Why does Philadelphia have a reputation of being a rude, mean city? (home, living in)

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by TNhomesteading

I recently moved from Philly after living there for many years. Currently in TN and am delighted and amazed how friendly people can really be. Never experienced this in Philadelphia.

You're in the South. People are more friendly there. I lived in Lexington, KY for three, and a half years, and found people in general to be very nice.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

You're in the South. People are more friendly there. I lived in Lexington, KY for three, and a half years, and found people in general to be very nice.

I've been to Birmingham, AL a bunch of times over the last 20 years and, honestly, I haven't noticed a lot of differences between people there and here. There are snooty people there just like here. Friendly people there just like here.

[modernist1]

Thread question assumes a presumption. Toss in garbage.

[BPP1999]

Remember: rude and mean by NYC'ers and Bostonians is cool. Rude and mean by Philadelphians is because they are low-class, uneducated, blue-collar, small-minded slobs.

[chessimprov]

Philly definitely has it's share of [unnecessarily] rude people. I think it's fair to say that unfortunately, some of it is typical of a big city and some of it is probably characteristic to Philly.
If you haven't run into rudeness in Philly, you probably haven't been here long enough or live in a bubble.
Not to say there aren't nice people- thank god for that. I do feel like they are harder to find- most tend to be neutral.

Your race or a class type could have to do with how likely you are to get treated in various areas and circles compared to others too. True anywhere really unfortunately.

[Muinteoir]

Firstly, I think it is important to re-emphasize, as people have, that there are all types of people regardless of what city or town you are in.

I've lived in quite a few places in my life. I grew up in rural upstate NY, went to school in rural Indiana, and worked in the Cincinnati area and Albuquerque before moving here.

Here are some subtle differences I notice here compared to where I've lived:
-Yes, there are more people in a rush (especially around, of course, rush hour) here. The subway can feel crammed and irritated during these hours. I don't mind it, and obviously people have places to go.

-People here have actually been quite friendly to me. It is in less of a "small talk way" and actually can be quite funny. The other day, I walked by a quarter on the ground and picked it up. A woman walking on the street jokingly yelled "hey, that's my quarter!" then walked over, grabbed my arm playfully, told me she was kidding and went on her way. It was kind of odd, but also kind of funny. When I was first navigating public transit, anyone I asked help from has been completely helpful.

-Having spent the last two years getting to visit West Coast cities, I will say this: There is a certain "realness" to people here relative to West Coast cities. It is something hard to place, and yes perhaps that perception is born out of my prejudices, but I usually feel I "see what I get" with people here.

-Drivers are quite rude. That is one thing that I could do without. I live right on a "main artery" street in West Philly and people honk for the silliest reasons, which is just rude to drivers around you and people living in the neighborhood.

[2002 Subaru]

Originally Posted by Jameson999

I know this is an old post, but having lived in Philly for over ten years I can say this: people can range from friendly to hostile. That said, if you think Philly people are generally nice, you've never worked in customer service there. I've never been treated as badly as I was in Philly. It was common to be called stupid, obnoxious, incompetent, or worse to my face. People loved to play little power games too like shooing you away or calling you over by curling a finger, all without making eye contact. Sure, people just "say what's on their minds," but what's on their mind just happens to always be ugly and cruel.

What section of the city? Different demographics behave differently.

[2002 Subaru]

Originally Posted by Muinteoir

-Drivers are quite rude. That is one thing that I could do without. I live right on a "main artery" street in West Philly and people honk for the silliest reasons, which is just rude to drivers around you and people living in the neighborhood.

HAHAHA! I know the area and I know exactly what you mean about the horns ...

[AJNEOA]

Originally Posted by 2002 Subaru

HAHAHA! I know exactly what you mean, but I'm not permitted to elaborate here. I could only imagine how bad it must be in that area with the horns ...

I would support a bill to enable police officers to shred driver's licenses and tow away vehicles on the spot when drivers sit in a long traffic jam and continue to blow the horn. I mean, what good does it do to jam the horn when no one around you can do anything about it?

[2002 Subaru]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

I would support a bill to enable police officers to shred driver's licenses and tow away vehicles on the spot when drivers sit in a long traffic jam and continue to blow the horn. I mean, what good does it do to jam the horn when no one around you can do anything about it?

I like when they're on the horn before they even get to your bumper. It's part of the reason as to why there's so much violence in this city.