Washington DC a World Away from Portland, Oregon
While sitting in our hotel room on the third night I picked up a copy of the May 2008 Smithsonian magazine. An article by Joan Acocella called, "You got a problem with that." gives her insight on why she thinks New Yorkers are viewed as rude. I chuckled and thought, "that is exactly what I think of those we have met here in Washington D.C. Her theory is that the people in New York are mostly immigrants who came to this country with a plan and seeking something, she states, "this suggests that the population is preselected for higher energy and ambition." Not exactly one of the reasons I would choose to consider someone overly intelligent nor a reason for them to forgo kindness to others. I did however, consider this information when I was thinking of the way the residents of Washington DC were treating us.
While in Washington DC I noticed that no one in the service industry smiled when they waited on you. The older woman who was working at the ice cream stand at the National Air and Space Museum actually walked up and said, "what do you want?" Now don't get me wrong, there are people in Oregon that are rude. It is just amazing to me that in the entire 9 days of our trip I can count on one hand the number of people who actually smiled and said things such as, "may I help you?" "Is everything okay?" and biggest of all is "Excuse me."
While visiting the National Zoo my grand-daughter was walking through the tiger paws exhibit looking at the exhibits. While she was reading to us from the sign, a woman actually pushed her aside to place her two children in front of my grand-daughter. This action was apparently so she could take a picture. She did not say excuse me, pardon me, nothing at all polite came out of the woman's mouth, I was stunned.
At no time did anyone say "Excuse me" when pushing in front of us in line at the super market or restaurant. Nor did they smile when passing us on the street. These are things I guess we in Oregon take for granite. Our parents were very strict with us in these few words; please, thank you, excuse me, may I have, etc. I just assumed others were taught the same way. My family has traveled overseas to many wonderful places, we have never encountered such rude people.
The streets are a completely different story, if the light turns green you will certainly have the person in the car behind you honking. Actually before you can even step on the gas pedal. I have never heard so many horns honk in a day than what I heard in Washington DC. It amazed me to say the least, and people who meet you at the bottom floor when the elevator arrives, they do not let you come off the elevator before stepping in, I found that interesting also. Now don't get all up in arms because I am making these observations, I am not saying that everyone living in Washington DC is this way, just the thousands that my family had the pleasure of seeing during our nine day stay in the city.
I would have thought that perhaps this treatment was strictly made towards us but, unfortunate for those in DC I found others being treated the same way.
My family enjoyed our trip to this city and the gift of being able to see our Nations Capital, visit all the memorials that are dedicated to those of importance to our country and what what they stand for. Unfortunately I cannot say that we enjoyed our encounter with the people of Washington D.C. I would not recommend it to anyone without first preparing them for the rude treatment and cold people of this great city.
Published by CJMathis
CJ is an avid traveler who enjoys sharing her travel experiences, tips, and fun with her readers. Living in Central Oregon on a small ranch with her husband, 3 horses, 6 dogs, daughter and grand-daughter, s... View profile
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25 Comments
Post a CommentI lived in the DC area and have lived in Portland for nearly 20 years now.
For starters, Portlanders are very nice and smiley on the streets and everywhere else. But I quickly found that to be a little less than genuine when it came to close personal encounters - Portland is very stand-offish about outsiders. Yes, the DC area is abrupt and even rude, but when they're nice to you it means something more. I learned quickly here in Portland (as did many of my friends who've migrated here) that when someone invites you skiing, or says "let's do _____ in a few days," that it is not uncommon for those plans to never happen. That was a huge difference for me to adjust to moving West.
Crowding
There are so many more people in DC than here in Portland. Take any number of countries in Asia and look at how their cultures behave amidst the enormous population in smaller spaces. Portland still has that small town charm while it is a larger city... And we have so much more space!
Servers
I
yeah people in DC tend to be more abrupt and impersonal. I guess it's what happens when you're surrounded by cut throat politicians.
Seems that diversity breeds rudenss - I'm from Indiana and Hoosiers are probably some of the most polite people I've met. Big cities just seem to breed contention. IMHO. Great article - perfect topic.
There are going to be rude people everywhere, it's all a matter of perspective.Perhaps this is what is "courteous" for them, but I'm sure most people in D.C aren't like that. The Smithsonian article the woman wrote about New Yorkers was just ignorant.
Too bad you had this experience. But DC is a rather eclectic city. I haven't been there for a while, but don't remember any particular bad experiences, save for the impossible task of getting a cab to Georgetown! Good writing.
I hope this didn't spoil your trip...most people in D.C. are from someplace else and brought their bad manners with them.
I love your writing style. Nice narrative style.
I have only been in DC once back in '97. Don't remember how the people there were, though. Hopefully they aren't always so ...er... dog-eats-dog... all the time. :o)
You've pretty much nailed it! I'm from the DC area, and every time I go home to visit, I'm struck by just how rude the people are. I don't remember it being so bad when I lived there 10+ years ago, to be honest. I think it's the result of too much politicking, too much competition and too much latent aggression.
Thanks for the observations. The last time that I was in DC was when I was 11 or 12. I didn't notice the people when I was that age. :)