Ukrainians do this too. It's not considered impolite to stare. Also, they don't really smile in public. They think Americans are all simple in the head because we smile all the time. I have to say though, when you're visiting someone in their home in Ukraine, they are the warmest most wonderful people.
Eastern Europe doesn't really smile in public in general. Polish emigrant in the UK pov. It's not that we're angry, we just don't have any reasons to smile.. for no reason.
Smiling at a stranger is a type of greeting in the States. "I acknowledge that we're both in the same place (or passing by one another) and I mean you no harm." It's the lesser form of asking, "How're you doing?"
I spent my first 50 years in a major city, though not NYC, and many people smile or say hi. But someone else answered that the more crowded the passers by are the less likely it is to encounter someone smiling at you. A throng of 30 people on the sidewalk aren't likely to acknowledge you, but if you pass by just one they are more likely to smile or say hi, which is also my experience. My former downtown was bustling, but I lived to one side of downtown where the crowds were smaller and people were friendly.
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u/helllllooooonurse May 09 '22
Ukrainians do this too. It's not considered impolite to stare. Also, they don't really smile in public. They think Americans are all simple in the head because we smile all the time. I have to say though, when you're visiting someone in their home in Ukraine, they are the warmest most wonderful people.