14 ms·

I'm from eastern europe and I just thought that's what city etiquette is. I'm not going to say hi to every one of the 200 strangers I see on my daily walk... T

• null_object 5y ago
  >I'm not going to say hi to every one of the 200 strangers I see on my daily walk.. >Talking on the bus stop? What? I don't want to suggest that your post is in bad faith, but it does seem to be willfully misinterpreting what I was describing. Quite obviously people aren't heartily haling every total stranger they meet walking down Oxford Street in London. But in small encounters there's not only the custom to be polite and acknowledge the other people around you, there's an expectation that you'll make smalltalk, and reduce the friction of everyday city life. It shows consideration, and it's considered to be a mark of civilization. I'm sure for shy people it could be seen as a negative, but if the bus is delayed and you and one other person are left standing at the stop for 30 more minutes, a few words grumbling about the transport service, and then the weather, are a way to soften the discomfort. And as others have pointed-out, it has utility in everyday life: people 'noticing' each other can even save lives. In Stockholm I cannot even begin to enumerate the number of times I've stepped into a situation that others have ignored, staring straight ahead and behaving as though they're alone in the city.