have to impress you. In general, most people I've met have been really nice and fairly friendly, as long as you put in some effort.

[Bluefly]

While I don't disagree there are a lot of mismatched suit-wearing divas, I'm not sure people attracted to DC for the political fix are any different from people attracted to LA for the entertainment industry or New York for finance / fashion or Seattle for IT.

These are people who have a professional mission to their lives beyond just making a living, and they concentrate in these epicenters of particular industries. They are there in droves in New York, but mixed into a more heterogeneous population of locals and transplants. DC's just a lot more tilted toward the transplants due to its smaller size.

[Moth]

Originally Posted by Bluefly

While I don't disagree there are a lot of mismatched suit-wearing divas, I'm not sure people attracted to DC for the political fix are any different from people attracted to LA for the entertainment industry or New York for finance / fashion or Seattle for IT.

These are people who have a professional mission to their lives beyond just making a living, and they concentrate in these epicenters of particular industries. They are there in droves in New York, but mixed into a more heterogeneous population of locals and transplants. DC's just a lot more tilted toward the transplants due to its smaller size.

All my kidding aside, I think you are right. Every industry has its arrogance and so it goes with any area/region.

One way to reassure oneself is instead of picking out the arrogant, try picking out people who are just normal or cool. I think the latter outnumbers the former.

[JimGriffith]

I'll throw in a couple more cents.

People who move to LA to write screenplays or New York to make money or Seattle to develop software do not think they are saving the world, nor do they think they should have more power over other people's lives.

I'm painting with a massive brush here and obviously this can't apply to everyone in say Petworth, or Cheverly, or Vienna etc.

We've all got different experiences and different anecdotal evidence, but from my POV, the DC reputation stems from people coming here believing in their own greatness and superiority. They seek connections and power, and they'll show unadulterated contempt to those who don't recognize that greatness and superiority.

It's bipartisan too. Imagine a city of angry Alex P. Keaton's -- on the right and the left.

It is possible to avoid all these people. I've done it for long stretches. But they do dominate the overall zeitgeist here.