4
TIL that waving at strangers on a rural road isn't normal everywhere.
Grew up in a small town where you wave at every passing car, even if you don't know them. Moved to a city outside of Portland about 3 years ago and kept doing it out of habit. One day this guy in a pickup flipped me off because I waved at him from my truck. Realized pretty quick that city folks think you're either mocking them or trying to sell something. Has anyone else had that awkward moment where a habit from home just doesn't work in a new place?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
ben6626d ago
Wait, are you sure he flipped you off because you waved? I've lived near Portland my whole life and people wave sometimes, usually if you're on a back road or if you hold the door for someone. Maybe he was just having a bad day or you caught him off guard and he reacted weird. City folks aren't always rude, they just don't expect the wave unless you're in a parking lot or something.
2
luna8915d ago
You said "people wave sometimes, usually if you're on a back road" and that's exactly what it took me to figure out. I had the same problem when I moved from a town of 300 people to a medium sized city. What finally worked was scaling way back on the wave. I only do it now if I'm on a gravel road or if I'm making eye contact with someone at a four way stop. The full friendly arm wave from the truck just looks aggressive in town. I also learned to nod instead, that usually gets a neutral response or a smile instead of a middle finger.
2