A strangers nod - only in Ireland?

gormdubhgorm

I was over in London and it never ceases to freak me out.
Why?
Well when you nod/say hi to a stranger or passerby they actually force themselves to look straight ahead (no eye contact) and in some cases they actually speed up!

I start getting paranoid then and wonder "jayus am I scaring them?" maybe I have forgotten how to nod properly?

Then when back he Ireland there are more nods then Noddy from Toytown (ironically since he is English if I not mistaken ).

I just want to know what the cultural thing is in other countries?

Are there nodding countries or a non-nodding countries?

Or does it depend more on whether it is a suburban or rural area?

Sh1tbag OToole

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Anytime I'm in the UK I'm taken aback by the way strangers on the street always wish you a "good morning" or "good afternoon" as you pass them on the street.

Ted111

Well, lads.

Your Face

The answer was b).

failinis

Trenton Long Sortie wrote: »

Anytime I'm in the UK I'm taken aback by the way strangers on the street always wish you a "good morning" or "good afternoon" as you pass them on the street.

Never happened where I am, I have nodded at people and said "Good Morning" or "Nice weather" etc and only received dirty or odd looks or people totally blanking me.
I never expect a reply, but the odd stare/look is pretty weird to me.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

failinis wrote: »

Never happened where I am, I have nodded at people and said "Good Morning" or "Nice weather" etc and only received dirty or odd looks or people totally blanking me.
I never expect a reply, but the odd stare/look is pretty weird to me.

It must vary with the area.

jimmii

failinis wrote: »

Never happened where I am, I have nodded at people and said "Good Morning" or "Nice weather" etc and only received dirty or odd looks or people totally blanking me.
I never expect a reply, but the odd stare/look is pretty weird to me.

In the city you'll get weird looks in the country you'll get a hello or nod back same as Ireland. The further you are from a city centre the better the response you get seems to be the general way it works everywhere.

failinis

jimmii wrote: »

In the city you'll get weird looks in the country you'll get a hello or nod back same as Ireland. The further you are from a city centre the better the response you get seems to be the general way it works everywhere.

Trenton Long Sortie wrote: »

It must vary with the area.

Ya but I am in the sticks, but might be this area. Ah well.

Terrontress

In London, I'll often say hello to random people, who then look at me like I'm mad.

So now, I'll only say it to those who look like they'll say it back. Or else if I'm trying to prove I'm not racist so I'll say it to a random black person.

eamonnq

failinis wrote: »

Never happened where I am, I have nodded at people and said "Good Morning" or "Nice weather" etc and only received dirty or odd looks or people totally blanking me.
I never expect a reply, but the odd stare/look is pretty weird to me.

Works better if you are not naked.

jimmii

failinis wrote: »

Ya but I am in the sticks, but might be this area. Ah well.

Don't be fecking doing it around the GPO when you head to Dublin! I guess the reason it's not done in more populated areas is you would just spend the day saying hello Non-stop would get a bit tiring after a while!

jimmii

eamonnq wrote: »

Works better if you are not naked.

Same as when ordering in restaurants.

Sh1tbag OToole

jimmii wrote: »

Don't be fecking doing it around the GPO when you head to Dublin! I guess the reason it's not done in more populated areas is you would just spend the day saying hello Non-stop would get a bit tiring after a while!

Well lad how she cuttin?

jimmii

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

Well lad how she cuttin?

*nods awkwardly*

Ruu

Any schtir?

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.

SCOOP 64

Trenton Long Sortie wrote: »

Anytime I'm in the UK I'm taken aback by the way strangers on the street always wish you a "good morning" or "good afternoon" as you pass them on the street.

Were was you in the UK ?

failinis

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

Were was you in the UK ?

I know you asked Sra. but I was in Cornwall, in a rural part.
They don't seem to like non-locals, Royston-Vasey style.

gormdubhgorm

Terrontress wrote: »

In London, I'll often say hello to random people, who then look at me like I'm mad.
I'll only say it to those who look like they'll say it back.

I got to this stage as well but how do you judge that?


There must be some criteria!?

It was strange enough for me to change my "howaya" to a simple "hello"...

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

Were was you in the UK ?

Not sure how it matters, but Liverpool, London, Exeter, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh, Swansea, to name a few..

Stigura

Cornwall? Try Devon! Or, Don't! Not saying all of Devon is vile. But, I've travelled over much of england. Devon was ~ let's say; Memorable!

Now, Dorset? Next county along? Grand.

SCOOP 64

Trenton Long Sortie wrote: »

Not sure how it matters, but Liverpool, London, Exeter, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh, Swansea, to name a few..

Were you wearing a white collar, you would have to be to get "good mornings","Good afternoon" in most of them towns.

Knex*

As someone else pointed out, the more built up an area, the fewer the nods and salutes.

I live in Dublin, where I'd only nod at folks in my apartment complex, but when I go back to rural Cork, the full culchie arsenal of nods, rhetorical salutations, and the various hand gestures from the rural driving salute guide, are brought out in full display.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

Were you wearing a white collar, you would have to be to get "good mornings","Good afternoon" in most of them towns.

You seem to disbelieve me. so carry on with stereotyping because I couldn't be bothered debating it. I told you my experience in those places and can't see why you should contradict what I know I have experienced.

I'm sure these things differ from town to twin and even street to street but differ they do.

Agricola

As well as the countryside/city divide it's an age thing too. Often find no matter where you are, if you pass an elderly gent who looks like he enjoys a nice tweed jacket, he will invariably say hello or at the very least enthusiastically reply to your hello if you make the first move.

People of less advanced years generally tend to find saying hello / nodding to strangers as odd. Shure we're all globalized now, facebanging our mates in Oz on the auld smartphone, no time for interacting with freaks in the real world.

JeffKenna

Why are you saying hello to random people?

boobar

I live in a rural area, you'll be ostracised by the community if you miss out on even one salute. So it's the norm there.

Occasionally I work in Dublin, was there last week, stuck in traffic one morning on the canal, got a shock when a guy on the other side of the road started making small talk about the traffic and weather. Not the norm in Dublin.

boobar

JeffKenna wrote: »

Why are you saying hello to random people?

Howya.

Agricola

JeffKenna wrote: »

Why are you saying hello to random people?

It can be awkward not to. Like the other day I was walking down the street and said older gentleman was standing outside his gate, taking the air and fiddling with his tweed jacket about to set off somewhere. He was right in my line of sight and he was looking at me passing him by, and maybe it's just me, but it would seem very ignorant not to at least give him the nod and the raised eye brows. I elected for a "hello" and he replied with the same.
Just courtesy in acknowledging another human being.

Having said that, I don't go around doing it all day long and if he had been a 20 year old staring at his smartphone, I would'nt bother me ass at all!

Spanish Eyes

If you don't say "Bonjour" to EVERYONE in France you are toast. Lovely thing it is.

Aongus Von Bismarck

It's a rural thing. I haven't lived in Galway in almost 20 years, but I still find myself throwing out the first finger in greeting to a passing car when I'm back home. It's a lovely thing to do, but not exclusive to Ireland. In rural Germany you will often get a passing finger from a fellow car owner as you pass them on a small road on the way to the start of a hiking trailhead.

Chocolate fiend

I was walking along the street in Wellington (NZ) one morning and I sneezed, about 3 or 4 random people said "bless you" that was about 10 years ago and it still sticks out in my mind as the most friendly place I ever lived.

indioblack

Chocolate fiend wrote: »

I was walking along the street in Wellington (NZ) one morning and I sneezed, about 3 or 4 random people said "bless you" that was about 10 years ago and it still sticks out in my mind as the most friendly place I ever lived.

LOL - loved this.

tampopo

I've done a lot of nodding over in Japan. They're well into it over there.
I stand out like a sore thumb so people are looking at my to begin with.
It's well received and returned. Restores my faith in humanity.

ArtSmart

tampopo wrote: »

I've done a lot of nodding over in Japan. They're well into it over there.
I stand out like a sore thumb so people are looking at my to begin with.
It's well received and returned. Restores my faith in humanity.

Em, don't you know a nod in Japan is a challenge to a Kung-fu fight?


For those caught in small rural communities that feel they have to gesture to people they actually hate, here's the secret.

Salute them with three fingers, and say to yourself, "read between the lies, idiot."

Very therapeutic

Duckworth_Luas

ArtSmart wrote: »

Em, don't you know a nod in Japan is a challenge to a Kung-fu fight?

Ah it's a challenge to a taekwondo fight, you idiot.

Kung fu is from Thailand.

Hugo Stiglitz

I do a weak smile along with an almost inaudible "Hi.".

J Mysterio

The village im from had a population of about 1000 people before the Celtic Tiger.

I remember when the population increased to about 3000 and suddenly there were people who if you said 'hello' to them, passing them on the street, they would blank you. Bastards!

Myself and a pal used to say hello to everone on our jaunts about, seeing who the 'decent folk' where.

J Mysterio

Hugo Stiglitz wrote: »

I do a weak smile along with an almost inaudible "Hi.".

Thats a favourite.

Dravokivich

Duckworth_Luas wrote: »

Ah it's a challenge to a taekwondo fight, you idiot.

Kung fu is from Thailand.

Kung Fu came from a bill board. It's derivative of something else Chinese, but marketed as such for the Americans.

Hager

Duckworth_Luas wrote: »

Ah it's a challenge to a taekwondo fight, you idiot.

Kung fu is from Thailand.

And taekwando is from Korea

Its a nice gesture and various parts of Ireland have slightly different versions, i was on a walk in Clare and this young lad passed us and did the non and said how are ye.

Another version is 'how's it going' followed by a reply of 'grand' and the return reply is 'and yourself'. I always nod or say hello to people. In my mother version instead of replying grand she would say 'I'm the finest'