British people have issues talking to strangers

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Hey! This is not true! If anything, this is true of British cities, but also most other cities in the world. If you come to the country, people talking to strangers is not actually that unusual. It happens on public transport A LOT, in queues and shops and every other environment that gets strangers together for a prolonged amount of time.

And give the people on the tube a break, when you consider that most of my local bus services don't have that many stops or go at that speed, is it really any wonder people don't chat. You're barely on the train for 2 minutes and then you're at your destination. It'd be hard to have a worthwhile conversation with other people while they are also getting on and off for their respective destinations.

Also, as other posters have said, it depends who you try to talk to. A young person with headphones on might not want to talk, but an elderly person probably will. Someone who looks like they're enjoying the peace and quiet won't want to talk, but someone who looks bored will. Someone who is shy will want to be left alone, an extrovert will feed off the chance to socialise.

Don't hate on the Brits for having bad manners! That's practically blasphemy!

Reply 21

jama mj

i don't think that's true, most people are ok with talking to strangers i don't find it weird is someone talks to me randomly but i think its just people being shy or having a fear of embarrassment i.e talking to someone on the tube within earshot of strangers and you get rejected or ignored i think that's what most people are afraid of when deciding if they should talk to a stranger.

Reply 22

willbee

Original post by すごいです

Fair enough. I just find it funny how lots of my friends say they want to talk to them, but then just won't :tongue:

Maybe your friends are just young / insecure, and you're being whatever the national version of racist is...?

It sounds like you're actually saying: Sometimes my friends see a hot guy / girl, but they don't go up to them and I don't understand why not. I would totally have the balls to do that.

When actually, a lot of people wouldn't hit on a random stranger because it can be taken as rude. It often is rude.

We may have binge-drinking and the London Underground, but we still have a strong sense of right and wrong regarding manners.

Reply 23

BritBoyWonder

Original post by mrhedgehog

British people are less open compared to other people such as Americans.
I am currently in LA and I am British and I feel the difference. I think it is due to just staying inside all the time and when you are outside everyone is moody lol

Hows LA? without a doubt im guessing the females are :drool:

Reply 24

Hyde

I hope you understand you are generalising a whole population based on the people you know - there are loads of sociable people in the UK. However, that said, I hate random chit-chat to strangers - just going about my business and someone suddenly decides to tell me the weather is good

Reply 25

Autistic Merit

Generally this is true, but there are a few shining lights. I remember getting a bus from Aberystwyth up the Welsh coast and having a really long and enjoyable conversation with a lady who must have been in her eighties. At first, I thought she was just wanting to have my seat, and I'd have happily stood up for the whole journey, but, no, she wanted someone to talk to about the awful things her husband was going through; how he'd barely been ill a day of his life and now he was dying in a hospice. I related these events to how, for the majority of my life, my granddad was in a hospice and/or dying.

I'll never see her again, for sure, but you can't help but feel that the conversation wasn't completely pointless.

Reply 26

limetang

It's an efficiency thing. I think we realised at some point during our cultural evolution that the often dull chitchat which arises when one speaks to people people in lifts, and on trains more often than not was just tedious, and a waste of our time. In all seriousness though I think it's because the British attitude is one of "I have my friends, and I'm not really looking for any more so why bother with social interaction with strangers". There's nothing wrong with it per say, it's just the way a lot of us are.

Reply 27

rakusmaximus

Original post by mrhedgehog

I was surprised that only minutes after landing in America last year, people started to talk to me out of the blue on the tube, in queues, anywhere, as a Brit it was a bit unnerving, but an eye-opener into how much more sociable and unabashed some other cultures are.

Reply 28

c.a1979

Original post by jama mj

Why talk to strangers? Why must they give a **** about you or anybody else?

Reply 29

c.a1979

Original post by Martyn*

British people are generally not very sociable I find. They are only sociable when it involves three things and how they might get them: drink; money; and sex.

That's it usually, in my experience. Just go on the London Underground at 7am and you'll notice masses of people will not look at each other. They are going to work to make money. Then they get back on and do the same. They are going home to drink and have sex.

When I am leaving work on public transport, I'm generally tired, thinking of what to have for dinner, thinking of catching up with a friend on Facebook when I get home, etc.

I have time to speak some dopey arse stranger.

Reply 30

Not british

Original post by すごいです

Why is it that British people seem to have such an issue talking to strangers? I'll be out with friends and say we are on the train they will see somebody they want to talk to but just can't, then when I do it they look amazed I managed to... Why are so many people scared to talk to other people?

I would not agreed. British people love chatting so much, even with strangers (british people of course). They could gather in the middle of the isle at supermarket where completely blocked the way and they don't seem care. Perhaps you are not british?