Why are Southern Calfornians so Rude and Nasty? (San Diego, Laguna: landscaping, living)

[sav858]

Originally Posted by earlyretirement

I TOTALLY agree here Jenkay. I haven't noticed the honking there at all here. People are very laid back. I do agree people drive VERY fast on the highways here but I've never seen anyone honk at someone else other than a quick courtesy honk if someone doesn't see a green light but nothing like other cities.

I agree, people is San Diego RARELY HONK, it's actually frustrating sometimes. I remember one day in Pacific Beach at the same intersection (the left turn from southbound Ingraham St to eastbound Grand Ave) I saw TWICE in one day someone at the front of the line sit there through an entire green light cycle and miss the light and NO ONE behind them honked. I was going straight or I would have laid on the horn but I witnessed that TWICE in the same day at two different times. I've never seen an entire line of cars sit through a green light and no one honk.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by RobSac

You think all of these threads on this site about rude Southern Californians are just a coincidence? I'll tell you what you don't see often, threads about how nice Southern Californians are. Because there have been such threads about San Francisco.

No there hasn't, certainly not on the SF-O forum. I've been on here for almost 5 years now and don't recall any specific threads about how nice people in SF are.

[JohnSoCal]

This is another one of those stupid threads where the OP is making a generalization about 25 million people based on some isolated incident.

I have lived in Southern California for many years. I bave also lived in Northern California, Oregon, Arizona, Washington state, Florida, Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela. I have also visited over 40 different states. I have certainly not found Californians to be rude and nasty. In fact I have generally found just the opposite. Yes, there are a few nasty people here like everywhere but by and large the people are pretty nice. In fact I found Oregon to be one of the least friendly places but I wouldn't say that all Oregonians are rude and nasty. Try living in SE Florida if you want rude and nasty.

[futbol]

Originally Posted by JohnSoCal

This is another one of those stupid threads where the OP is making a generalization about...

Yet people keep replying.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by earlyretirement

I TOTALLY agree here Jenkay. I haven't noticed the honking there at all here. People are very laid back. I do agree people drive VERY fast on the highways here but I've never seen anyone honk at someone else other than a quick courtesy honk if someone doesn't see a green light but nothing like other cities.

The ONLY incident of rude/obnoxious behavior I've experienced since moving here was at the San Diego Zoo when a girl blocked a parking space I was going to park in so her family member which was behind me could park. I posted about that incident on CD a while back. But I'm not even sure they were from San Diego.

I'm out and about in North County quite a bit. Especially Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe as I live in the area and people are so very laid back. On the road, in the stores, on the beach, in restaurants, etc.

It's all a matter of perspective, I guess. I honk when people are about to hit me--bursting out of a side road or a driveway without looking, drifting into my lane (and me) without actually turning their head to see if there's anybody there because I'm not in their mirror, that sort of thing...

But I can assure you that drivers, and people in general, are way more laid back where the OP is coming from (and I know his area well), so it's a relative comparison.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by futbol

Yet people keep replying.

Well, as an ex-Southern Californian I'm kind of protective of the place. I have not had the OP's experience. At all. Not in Del Mar, where I lived, or in RSF which visited when I wanted some sunshine during the cloudy season.

[echo42]

Originally Posted by joryjim

Visited Del Mar/Rancho Santa Fe area last week. Beautiful area, perfect climate. Saw models of Ferraris I didn't even know were made.

So with all the wealth and perfect weather, why are people so mean and nasty? Everywhere I went, I saw miserable stressed out people. At the Whole Foods in Del Mar, the shoppers have a nasty scowl on their face and a terrible disposition. WTF?

Is it the terrible traffic, high density population? The extreme gap between rich and poor? I don't get it. People need to chill out.

Oh wow. You have hit the nail on the head. How right you are. We are all miserable self centered people here in SoCal. It is a phenomenon actually, that 20 million people, full of discontent and misery would all congregate in the same geographic region. It is talked about globally.

If I were you, I would get back on the road to Happy-Town USA, gtfo, and don't look back. It is just not worth the frustration...we would all leave as well but we are stuck in traffic (or the Whole Foods) and our Ferraris are broken down.

[taydigga]

Originally Posted by joryjim

Visited Del Mar/Rancho Santa Fe area last week. Beautiful area, perfect climate. Saw models of Ferraris I didn't even know were made.

So with all the wealth and perfect weather, why are people so mean and nasty? Everywhere I went, I saw miserable stressed out people. At the Whole Foods in Del Mar, the shoppers have a nasty scowl on their face and a terrible disposition. WTF?

Is it the terrible traffic, high density population? The extreme gap between rich and poor? I don't get it. People need to chill out.

It's not Socal homie, it's the money. Most people with money, I mean real money act this way, no matter what neighborhood it is. I've seen it all over. It's just that SoCal has a lot of people with money but don't generalize it to SoCal.

[taydigga]

Originally Posted by Reice03

I think alot of Southern Californians just dont have people skills. Like when i hold the door or open the door for people alot of times they wont say thank you or anything, or if im at the store instead of them saying excuse me they'll just walk in front of me. It just little things that make me be like **** it aint wanna act rude back to people

Big and horrible generalization. I'm from midwest and I've noticed it all depends on where you're at. It's not so much a "socal" thing as it is just people being self-absorbed. I noticed it in NYC, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and etc., and want to know what the overriding characteristic was? They all had money or wanted to pretend they did. Same type of people in different areas of the country. Money does that to people.

[ccm123]

Having lived in both Southern Cal and the Bay Area, I can say that there are rude people in both places and everywhere else in the world.

I think what makes an element of Southern California so rude is dealing with that heavy, stressful traffic and spread out metropolis. Southern Californian's are isolated in their cars for a lot of time, fighting road rage and other rude drivers. When you come out of your car, you are stressed and become rude also.

When you deal with most folks from Southern California and peel away that road rage element, most are down to earth people, just trying to earn a living.