Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A friend of mine who is from Karachi, Pakistan, once told me: "you as a Finn can never imagine how great it is to live in a city and society where you don't have to be afraid of anything. You simply can't comprehend it."
That got to me, and I didn't argue about it. I can't comprehend.
They are probably fantastic countries to live and work in, but I have witnessed some bizzare situations in there.
For instance, few years ago, while I was in Stockholm:
There was a young (probably 16-17 year old) girl in the middle of the street crying. Not loudly and obnoxiously, but she was obviously very upset. She literally stood there crying for couple minutes and absolutely no one gave her any attention. None. As if she was invisible. I was the only person to go up to her, but she didn't want to talk (or at least in English). Shortly after, she left.
Afterwards I felt kind of bad, why wouldn't anyone stop and check on a lonely upset person on the street? Seemed like everyone was too busy with themselves and didn't care at all.
One thing I like about the Americans and southern Europeans is how open and communicative they are. What's wrong with wanting to socialize and connect with people you might not be friends with? How is that fake?
There are a few more similar ocassions I've witnessed, but not as drastic as this one. My point it that these parts of Europe can be a bit antisocial, but then again the same thing could be applied to Russia and the rest of eastern Europe.
Do you judge a whole country based on one situation?
Like I said, it's not just one situation and it's not about just one particular country. I just gave one example.
And in big cities that might be true. The Scandinavians might be so used to that "the state takes care of it", so an individual don't have to care about the case.
OTH, this experiment of a nauseous person were made in St. Pete and Miami, and the results were devastating. In America almost everybody gave help and in St. Pete everybody ignored him. In Oslo a child were dropped at a bus stop and 70% helped and asked what to do. When a grown man was without a jacket, only 20% helped him.
And in big cities that might be true. The Scandinavians might be so used to that "the state takes care of it", so an individual don't have to care about the case.
OTH, this experiment of a nauseous person were made in St. Pete and Miami, and the results were devastating. In America almost everybody gave help and in St. Pete everybody ignored him. In Oslo a child were dropped at a bus stop and 70% helped and asked what to do. When a grown man was without a jacket, only 20% helped him.
Yes, that wouldn't surprise me, that's why I listed Russia as one of the countries in which something like that might happen too. I respect Americans in their sense of community and willingness to help each other.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
