Reply to Are people in the DC area just a different kind of rude?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The whole no eye contact or acknowledgement when passing by people on the sidewalk drives me crazy.[/quote]

This is not my experience at all in DC, but then most of my neighbors are longtime residents who have been here at least a couple generations. We acknowledge each other and say hi, even if we don't know each other. It's one of my favorite things about DC.

But the transplants, not so much.[/quote]

+1[/quote]

+1 Transplants give off an insecure vibe overall
 Maybe because they went to really top schools but because the nature of the industries in the area, their incomes are not as high as there Pierce in New York or San Francisco. Also the cost of living is super high here. Just so much insecurity and graceless
[/quote]

Yup. I'm a transplant but didn't go to a "top" school and just have a regular, pays-the-bills job. I feel like I am super friendly and I like that this seems to get a good response in DC. I have been here 15 years and I always make friends with my neighbors, my bus drivers, the old guys who hang out on the corners near my house, the folks at the coffee shop, bartenders, managers at our favorite restaurants... I feel like DC has a really small town vibe in the right ways. I've WFH for a while (well before Covid) and we've talked about moving out of DC because the cost of living is high. But I think I'd get really lonely in the suburbs. There's just a real community feel to where I live and even though I don't have an office or real coworkers, I feel like I belong somewhere and am part of something.

But my DH went to an Ivy League college and we are still friends with some of his friends from school and their families. Individually I think they are great people and I get along with them well, but I definitely feel like there is a real underlying insecurity and class consciousness when we spend time with these folks (mostly consultants and finance people, my DH works in government). They talk about money a lot, like A LOT. And lots of class indicators -- if you talk about going on vacation they want to know if you stayed at the Four Seasons. If you mention a friend who is a lawyer, they want to know which firm and have they heard of it. That kind of thing. Just a real focus on status. Most of their kids go to private school or are at charters and they will go to private for MS or HS. It sometimes doesn't really feel like they live in DC. They travel a lot and there's a weird remove there, like they aren't really present and invested in the city. It's hard to describe.

Anyway, I think that's who OP is talking about. And I agree with PP that its an insecurity thing, and that a lot of it seems to have to do with wanting to prove they are elite or successful, and comparing themselves to people in NY or SF or London or whatever. It feels very stressful and while I like these friends, I am always a little relieved when our time with them comes to an end so that I can relax again.[/quote]

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