Unfriendly Experience Recently

[corvettec3]

We find very few unfriendly people in our travels. It is very seldom that when we are out for walks throughout campgrounds that we do not chat with someone. But most of the time it is our 100 lb very friendly Labradoodle that draws the most attention

[laj]

It's nice to exchange greetings, but some people just don't know when to quit. That's not an invitation for them to tell you all about their family problems for the next hr. so i think it's just a self protection mode against that.

[RickO]

Originally Posted by Wayne M

Geesh! Consider where you were.

Come to Texas and everyone will say howdy.

Wayne speaks the truth.

I did have to chuckle when I read the OP though. Several years ago when we were making our first trip to the east I started a very similar thread asking if everyone out east was "unfriendly".

We have three dogs so we're out walking them at least twice per day and always say hello to anyone we make eye contact with. Nothing makes me feel more foolish than saying hi to someone... only to have them turn away without acknowledgement. Often times we even felt as though we were getting suspicious looks in return as though they felt we were trying to "get something from them".

Since then, we've traveled a great deal more and have found that it's not geography specific... with the exception of Texas where everyone seems to be very friendly and hospitable.

We're currently in Connecticut hanging out waiting for the colors to change. We're in a fairly remote (for us anyway) CG with sites mostly filled with either seasonal folks or folks who rent spots all season and leave their trailers there for weekend getaways. Although we get some acknowledgement from the people here, we do feel as though we're looked at with curiosity for being the outsiders that we are.

We try to just let it slide off our backs but it never stops feeling strange.

Rick

[jzick]

It's nice to exchange greetings, but some people just don't know when to quit. That's not an invitation for them to tell you all about their family problems for the next hr. so i think it's just a self protection mode against that.

I agree. I will say hello, but sometimes it is impossible to keep from getting a lot more information than I want or need without just being rude. I kind of like the company I am with when I am alone and do not normally need to socialize. I am sure there have been some campground neighbors that think I must be the model for Jeff Dunham's dummy, Walter. Different strokes, I guess.

[monkey]

Guess I was also expecting a little different response from fellow RV'rs .. But as already posted, times have changed. (for the worst IMO) I'm still an old school trucker, flash my lights to let another truck back over in my lane. More times than not there is no "thankyou",, oh well.. We always travel with our "kids" as in my sig, so I'm sure some people can be intimidated by them. (big babies) . Just last week we had a nice couple walk up to our site to say hello, but they brought their dog up too. NOT a good idea, as that is home to ours. We use portable X pens to just make a small fenced in area under the awning. (they are still Always on leash!) Anyway, after we got ours inside, I made it a point of walking after them to talk a minute, and they were very nice people ! We had a nice visit. I promise if you ever see me/us out there rv'ing, I bet I will be the first to wave or just say hello... And if no response, I'll still try again next time. We aren't looking to sit down for hours, but a simple wave or hello, and go on your way goes a long ways now days... Or if times are right, sit and have a brew with me ! Don't give up on being friendly !

[roadmap]

most campers are very friendly,once in awhile we run across someone that probably just wants to get away from it all.So we speak and walk on,we love meeting other campers and finding out what part of the world they live in.So just keep speaking to all you come across and the one's that aren't friendly just keep walking.

[akadeadeye]

We greet everyone.

Our motorhome invites curiosity because it is a mid-engine diesel. On more than a few occasions men have approached me after passing by us in the front and then in the back. They ask, where the heck is the engine? That gets a conversation going. I have been tempted to tell them it is all electric but have refrained......so far.

Another conversation icebreaker is when they see my wife coming down the wheelchair lift from the passenger side back door. Now, we have noticed that some people shy away from approaching people in a wheelchair but others come up and start talking right away.

Hey, life is short. Enjoy it and be friendly. It takes a lot fewer facial muscles to smile than it does to frown.

If all else fails, come to Texas. We'll be proud to have you.

Don

[Gadget63]

Originally Posted by jzick

I agree. I will say hello, but sometimes it is impossible to keep from getting a lot more information than I want or need without just being rude. I kind of like the company I am with when I am alone and do not normally need to socialize. I am sure there have been some campground neighbors that think I must be the model for Jeff Dunham's dummy, Walter. Different strokes, I guess.

<--- is definitely Walter... LOL

[monkey]

I'd like to add on a trip out west earlier this year we stopped at a Very nice camp ground (name escapes me at the moment) in Gallop NM, and there was a rental class C across the drive from us. Took an hour or so, but when I saw the older couple walking by and we were set up, (I was sitting outside having an adult beverage after driving all day) , I said hello, they stopped and talked for maybe 10 minutes. They were visiting the United States from Sweden. Very nice couple, and I hope they could ignore the bad, and remember the nice conversation we had. I Loved talking to someone from another country . They told me about the Small campers they had in their country, and a lot more. That was great !
Monkey

[RanCarr]

Originally Posted by laj

It's nice to exchange greetings, but some people just don't know when to quit. That's not an invitation for them to tell you all about their family problems for the next hr. so i think it's just a self protection mode against that.

We've had this happy a few times in the past 5 1/2 years. One old man started following us down the CG road as he talked. He didn't want to lose his audience.... They don't take hints. How to get rid of such emotionally needy people we have nothing in common with without being rude is the $64,000,00 question.

[SarahW]

Originally Posted by RanCarr

We've had this happy a few times in the past 5 1/2 years. One old man started following us down the CG road as he talked. He didn't want to lose his audience.... They don't take hints. How to get rid of such emotionally needy people we have nothing in common with without being rude is the $64,000,00 question.

I simply politely excuse myself and go inside. My hubby is much more patient, and he will linger--so I leave him holding the bag.

[Possum]

Originally Posted by RickO

Wayne speaks the truth.

Can I reserve judgement here

Since then, we've traveled a great deal more and have found that it's not geography specific... with the exception of Texas where everyone seems to be very friendly and hospitable.
Rick

We are presently camped in northern Vancouver island, enjoying ourselves walking our puppies and watching the schools of spawning Salmon in a nearby river.

Across the road from us are a group of young people from Idaho and Texas and we couldn't ask for a more polite and friendlier lot.

You guys do a good job on raising most of your kids down there.

[Lincolnboy2]

Its so interesting listening to different people on this thread. All good people, just different paths in life. Interestingly, I love to get out of the city, as much as possible, even if its just outside the city. It makes me feel 'away' from the tenacity of work and the demands of day to day in-your-face office environment.

I love to visit with folks, love the fellowship, but also want my 'by myself' time. I would never be rude and not respond to someone. I think that is unacceptable behavior no matter what path you are on.

I also have to constantly battle my first instinct to stay home, go nowhere, and just enjoy my home and pups. I'm comfortable in my own surroundings, I have my babies, and do not like crowds of people anymore, and have a continually declining tolerance for the general public, so why not? When I do get to go out, am always thankful and enjoy my decision to get out with the kids and the coach and GO....

My musings on people:

This world we live in now is far more complex, electronic, and isolationist. Why call someone when you can edit the time down and send them a text? Or an email? or a forward? Why sit down and 'write a letter' to anyone these days? Remember when that's what we did to visit with friends and family far away because phones were too expensive? Heck, I remember mailing old reel to reel tapes to my grandmother in California from Kansas, just to hear her voice and she mine. Now? If she were still here, it would probably be electronic media, email, texting, cell phones, etc.

I used to love to get letters from family in the mail. Today? I detest the mail! Nothing in it, since all my bills are online, and unless I'm expecting something, why bother? I check my mailbox once a week or so....99% of it goes from the box into the garbage. But guess what, a hand written card or note, when it does come, is remarkable! We tend to regard it greater.....why? Because it is so rare....and becoming even more so year after year.

The convenience of this electronic media world we live in has its bad side too. The more 'existential' if you will, existence of us using them (cell/email/computer/etc) for communication, the more we lose hand to hand, face to face, voice to voice physical contact with loved ones in our lives. In other words, the more non-human we become. More like automatons : self-operating machines that do not get involved, become emotionally isolating, and extremely self absorbed. I am guilty, for sure.

Although I know I am a much more emotional person than most, I still am guilty of what I call "electronic bubblism". I do it all the time, text instead of call (to save time); email instead of text (to save time); forward emails and texts (to save time); after all, its much more efficient, right? I can talk to 10 people now instead of 1 at a time! Why not, right? Well, that's the catch 22. We keep up with more people than maybe we are designed to? I don't know. I love Facebook because I can see pictures of family and friends on a daily basis, keep up to date on birthday parties, special events, etc, that otherwise I would not be able to. Is that terrible? No. Answer to the question: I have none. I just know that I have LESS time today than I did before I began using electronic media to "save time". The less time I have, it seems like it continues to get worse. I have less time this year than last. What is that? Is it that we are so busy texting, emailing, and trying to keep up with too many/too much that we have no time to be social and sit down to talk with somebody on the phone or....horrors...even.....face to face....? For dinner? It seems like the more advanced we become, the more isolationist we also become.

That's why I continue to try to be a real person with others, not a mass media outlet, although I use it like the next person, sometimes nothing will do but seeing and hugging someone. Sometimes nothing else works except a hand written thank you card, or birthday card or to hug the person IN PERSON. No matter how many pictures, texts and emails we send, it will never take the place of genuine human fellowship, love and interaction.

Ok, sorry for the rambling folks, back to the OP, a general rule is, there is a grump in every crowd, and there is a bouncing bubbly bobble head in every crowd, so ya just gotta know when to say "I need to run to the bathroom right quick, I'll get back with ya!"

[Lincolnboy2]

Originally Posted by Possum

Can I reserve judgement here
We are presently camped in northern Vancouver island, enjoying ourselves walking our puppies and watching the schools of spawning Salmon in a nearby river.

Across the road from us are a group of young people from Idaho and Texas and we couldn't ask for a more polite and friendlier lot.

You guys do a good job on raising most of your kids down there.

I know I've told you this before, but I just LOVE Vancouver Island and am pea green with envy!