Why are so many people in Texas so friendly to strangers? (Houston: authority, racism)

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

I wouldn't too critical of a passing stranger asking how you are, or how you doing? It's just another way to say hello. It's more of a greeting than a question, at least in American culture it is. It's coming from a good place, and it's better than being rude.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by earthisle

It's superficial yes but it opens the door to conversation.

If you try living in a place where people don't make eye contact and don't say hello you'll get why it's better to be superficially friendly.

Nailed it.

[Gunion Powder]

Originally Posted by earthisle

It's superficial yes but it opens the door to conversation.

If you try living in a place where people don't make eye contact and don't say hello you'll get why it's better to be superficially friendly.

I've had an easier time striking up meaningful conversation with New Yorkers than most Texans. Down here the conversations usually end once they discover I don't care how their favorite team is doing.

In my experience, the more of a melting pot a place is, the more earnest and friendly people tend to be with everyone. Texas isn't quite there yet.

[Texas Ag 93]

I was at the League City library yesterday and got there 10 minutes early, so I was waiting by the front door with about 6-8 other people. I sat down next to an older gentlemen and he noticed me on my smart phone and showed me his flip phone and told me he was going to "upgrade", so he and I chatted. A college aged girl was sitting on the bench opposite on her phone, and up walked a middle aged couple who both happened to be using canes. Immediately, the young woman (she of the maligned entitlement generation) stood up and offered the couple the bench (they politely declined). A toddler was there with a book tote on her shoulder and another elderly woman started talking to the child and Mom about how important reading is.

This is the kind of conversation between strangers that I did not notice during the 15 years I lived away from Texas in such places as Missouri and Colorado. Were the people friendly? For the most part. But did things like the above routinely happen? Not in my experience.

[madrone2k]

I was born in Texas (Houston) and have lived in Texas for most of my 62 years ... and I've never heard anyone say "bless your heart", except in movies or on TV.

When I was a kid during the 60s, it was common to hear newcomers from out of state comment on how friendly people were here. Houston and other Texas cities that have grown a lot since then have changed somewhat, of course. Friendly behavior still exists though, and I believe that it is a learned cultural behavior and also that it is sincere. I think it's a phenomenon akin to the idea that smiling at people -- and having them smile back -- tends to make people feel happier. I don't think it correlates at all with how religious a person is.

However, I think people also tend to oversimplify when they react to behaviors elsewhere. I've known a few New York City people who were extremely distant, but I've known others who were very approachable and friendly. Perhaps it correlates (to some extent) with how people identify socially. Years ago, I saw an interesting segment on TV in which someone on a NYC street feigned being in trouble, in the presence of different people. Affluent white professional types were much less likely to be helpful than less-affluent folks "of color".

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Gunion Powder

I've had an easier time striking up meaningful conversation with New Yorkers than most Texans. Down here the conversations usually end once they discover I don't care how their favorite team is doing.

In my experience, the more of a melting pot a place is, the more earnest and friendly people tend to be with everyone. Texas isn't quite there yet.

Boy, you live in a word of stereotypes, don't you? Where do you find all these stereotypical Texans?

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93

I was at the League City library yesterday and got there 10 minutes early, so I was waiting by the front door with about 6-8 other people. I sat down next to an older gentlemen and he noticed me on my smart phone and showed me his flip phone and told me he was going to "upgrade", so he and I chatted. A college aged girl was sitting on the bench opposite on her phone, and up walked a middle aged couple who both happened to be using canes. Immediately, the young woman (she of the maligned entitlement generation) stood up and offered the couple the bench (they politely declined). A toddler was there with a book tote on her shoulder and another elderly woman started talking to the child and Mom about how important reading is.

This is the kind of conversation between strangers that I did not notice during the 15 years I lived away from Texas in such places as Missouri and Colorado. Were the people friendly? For the most part. But did things like the above routinely happen? Not in my experience.

This. This is the Texas that I've lived in all my life, whether East, North, or Central Texas.

[Gunion Powder]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Boy, you live in a word of stereotypes, don't you? Where do you find all these stereotypical Texans?

You and I are clearly two different people from different backgrounds, so I don't know why you would expect our experiences to be the same.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Gunion Powder

You and I are clearly two different people from different backgrounds, so I don't know why you would expect our experiences to be the same.

You just keep describing all these Texans and their behavior that don't fit any that I have run into in 66 years of living in multiple parts of Texas. But you're right - I have one kind of experience repeatedly in multiple places and you have the opposite experience repeatedly. In each case, guess what the common denominator is?

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by Gunion Powder

I've had an easier time striking up meaningful conversation with New Yorkers than most Texans. Down here the conversations usually end once they discover I don't care how their favorite team is doing.

In my experience, the more of a melting pot a place is, the more earnest and friendly people tend to be with everyone. Texas isn't quite there yet.

Just to remind you, not only does Texas have five of the fastest growing (and largest) metro areas in the US, which are all very much "melting pots," Texas is also one of only four majority/minority states in the US, meaning that white, non Hispanics make up less than 50 percent of the population. And finally, there's a reason why Six Flags is called Six Flags - our cultural heritage is fascinating and chock full of a mix of cultures.

Seems like a melting pot to me.

I've never had anyone be rude to me when they found out I'm a Saints (sometimes Aints) fan by the way.