US view of us

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by the article

People jump to conclusions about Brits being unfriendly but this is simply an American reaction to the British cultural norm of avoiding relationships that are superficial.

I could do with more of this. It's not the same all over the US, to be sure, but in the Southern states, people maintain meaningless chat everywhere. Elevators, bathrooms, medical waiting rooms... I am expected to have a real get-to-know-you conversation with my grocery store checker every single time, despite the fact that it is almost never the same person, and when it is, they often don't remember me from last time anyway.