How do you define nice?

[SassyGirl2]

NICE?, boy, you asked for it so here it comes. My mantra is: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The Golden Rule is wonderful but not everyone plays by the rules. I try to give better than I get (I'll let your vivid imagination kick in on this one!)
http://bestsmileys.com/tempted/3.gif (broken link)

[internat]

As a reserved person I don't like to draw attention to myself. I'm nice to people in the sense of having polite manners. I'm tactful. I show respect. I expect the same back. I offer to help even people I don't know very well.

I'm stoic. So I'm therefore wary of very extroverted people who are overly friendly for no apparent reason. You have to build trust first. Friendship takes time. This kind of behaviour will give you more quality friends. I rather have a few good friends than many superficial friendships. Those can remain acquaintances. Some may of course perceive this behaviour as elitist.

I feel it's best to adapt to your environment. Customs differ from one place to another.

In my experience being nice as in kind is in these days seen as a weakness. People can perceive you as being a dumb person.

[sliver203]

Say hello Only to friends and acquaintances - never to strangers.
Wave at your neighbors Anytime I see them
Say thank you or excuse me Most of the time
Give people the benefit of the doubt Sometimes - depends
Offer to help strangers with directions or hold the door open If they ask and anytime someone is walking behind me.
Make your children apologize for running into a stranger/talking back to an adult No kids
Cleaning up after your dog Only in or near a public area
Not mowing your yard or making a ton of noise before 9 am or after 10 pm Never, except for a Saturday night bonfire but all my neighbors are there

[j33]

Say hello - usually only to people I know. However, on occasion, in my neighborhood only, people will nod and say 'hey' to each other on the street.

Wave at your neighbors - only if we know we are neighbors or are familiar with each other on sight.

Say thank you or excuse me - always, except when shoving oneself onto a crowded subway car or bus, it is generally understood that then it is every person for themselves, but if I accidentally bump or shove someone hard, I will say sorry.

Give people the benefit of the doubt - depends on the situation. nobody automatically gets the benefit of the doubt.

Offer to help strangers with directions or hold the door open - I'll help with directions, but I don't always hold the door.

Make your children apologize for running into a stranger/talking back to an adult - if I had them, I would

Cleaning up after your dog - if I had one, I would

Not mowing your yard or making a ton of noise before 9 am or after 10 pm - I don't have a yard, but I am conscious of my neighbors in my apartment building (especially since one of them is my landlord), so I don't make lots of noise.

[kt2le]

I define nice as being considerate of others and treating others as I would like to be treated. Being nice to others usually gets a similar response in return - at least that has been my experience. There are, unfortunately, exceptions to every rule!

[kt2le]

Say hello - Usually acknowledge the other person by smiling or saying "Hi"
Wave at your neighbors - Always
Say thank you or excuse me - Always
Give people the benefit of the doubt - Depends on the person and situation - probably not as often as I should
Offer to help strangers with directions or hold the door open - It depends on who's asking directions, what they look like and where I am. I always hold the door for others
Make your children apologize for running into a stranger/talking back to an adult - Absolutely
Cleaning up after your dog - Usually. Our dog is only 5 lbs. so his droppings are really tiny and he's seldom out of our yard anyway
Not mowing your yard or making a ton of noise before 9 am or after 10 pm - We'll mow after 8:00 a.m. on summer weekends but everyone (those of us who don't have yard crews, anyway...grrr!) is doing the same thing around us - it gets HOT here so we try to get it done early! We're always quiet in the evenings - usually no later than 9:00 p.m. - unless there are a bunch of kids in our pool screaming...sorry!

[NCN]

When I saw that question, I just had to click onto this thread. My mother brought me up to be polite, and I am most of the time, but sometimes I like to have fun and this is one of them. The reason I am having so much fun is something I either read or heard a few years ago.

Nice--a word Southerners use when they have to be polite, but they don't really like something.

I always post first and then read back through so I won't be influenced by what others say. There's some really good stuff on this thread.

[Chinolala]

Being polite, gracious, helpful, respectful, empathetic of others and refraining from passing judgement on people or things that one doesn't understand or fully know about

[normie]

"I once had a husband who had all sorts of rules like that and he was an awful person to live with! Mean, sarcastic, etc. Most people probably thought he was a good neighbor."

This is so TRUE! Often people who are abusive to their families have "super-nice" facades for the public world. After awhile you can sense a certain plastic-ness in their niceness. They're just a little too controlled! But it takes a long time to tell the difference so you can recognize genuine niceness.

[SassyGirl2]

Originally Posted by North Carolina Native

Nice--a word Southerners use when they have to be polite, but they don't really like something.

Boy did you hit the nail on the head with that one!