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She then said, maybe it’s just me but I’m convinced most people from Seattle are mildly retarded.” I still laugh at that one!
So nonetheless, she was suffering from good ol’ Seattle Freeze or was very homesick?
I'm laughing so hard. It is so cool to challenge yourself and try a new city. New York City isn't the end all be all. Every city has something different to enjoy.
I feel like we overexaggerate culture shock in this country. We're generally pretty similar all over the country, nothing like India where there are a hundred different native languages.
Especially in recent decades with internet/social media bridging the gap in between cultures. As I mentioned before moving from Atlanta to San Diego in the 90's was a huge culture shock, but in recent decades they don't seem all that different from each other except for the demographics.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheGoodUsernamesWereTaken
I read that in a NY accent
You mean without the 2nd "r"? lol. All joking aside and this isn't meant to offend anyone, but it might be true that there are more people in Seattle with ASD due to climate which tends to hinder a social life and also the cause/effect of the "Seattle freeze". I was born there and if we didn't move to Georgia early in my childhood I'm not sure how I would have turned out socially, as I'm on the spectrum myself.
Last edited by SEAandATL; 06-15-2023 at 09:58 AM..
I feel like we overexaggerate culture shock in this country. We're generally pretty similar all over the country, nothing like India where there are a hundred different native languages.
I mean, not really? American linguistic diversity may not be regional, but within US cities there's a profound amount of languages used. One neighborhood is predominantly Pakistani Shia and the next is Italian Catholic. That's pretty wild, sociologically. And the cultural differences are pretty deep even within states themselves. The religious and political lines are honestly more rigid than many other countries. The difference between Oahu to Lincoln to Knoxville to Boston are at least as intense as any difference within Western Europe in spite of the shared language.
I live in Seattle. Years ago, I had a client that moved from the Bronx to Seattle. She is about as stereotypical of a New Yorker as you can get.
She couldn’t believe the difference between the Bronx and Seattle. These are her exact words to me. “Pete, how long have you lived in Seattle? I replied over 20 years. She then said, maybe it’s just me but I’m convinced most people from Seattle are mildly retarded.” I still laugh at that one!
So nonetheless, she was suffering from good ol’ Seattle Freeze or was very homesick?
Not mildly retarded, but mildly autistic is actually probably correct.
I mean, not really? American linguistic diversity may not be regional, but within US cities there's a profound amount of languages used. One neighborhood is predominantly Pakistani Shia and the next is Italian Catholic. That's pretty wild, sociologically. And the cultural differences are pretty deep even within states themselves. The religious and political lines are honestly more rigid than many other countries. The difference between Oahu to Lincoln to Knoxville to Boston are at least as intense as any difference within Western Europe in spite of the shared language.
Italian Catholic, as in they speak Italian and carry the same culture as Catholics in Italy? How many Pakistani neighborhoods are in the US?
Lived in three continents 4 countries and bicoastal, I am quite blasé and unfazed by moving. I love moving.
The Buzzfeed quotes sound like a recent college graduate who never leaves their hometown. You have to “drive everywhere”? Americans complaining about having to drive is like the French complaining having to eat cheese. It may not be the healthiest thing, but it’s a part of your cultural DNA.
No culture shock for me, but more or less if I’m going to get bored.
Yes, some people have different opinions than you when it comes to car dependency, yes it's very reasonable y for them to complain.
I'm suspicious that every 'article' on sites like Buzzfeed are written by AI bots. Or they just interview really sheltered people who happen to be caricatures of themselves. But that NYC to LA comment takes the cake.
Anything with "NYC to LA" or vice versa, is the biggest clickbait lol
Bay Area to Chicago - never quite adjusted. I'd argue Fn South Africa (at least in the big cities) is more similar culturally to California than Chicago is.
Very different attitude and interests, can't say I've ever fully adjusted. The things Chicagoans value just aren't the same things I do. I will admit it has fantastic urban planning. Some of the Summer days you can have with the right people are wonderful. There's some awesome (albeit unhealthy) food, the midwest is underrated as a whole, and the nightlife can be fantastic (the alcohol equalizes the generally lower intelligence and more reserved demeanor imo lmao)
That said, I don't like to drink more than once every week or two, so that has limited appeal.
It's a very different culture imo that likes to think of itself as being "like the coastal cities" but this attempted immitation is mostly attempted by people who are decidedly non-coastal.
I've never lived in either, but I've found people in Milwaukee and St Louis to be a little more honest and open minded than Chicago people.
I feel the Chicago mindset is a weird mix of 'midwest nice', Mafia Al Capone/corruption mindset, and a materialistic immitation of what people perceive New York and LA to be like. There's some cool people in Chicago, but to me it sits in an uncomfortable middle ground.
Not as open to new ideas as the legit coastal cities, more reserved than the South, and less laid back than smaller midwest cities.
I think for the right person though it's a wonderful city but the culture is very different from California, esp Northern California, which I feel in the coastal areas shares a lot in common with NY/Tri-State/BosWash corridor.
LA has some aspects that are similar to Chicago at times and has a stronger midwestern presence in both transplants and its formative cultures than Nor Cal. I also feel like Sacramento people are often better able to adjust to Chicago, although many Sacramento people are somewhat on a Bay Area vibe as well.
As a foreigner who's ample exposure to California, the Midwest and the East Coast, I'd say there's certainly some pretty noteworthy differences, but it's more 'second glance' type stuff than obvious stuff. It doesn't even get near the situation you experience when moving to a different country which I've done a few times.
Culture shock is very subjective to be honest. As a teenager my family moved from a downtown apartment in a major city to a house on the outskirts of that city. It caused some pretty significant alienation and honestly had a pretty major impact on my perceptions and outlook. And that was a move in the same city, the moving truck took about half an hour from the old place to the new place. I don't think that was indicative of a huge gap between those two places culturally or otherwise, more indicative of the impact any change in your familiar surroundings can make. Ultimately, most people aren't familiar with an entire city or metro area, they're familiar with their little bubble in it. Any change from that bubble could be felt as a 'shock' like experience.
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