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.
Look, nothing personal, but it is not "another example of why NE people move to Florida."
I grew up in CT and attended college there. It was a very nice state when I lived there, so maybe a horde of Huns have moved in, but when I visit my family in Mystic, it still seems like a very nice place with very polite and friendly people.
Now I live in Florida (and have lived here for many years for personal reason--mainly I like it). Florida has people from all over the country (and other countries) and some are obnoxious and some are not. I really hate it when people put other people in boxes with labels and generalize that 'everyone' is like that.
Please do not get defensive, but it is, frankly, extremely faulty logic, and I think that is what others on this forum have been trying to communicate to you.
Exactly!! Most leaving the north east for Florida, it's a combination of two things, Winter and Taxes
There are socio/economic pressures involved. Density of the population is a major factor. Higher density leaves less "personal space" no matter where you go. The bank, supermarket, movie theater, any governmental agency, the post office, roadways, toll plazas, are all places where you will find lines of people all trying to get service. Add to that a high COL, high taxes, stagnant wages and loss of financial wealth due to the recession and wind up with people who are angry.
I refer to the rats in a cage experiment. A few rats in a cage, no problem. Lots of food, space, water.
Add more rats. More competition for the food supply, water, space to be, competition for mates all affect the rats. The rats become hostile. They will kill off the weaker rats to reduce competition.
See the parallel?
Quote:
Originally Posted by FromCTtoFL
Haha - I love when people say "Don't get defensive/offended but..." Not offended, but a little perplexed by your statement referring to my "faulty logic." It's not a doctoral dissertation or some far-reaching hypothesis I'm trying to prove - it's just a thread on a public forum and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I do admit to being frustrated when people post sarcasm and/or criticism when its clear that they haven't read what's posted. Like many threads, this one has taken on a life of its own. But whatever...that's just the way it goes.
My point was/is simple - people in the northeast (specifically my little area that is NYC suburb of southwestern CT) have gotten noticeably angrier over the past 5 - 10 years. Day to day normal activities and encounters with others have become increasingly difficult. People act cranky, hostile, impatient, rude and just plain angry. When I relocated to Florida, I was blown away by how friendly and nice people wwere toward me. At the bank, the teller actually looks me in the eyes and smiles. At the grocery store, the cashier is nice, friendly, and engages in idle chit-chat with me. A stark contrast from the cashier yelling over my head so she can continue her conversation with the other cashier, while she complains about...well, everything. My neighbors say "hello" when they see me outside and wave to me when I drive down the street. Hell, even the mailman and the UPS guy wave and smile. I actually enjoy doing errands here. I joke with my mom and my friends "back home" about this because they have also noticed the "anger" that seems to be prevalent there. The Easter Egg Hunt debacle was simply an example of that type of behavior. I know lots of crazy awful violent sh*t happens in Florida, but IMHO people in general seem to be calmer, more relaxed and friendlier. That's all I was trying to say. Agree...disagree...its all good, but I think this thread has run its course and I'm done with it
Look, nothing personal, but it is not "another example of why NE people move to Florida."
I grew up in CT and attended college there. It was a very nice state when I lived there, so maybe a horde of Huns have moved in, but when I visit my family in Mystic, it still seems like a very nice place with very polite and friendly people.
Now I live in Florida (and have lived here for many years for personal reason--mainly I like it). Florida has people from all over the country (and other countries) and some are obnoxious and some are not. I really hate it when people put other people in boxes with labels and generalize that 'everyone' is like that.
Please do not get defensive, but it is, frankly, extremely faulty logic, and I think that is what others on this forum have been trying to communicate to you.
EXACTLY.
Post a troll thread, get troll answers. No point in running away from the thread in surprise!
This is a very simple concept, which I think many people are trying to get at: The world is becoming an increasingly violent, rude, and uncivilized place. That problem is evident in every place in the United States, in all 50 states. It will affect you EQUALLY whether you live in FL, CT, WI, CA, OH, MO, LA, HI, AK, etc. etc. etc. You can't escape where we are in society in our modern day.
My point in posting examples was not in any way to say that such issues are the norm in Florida, but to point out how ridiculous a concept it is to move to the state of Florida to avoid rude people. All the more so from the OP, who has moved from the NE, to claim that move was to escape the inherent rudeness of NE people (which I never encountered at all in living there for many years, by the way) - to a location where all of those NE people are most prone to moving to!! LMAO, it is too funny that your reason for moving here is to escape the very population that is hopping the next plane after you down here. lol lol lol...
People up North are some of the most generous, dedicated, selfless people I have ever met. They come from a culture of "Puritan work ethic" and where volunteering is the norm. There are plenty of jerks among them, of course! Just like anywhere. But then again, when characterizing all of them, it is pretty hard to use a single common adjective other than "human" because we are talking about one of the most diverse populations in the entire WORLD, as well as the US. The tri-state area for instance has jobs and cultural centers that attract significant populations from every continent, and most countries, on Earth. With millions of people moving into the area over 2 full centuries from every corner of the world, who exactly are you referring to when you refer to "NE People?" That encompasses not only people in cities like NYC and Boston and Philadelphia, but people living in rural NY and rural CT and rural Maine and suburban VT and people in Punxatawney, PA... really, all these people are the same?
If so, then the problem might be YOU. In which case, moving to another state is not going to save one from all the rude interactions with faceless zombie masses that all apparently think and act alike. Unfortunately, you'll move to Florida, or AZ, or NB, or wherever you think utopia is, and still feel like the world is collapsing around you.
[And yes, the child molester reference was simply in reply to somebody before me who made a very misleading comment, I did not bring up the topic! But I feel no shame in spreading awareness where there are public misconceptions about this issue that affects every single one of us in our nation on the daily. I suspect that other person brought it up because it is easy to draw the conclusion from the original post that OP is concerned for the safety of and example being set for children, and I think this person was merely saying that FL is not necessarily any safer for children, or any less of a crazy place, than CT. People should not move to Florida from CT expecting that this is a place in which their children will see more responsible behavior from adults. ]
People in Florida are nearly as much of a mix of people as in the NE, with nearly every kind of people represented somewhere. It is a huge state! How can you advocate moving here to run away from problems that are global problems?
Better than running away and abandoning your community to the wolves, how about get involved and make a difference to fix what is going wrong? Why exactly ARE people becoming so violent, angry, and discounting civil discourse as a means to resolve their problems? Isn't picking up and moving representative of the problem - the disconnect from one's own community and the extreme views that place people into faceless categories rather than dealing with them on an individual, compassionate basis? Running away as if ALL people living in the Northeast are evil is not solving anything!
One can speak about cultural norms, but one can't really speak about a "people" in general. So ok, it might be a cultural norm to curse in public in the Northeast, as an example. Is that done to offend? Or is it merely done to provide emphasis and color to a person's self-expression?
In South Florida, it is the cultural norm NOT to volunteer or get involved in anything that does not immediately affect one's own family. Is that done because people are selfish and uncaring? Or is it because people here often have large extended families that they already put all of their energy into, and that the need for public social programs is not seen as necessary because if you directly ASKED a resident of SFL for help, or went to their house of worship, they would immediately give it to you!
I have made lifelong friends in FL just as I have in the various places I have lived in the NE. People are amazing everywhere. If you can't see that, perhaps it is because you are looking so hard to find problems rather than to see the good around you.
When we talk about communities that are increasingly disconnected, emotionally frustrated, and lacking in respect for others, is that because these people in all these places are categorically uncaring or somehow have "bad person" DNA? Or is it perhaps an expected by-product of an increasingly globalized world, in which jobs and hometowns are not permanent, culture is ever-changing, and an online world in which people never see each other face to face or get to know one another's real names?
*** If the OP left CT to avoid rude people, and then got online here in the FL forum to insult CT people to their backs, and encourage a large number of people to start arguing with and insulting each other over both their perspectives and where they come from... well, how is that really escaping a lack of civility? Isn't it simply re-creating the very problem so many here are claiming to be fed up with, right here on this thread?
***
And on a side note, LMFAO, if I was so against FL I certainly wouldn't have bought my house here, gotten on this site to learn everything I can about the state, tried so hard to create a subforum for my county, constantly tried to educate other people about what living in my county is really like, constantly tried to encourage others to get involved with preserving our natural resources, and then tried to convince people who might like it and take good care of it to move here! So many people are unhappy in FL BECAUSE they are not well-suited to the state and didn't realize it before they moved here. It is completely logical to share the most negative aspects of local life with prospective newcomers, to help them make an informed and responsible choice. If they cannot accept the negative aspects of the state, or their chosen county, they will be miserable here, and also make local life miserable for all of us! Informing people is thus part of being a Florida LOVER, not a Florida hater. Clearly I love where I am, because I am still here, and have been in the state for 7 years now. I have listed MANY things that I love about it. But some of the very people who are so quick to call me a FL-hater, never contributed anything positive to those threads I started. Threads like this one though get endless posts from people piling on negativity.
Open your eyes, people. This is a big world. We are all individuals in it - no two people are the same. But we have more similarities than we have differences. Try looking for the good in other people, rather than the negative. There is much to find, in CT, in FL, and in every state in this country, as well as in every country on this planet.
Post a troll thread, get troll answers. No point in running away from the thread in surprise!
This is a very simple concept, which I think many people are trying to get at: The world is becoming an increasingly violent, rude, and uncivilized place. That problem is evident in every place in the United States, in all 50 states. It will affect you EQUALLY whether you live in FL, CT, WI, CA, OH, MO, LA, HI, AK, etc. etc. etc. You can't escape where we are in society in our modern day.
My point in posting examples was not in any way to say that such issues are the norm in Florida, but to point out how ridiculous a concept it is to move to the state of Florida to avoid rude people. All the more so from the OP, who has moved from the NE, to claim that move was to escape the inherent rudeness of NE people (which I never encountered at all in living there for many years, by the way) - to a location where all of those NE people are most prone to moving to!! LMAO, it is too funny that your reason for moving here is to escape the very population that is hopping the next plane after you down here. lol lol lol...
People up North are some of the most generous, dedicated, selfless people I have ever met. They come from a culture of "Puritan work ethic" and where volunteering is the norm. There are plenty of jerks among them, of course! Just like anywhere. But then again, when characterizing all of them, it is pretty hard to use a single common adjective other than "human" because we are talking about one of the most diverse populations in the entire WORLD, as well as the US. The tri-state area for instance has jobs and cultural centers that attract significant populations from every continent, and most countries, on Earth. With millions of people moving into the area over 2 full centuries from every corner of the world, who exactly are you referring to when you refer to "NE People?" That encompasses not only people in cities like NYC and Boston and Philadelphia, but people living in rural NY and rural CT and rural Maine and suburban VT and people in Punxatawney, PA... really, all these people are the same?
If so, then the problem might be YOU. In which case, moving to another state is not going to save one from all the rude interactions with faceless zombie masses that all apparently think and act alike. Unfortunately, you'll move to Florida, or AZ, or NB, or wherever you think utopia is, and still feel like the world is collapsing around you.
[And yes, the child molester reference was simply in reply to somebody before me who made a very misleading comment, I did not bring up the topic! But I feel no shame in spreading awareness where there are public misconceptions about this issue that affects every single one of us in our nation on the daily. I suspect that other person brought it up because it is easy to draw the conclusion from the original post that OP is concerned for the safety of and example being set for children, and I think this person was merely saying that FL is not necessarily any safer for children, or any less of a crazy place, than CT. People should not move to Florida from CT expecting that this is a place in which their children will see more responsible behavior from adults. ]
People in Florida are nearly as much of a mix of people as in the NE, with nearly every kind of people represented somewhere. It is a huge state! How can you advocate moving here to run away from problems that are global problems?
Better than running away and abandoning your community to the wolves, how about get involved and make a difference to fix what is going wrong? Why exactly ARE people becoming so violent, angry, and discounting civil discourse as a means to resolve their problems? Isn't picking up and moving representative of the problem - the disconnect from one's own community and the extreme views that place people into faceless categories rather than dealing with them on an individual, compassionate basis? Running away as if ALL people living in the Northeast are evil is not solving anything!
One can speak about cultural norms, but one can't really speak about a "people" in general. So ok, it might be a cultural norm to curse in public in the Northeast, as an example. Is that done to offend? Or is it merely done to provide emphasis and color to a person's self-expression?
In South Florida, it is the cultural norm NOT to volunteer or get involved in anything that does not immediately affect one's own family. Is that done because people are selfish and uncaring? Or is it because people here often have large extended families that they already put all of their energy into, and that the need for public social programs is not seen as necessary because if you directly ASKED a resident of SFL for help, or went to their house of worship, they would immediately give it to you!
I have made lifelong friends in FL just as I have in the various places I have lived in the NE. People are amazing everywhere. If you can't see that, perhaps it is because you are looking so hard to find problems rather than to see the good around you.
When we talk about communities that are increasingly disconnected, emotionally frustrated, and lacking in respect for others, is that because these people in all these places are categorically uncaring or somehow have "bad person" DNA? Or is it perhaps an expected by-product of an increasingly globalized world, in which jobs and hometowns are not permanent, culture is ever-changing, and an online world in which people never see each other face to face or get to know one another's real names?
*** If the OP left CT to avoid rude people, and then got online here in the FL forum to insult CT people to their backs, and encourage a large number of people to start arguing with and insulting each other over both their perspectives and where they come from... well, how is that really escaping a lack of civility? Isn't it simply re-creating the very problem so many here are claiming to be fed up with, right here on this thread?
***
And on a side note, LMFAO, if I was so against FL I certainly wouldn't have bought my house here, gotten on this site to learn everything I can about the state, tried so hard to create a subforum for my county, constantly tried to educate other people about what living in my county is really like, constantly tried to encourage others to get involved with preserving our natural resources, and then tried to convince people who might like it and take good care of it to move here! So many people are unhappy in FL BECAUSE they are not well-suited to the state and didn't realize it before they moved here. It is completely logical to share the most negative aspects of local life with prospective newcomers, to help them make an informed and responsible choice. If they cannot accept the negative aspects of the state, or their chosen county, they will be miserable here, and also make local life miserable for all of us! Informing people is thus part of being a Florida LOVER, not a Florida hater. Clearly I love where I am, because I am still here, and have been in the state for 7 years now. I have listed MANY things that I love about it. But some of the very people who are so quick to call me a FL-hater, never contributed anything positive to those threads I started. Threads like this one though get endless posts from people piling on negativity.
Open your eyes, people. This is a big world. We are all individuals in it - no two people are the same. But we have more similarities than we have differences. Try looking for the good in other people, rather than the negative. There is much to find, in CT, in FL, and in every state in this country, as well as in every country on this planet.
Unless you go door to door and find out if everybody is friendly or not, you have to make some generalizations. Otherwise, this would be a very boring forum with little to talk about.
If that generalization affects a certain geographic area, I'm okay with that.
Hmmm, I think pretty much everyone relaxes and gets into island time in Hawaii. When we vacationed on the big island and lived in the DC area folks would flip us the bird and cuss at us for several days after returning to the DC area because we weren't aggressive enough driving. I think Hawaii affects everyone.
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.
