Why are Europeans so rude compared to Americans?

[Anonymous]

I'm an American who has been to Europe twice -- 3 weeks in total and the thing that always stands out is how rude Europeans are. In London restaurants, they don't say "thank you" when I pay them, and when I say "thank you" when they bring out my food, I don't get a "you're welcome." I walk into a restaurant, no greeting from them, they just tell me where to sit like I'm cattle. It's even more deplorable in Italy and Germany. They push and shove you without saying "excuse me" even though many Germans know English. It wasn't THAT bad in france. I did hear "pardon" and "bonjour," but the people still aren't as friendly as in the U. S.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know but most come off as very vulgar and that’s the way they are raised so they don’t actually see it as ‘rude’, they likely think that’s just being ‘normal’ and anyone who finds it rude is too touchy or something lol

Most people around the world hate Americans and talk shit but I believe Americans in general tend to be the kindest nicest. The propaganda that is fed to us in America is what makes us stupid but what else can we do when all we are fed are half truths bent to what they want us to believe and then they repeat to us that all the others are the ones that have the ‘fake’ news, all the while they lie to us. We can’t even search anything online either because it’s all controlled and any just of the truth is also “fact” checked so that we don’t fall for what they call “false information” so we can’t know any better than what they want us to believe and the other countries hate us (the people) for it, as if we have any control over it.
And most of us believe blindly that what we are being told is the truth so we argue that what we know is what is in fact “true” .. and that’s why they call us stupid along with other comments. Can’t even blame us for being stupid when we can’t escape this fake bubble we live in.

But in the end I believe we are the nicest over all. Of curse there will be some bad people here and there but in general we tend to be the happier inviting people compared to others as a whole

[KostasKouvalis]

Londoners don't have the best reputation, but having spent quite a bit of time in Europe myself (mostly Poland), I have to agree with you. I've noticed that Europeans in general are shit when it comes to customer service. It's like they don't care about giving a good impression. A lot of them are scared to death of small talk and I think it's the only region I've been to where I've had people get mad at me for simply trying to ask directions. In restaurants you pretty much have to beg for your change. A like you said, someone can shove you or step on your foot and not even say excuse me. I was literally pushed onto a Polish bus when they started entering like a pack of wild animals. I don't know why they even let people reserve seats. One time some lady got her head caught in the door and no one cared. I've noticed a lot of Europeans are very cold and simply do not care about others. Like in Barcelona the busses and taxis went on strike and no one cared how we were gonna get to the airport. And they'll be straight up rude to you for no reason. It's like they don't care if people hate them.

Ironically, I also found the French to be some of the most polite, though their customer service also wasn't the best. And some Polish people in the rural villages where they don't get much tourism were really generous. The friendliest and most generous though definitely had to be the Greeks. They would always give me free stuff, invite me to their businesses, go above and beyond to help me with directions, and never demanded money for anything.

And 90% of the British people I've met abroad have been super friendly. One could even stuck up for us in Barbados. And the German people we meet are usually friendly, and the Poles are at least sociable.

But for the most part I agree with you. European people think so highly of themselves, but the majority of them lack basic manners.

[BCA6010]

That's completely opposite of my experience in those countries relative to each other. What part of Germany did you go to? I would say that there's a significant difference between Berlin and former East Germany compared to Munich, Frankfurt and the rest of former West Germany though.

In the US, there's been a long-running cultural norm you've probably heard your grandparents repeat, "if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all." This has since devolved into something even more inauthentic and less grounded in ethics, but all in all, it equates to a fantastical belief that most people are obligated to appreciate you. Europe is not, and never has been the same in this regard, and people are generally more blunt about their real opinions, for better or worse.

[Asker]

I was in Frankfurt and Koln.

[KostasKouvalis]

I was in Malta and there would be large groups of German tourists, both young and old, in museums and in the street, and when we would say, "Excuse me", they would just stand there, then get angry when we pushed our way through. And I know they spoke English. I've never encountered anyone who refused to get out of my path when I said "Excuse me." Definitely starting to dislike Germans.

[Kaytiee]

Maybe stop generalising your small travel experience to the whole of the country/continent. I'm from the UK and we have a reputation for being annoyingly over friendly, I have a friend from london and londoners are rude and busy.

They don't care for small talk. My friend from london is surprised everytime he visits up north, we have long conversations with cashiers, say thank you way too many times, thank the bus driver, etc etc. You went to london, not an accurate representation of england whatsoever.

[Asker]

I also went to Oxford and Windsor and the same thing happened there. No greeting from the restaurant employees when I walk in, no "thank you", no excuse me when a guy accidentally hit me with his backpack.

[Kaytiee]

Oxford and windsor, thats too south to get a genuine opinion of England and close to london, only an hour away.

Even fellow britons have commented the same, dont generalise the UK from london. Even I hate london and am shocked at the rudeness as a northerener. If you go to the UK again, don't go to touristy areas or down south. Manchester, scotland, the midlands, all great areas.

[Levin]

Manchester is great. If the princess ever comes up north we'll show her a good time!

[Cubus]

It depends where. You may be surprised, but not whole Europe looks the same, mostly because of the Iron Curtain.

I've been in many countries of the Eastern Europe - Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Greece (wasn't part of Iron Curtain but geographically is in the east). They are all nice, especially Hungarians and Czechs.

When it comes to Western Europe I only been to Austria and Italy, and didn't seem they were rude more than average. So I guess it's only an issue in England, France, Germany and Scandinavia.

[Levin]

It's a different culture, lass.

Saying you're welcome is just a gesture, it doesn't make someone more polite.

You're also, presumably, visiting big cities and making generalisations based on that.

Come up north, we're much nicer than the London rats!

[Levin]

Sorry we didn't roll out the red carpet for you, princess.

by the way, maybe if you'd told them you were an actual princess you might have received apt treatment.

[Kaytiee]

Can't express this enough, I went to london for a queen concert at the o2 recently, hadn't visited since I was about 3 years old which I obviously can't remember. Got screamed at by the bloody bus driver! People bumping into you and not bothering to say sorry, P&Qs are non-existent.

London truly is a bad representation of the UK, Yet Americans go to the most touristy place on the bloody planet and generalise the whole of the UK from it, it's hilarious to me.

[Levin]

@Kaytiee Yeah, I mean, not to overgeneralise, but cities are a kind of congregation of a certain mentality, like a kind of egoistic careerism type of individual, this is hardly representative of the country as a whole. I mean, to be fair, people are still very nice in Manchester though.

[Levin]

Are you a bunny?

[Kaytiee]

Yes it's a city thing too, but 100x worse in london. I grew up in a village with under 2,000 people. Random people saying goodmorning, how am I, etc.

Whereas cities are a bit colder, however I still get doors held open for me and I hold them open for others too, I will get a quick sorry sometimes if people bump into me and at cafes the baristas usually aren't rude but you can't always guarantee it.

I've travelled to a few cities now with my friends, and the worst was London with my mum, I felt like I wasn't even in the UK.

[Kaytiee]

Hahah no, just a fake one.

[Levin]

@Kaytiee I think you've just given me another kink, man.

Thanks for that. :(

And yeah, London does not appeal to me at all. Eastenders and the rude southerners I've met have given me an allergy to it.

[jamiexoxo]

they're a bunch of barbarians who've battled through the ages, yielding axes & broadswords...

They think nothing of hacking off a few limbs or the odd head here & there in a normal days events...

on my recent visit to Europe i almost got raped & pillaged by a gang shadow walkers in the nth London ...

[Theabcking]

Because they don't get butt hurt by words like "cunt" or need to be coddled like a child. Most of them are mature adults and they can handle handle adult things unlike a lot of Americans who cry about everything like a bad word. They know how to adult and don't take everything up the ass.

[Tyrael]

I've never been to America so I can't comment from first hand experience, but I live in the UK and I've been to Europe and I think we're pretty friendly here.

In fact my country (Scotland) is home to the city of Glasgow, which was recently voted the friendliest city in the world

https://www. timeout. com/news/glasgow-has-been-named-the-worlds-friendliest-city-071222

[YollyM]

It's impossible for the whole continent to have the same character, be "rude". It's only the number of people you came across, they do not represent all ethnic groups of Europe.

Realise that you are playing into the SAME stereotype that is "Americans are dumb".

[jshm2]

Nope. You act like an American, you get treated like like an American.

You are not entitled to peoples attention just because you're a murican. Wind your neck in.

[bean2k21]

Mind your manners, redcoat.

[Asker]

I don't even have to tell them I'm American. I'm talking about pushing and shoving me without apologizing on the street. In America, people would say "excuse me." In Europe, they don't give a fck.

[Anonymous]

we're not rude we just don't have a culture of being extremely superficially friendly with random people and we also don't really interract with strangers as much as americans do. all the stuff you mentionned isn't that rude it's normal but that being said that many people will say your welcome, hi, thank you, sorry, all that in those situations. just kinda depends who you come accross, but the people doing what you said aren't being rude though

[Avicenna]

And just imagine, you didn’t have to deal with the European bureaucrats!

Part of what you experienced is people being stressed out by their environment, when they’re more relaxed, they’re friendlier.

[jamiexoxo]

only between battles & they've cleared the wounded will they engage in a civil conversation, Europeans are always grumpy earlier in the day!! I believe it's instinctive evolutionary behavior, don't forget they would regularly have to avoid & slay Dragon's or Warlocks & the like.. it would be a horrible start to the day

[MelvinGeek]

As an American, I always thought of Europeans as nicer compared to Americans. At the very least quiet. But I guess this is a consequence of the grass always seeming greener on the other side.

[dustybiker]

I would say the opposite. Europeans usually react to Americans rudeness with rudeness. Those that behave like this just don’t notice until the get it dished back to them. In my experience.

[melanieeeB]

Don't lump together London with whole ass Europe lol

[FilmGuy93]

Imagine coming from a culture of people that used to rule the planet but currently have absolutely nothing of value to give at present.

[Soteris]

Its just a different standard of greetings that you translate into being "rude".

[Anonymous]

You are joking, right? I have lived in the UK and people there are far friendlier than the average American.

[Asker]

In which city or county do you live? I might travel in that area sometime in the future to see if they're as friendly as you say. I've only been to London, Windsor, and Oxford in the UK.

[MiseriaCantareAFI]

Actually it's the opposite. I've found Europeans to be very polite, as opposed to Americans, especially ones from the south

[AsaKyo]

Europeans have always been very kind and pleasant to me, so I don't know what you did wrong

[Dargil]

They are jealous of us. We've nursemaided them for 77 years.

[Anonymous]

Fuck off yankie. Britbongs don't represent the whole of Europe, however do us a favor and don't visit other countries apart from the cUK.

[Staximus]

I won't let those rude bastards push me around

[EnglishEuropean]

I can't speak for your experiences in London. I doubt it's typical of the UK as a whole.

[OddBeMe]

I really dont find this true in my travels. Especially eastern Europe, but they’ve been threw hell.

[RandomGuy1030]

Europeans are also more left leaning, homosexual, etc. Overall, more depraved

[Celtrabbit]

Because Europeans are not faking it

[jimmy2]

Life today has changed more people are mad

[JesseJayNeak]

They don’t like strangers very much

[jamiexoxo]

They hold deep in their hearts the memories of a dark time, when the stories of giants approaching from the western realms stumping across the Atlantic as if like a boot through a puddle, the Europeans united with the elves in the north & later joined the spice hunters in the south, courageously defeating the Axe swinging giants,

It's thought that the ancient city of Atlantis might have perished under a giants foot...