# Are Europeans really unfriendlier than Americans? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 29, 2015, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105 "2015-05-29T11:36:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/21 "2015-05-29T14:02:53Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I thought he meant Sepp Blatter. > > Regards, > Shodan Obvious, now. I lived through the Bud Selig years. Soccer doesn’t even ping my radar. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/22 "2015-05-29T14:02:57Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Lord Vader?! Worse. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/23 "2015-05-29T14:03:09Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Great: another thinly disguised hate letter about Portland. What is this, number five or six? Shit’s getting really tedious. Nah, I think he moved out of that hell-hole known as Portland and moved to Utopia…I mean Eugene. Guess the shiny wore off quickly there too. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/24 "2015-05-29T14:05:31Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I thought he meant Sepp Blatter. > > Regards, > Shodan I was thinking Bernie Ecclestone. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/25 "2015-05-29T14:05:40Z")
If this phenomenon actually exists, might it not be a language issue? It’s a lot easier to be friendly in your native language. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/26 "2015-05-29T14:21:36Z")
Wherever you go, the best way to make friends is to assume everyone on a continent is pretty much the same. Everyone loves being pigeonholed! ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/27 "2015-05-29T14:29:38Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > I often hear how friendly and open-minded Americans are compared to Europeans, and honestly it kind of scares me. Because I find Americans are overall (not of all them) pretty narrow minded and damn judgmental, at least in Oregon where I live. And not friendly at all, tbh. It’s pretty much impossible to spontaneously make friends in the United States. It’s your region. America differs greatly from region to region. Northwest and Northeast = unfriendly; Midwest and South = friendly. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/28 "2015-05-29T14:44:16Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Northwest and Northeast = unfriendly; Midwest and South = friendly. Hey, fuck you, pal! Fuhgeddaboutit. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/29 "2015-05-29T14:46:57Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Northwest and Northeast = unfriendly; Midwest and South = friendly. Say what? As a lifelong Southerner, I know this is patently untrue. Most of the South can be friendly as long as you’re not gay or black or non-Christian or any of a number of other labels. If you’re any of those? Well, you might get lucky and land yourself in one of the bigger cities. What the OP needs is a long look in the mirror. Canada or Minnesota or Europe aren’t going to solve his problems. People are people. Period. Local geography doesn’t change that. I guess it hasn’t come up, but permanently relocating to England or Germany is going to be exceedingly difficult as a mostly unemployed person on public assistance with little to nothing to offer another country. It’s not like they’re just going to welcome people with open arms just if they but ask. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/30 "2015-05-29T14:52:59Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Worse. Carrot Top? ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/31 "2015-05-29T14:58:08Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Carrot Top? Think three Godzilla-sized Hitlers with the powers of Sauron and Voldemort combined, and you may be getting close to the ballpark. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/32 "2015-05-29T15:04:28Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > I’m talking worse. Adolf Stalin? ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/33 "2015-05-29T15:38:39Z")
The majority of people here in the UK are decent enough, like everywhere, and often self-absorbed arseholes, like everywhere. You might get some mileage out of your novelty accent in the pub if you came here; but if beneath that you’re humourless and bitter, the novelty will wear thin fast. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/34 "2015-05-29T15:44:48Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Americans are some of the friendliest people I have ever interacted with. Continental Euros are probably the second least friednly, after the undisputed Kings, Gulf and Peninsula Arabs. I always thought of this as a city/country divide. People in the larger cities were about as reserved as people in DC tend to be. Once you got out to the smaller cities and towns, I found most people to be pretty friendly in Europe. I think it is the same thing in the states. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/35 "2015-05-29T15:49:58Z")
Americans in general are nicer, friendlier than people I’ve met in every other nation I’ve visited. However, I’ve met friendly people and made friends in lots of countries. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/36 "2015-05-29T16:03:08Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Think three Godzilla-sized Hitlers with the powers of Sauron and Voldemort combined, and you may be getting close to the ballpark. **Colibri**? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/37 "2015-05-29T16:25:08Z")
> [@sr siete](#): > > think three godzilla-sized hitlers with the powers of sauron and voldemort combined, and you may be getting close to the ballpark. _ **Ed Zotti???!** _ ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/38 "2015-05-29T16:28:47Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Think three Godzilla-sized Hitlers with the powers of Sauron and Voldemort combined, and you may be getting close to the ballpark. Well, maybe if Hitler were Godzilla sized, we wouldn’t have lost his brain. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/39 "2015-05-29T17:24:17Z")
As someone who’s been living in Portlandia for almost six years, my experiences have been pretty much the opposite of the OP. I find most people here to very friendly and chill, which has been quite the contrast from the DC metro area where I lived before. Almost aggressively friendly, actually. **protoboard** , the problem is probably you. You should probably start planning a move to somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105/40 "2015-05-29T18:31:52Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Think three Godzilla-sized Hitlers with the powers of Sauron and Voldemort combined, and you may be getting close to the ballpark. Not Kim Jong-un, then, too short . . . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-europeans-really-unfriendlier-than-americans/721105.md?page=3)