I am going to make conversation with a random group of strangers in the next elevator, bus, check-out line, or any other mundane environment. Then, I am going to ask them how often people interract with them in such a place, and if they found the experience nice, fun, creepy, or annoying.
Last summer I explored this issue quite a bit. What I learned is that many, who are anti-social, simply despise strangers making small talk when they don't feel like socializing. Sometimes I wonder if this very behavior is fostered by a society which is lacking in a sense of community or kinship. It's the same way people are very friendly in small towns versus larger cities. In a small town, you're forced to interract and know people. But, large cities are training grounds for impersonal behavior. Not to go on a tangent or anything, but it feels like we are just bred to work and simply complete our life cycle, but never find meaningful moments in between. One thing every human has in common is that we each exist on this planet, trying to find ourselves in the process. Sometimes, I wish more people would see this.
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I came across this site when looking for commentary on how Americans are more friendly than others - and we seem to have the opposite viewpoint! People I've met from other countries frequently comment on how strange it is that Americans will just start conversations with strangers without knowing them.
As a reference point, I am from Chicago. Friends from Greece and Japan have both brought up this subject with me. The Greek has been living in England for three years.
I wonder why we have such different viewpoints about this!
Check out what happened when my friend tried the talking to strangers experiment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVRc4_AiGl0
See my website for the solution:
http://www.happierabroad.com
Winston
LS, maybe those foreigners you know haven't been here long, or they were just trying to be polite to get on your good side, or impress you cause they are lonely and want to be friends with you.
Americans may start up conversations, but they don't invite you places,and certainly not young women. Usually it's older folks that talk to strangers, not young pretty women.
In other countries, people talk to strangers like they already know them (exceptions are Japan, Taiwan, etc.) even pretty women do.
And women do not mind if you flirt with them or express interest in them. It's not creepish like in America.
For many examples, see these quotes from foreigners and immigrants I collected:
http://www.happierabroad.com/ebook/Page32.htm
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