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[–] 14 points 4 weeks ago (12 children)

Before social media this was totally normal. See someone you want to talk to? Walk up and say hi. There’s nothing odd about it

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  • [–] 9 points 4 weeks ago

    yeah im not sure how prevalent it is now but in my city in ages past it was pretty common to talk at public transit stops and grocery lines and such. I mean there is a casual way to strike up a conversation and a creepy way and movies by and large have these two. Even comedies about someone seeming creepy who did not mean to.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 weeks ago* (3 children)

    Before social media this was totally normal.

    That depends so much on where and when you are. I'm older than social media and no, strangers didn't walk up and say hi in my culture/s. There were plenty of places that sort of thing was acceptable but they were places with an implied invitation to socialise, not the street.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

    The post doesn't mention being on the street, it mentions walking around a mall and taking a break. Malls have historically been social locations since their inception, especially among those that choose to go there without the intention of shopping at the stores located within it. Nothing wrong with wandering the mall, but other people may think you are there to socialize if you aren't shopping... Especially if you are partaking in their favorite activity.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 weeks ago* (1 child)

    The post doesn’t mention being on the street, it mentions walking around a mall and taking a break.

    Oh well, it's a marginally different situation. Might as well just discount my entire comment. It's what I'm going to do with your forest-for-the-trees comment rather than engage any further.

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  • [–] 5 points 4 weeks ago (6 children)

    I grew up without social media and to me this is not at all normal. The only strangers who talk to you want to sell you something, or they have some mental issues.

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  • [–] 6 points 4 weeks ago (5 children)

    Maybe it's a cultural thing? Apparently America is unusually friendly compared to the rest of the world, and striking up conversations with strangers is pretty normal.

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  • [–] 5 points 4 weeks ago

    America is huge huge, there are several different norms across the country. The people who live in the Southern states have a wildly different approach than people who live in the Pacific Northwest, for example.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 weeks ago

    unusually friendly

    It's more how we define being polite in social situations. In much of the world it's considered rude to intrude on other people's time uninvited. I think the term is "negative politeness". How one feels about that is the cultural difference.

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  • [–] 4 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

    Yeah, I've met Americans who somehow manage to do that. As a European, it never happened to me and if I think about doing it myself it just seems creepy and weird.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 weeks ago (1 child)

    That's probably it then. I'd say it feels weirder in America if you're completely shut off to random small talk. It varies a bit by region, and certainly by individual, but I've never been anywhere in America where it's strange to strike up a conversation standing in line or waiting for a bus or something.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 weeks ago*

    I've been to the famously rude Boston area as a European, and I found the people waay to chatty and friendly. I'm buying groceries, for fuck's sake, don't ask me how I am doing!

    Yeah, it's cultural. I tend to joke that if someone smiles at me in public here, I'm discreetly checking where my wallet and phone are and which direction I should best run away to.

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