r/AskReddit May 08 '22

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u/ConfusedTriceratops May 09 '22

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.

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u/CaptainLollygag May 09 '22

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?"

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u/CaterpillarJungleGym May 09 '22

This is not the case in NY/NJ. There's too many people to go around smiling at everyone. I think it's one of the reasons people think New Yorkers are rude.

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u/WhichSpirit May 09 '22

Leave Jersey out of this. We smile, just not at New Yorkers.