American Reacts to Things Only Brits Understand
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The “not talking to strangers” thing is mostly related to London / the South. The further away you travel (the North, the Southwest, Wales, Scotland, etc.) the more acceptable / common it is for strangers to speak to each other.
I was just going to say the same thing.😊
Me too
Mostly just London I’d say. Or any bigger city. In the southern countryside it’s also normal to speak to people. I’ve lived in both the southern countryside (Oxfordshire) and London
Absolutely i worked in London and the South its true London can be a lonely place for that reason. But the more you travel up North it changes drastically people love to talk to strangers especially in the North West and North East far more friendly.
I've lived all over the country and few people initiate conversation with strangers.
Here in Yorkshire we often strike up a conversation, say, in a queue and always say good morning/afternoon to people you pass on a quiet street, or the canal towpath ...
Anywhere really...
Yorkshire through &through.
Bang on.😊
Lol, such a typical Yorks remark. It's the best county by far but really isn't the only friendly place in the world.
Loved that when I lived in Bradford!!!
It's common walking in country to say morning , afternoon, goes back to highway times walking on lanes , and acknowledging seeing others.
The not talking to strangers is a London thing, the rest of us are not that weird we will talk to a stranger and make friends with random people.
Very True!
Exactly don't get what they are saying 😂😂
Yeah thats purely an ignorant southern thing 😅
@@Whirlynerds It's also an age thing, if you are a bit older it doesn't feel so difficult to strike up a conversation. I do this all the time, but I'm middle aged and provincial.
Was literally shouting at the computer ! It’s a southern issue not talking to anyone! The more north the less this is the case, it’s perfectly normal to start a conversation with a stranger. No-one thinks your going to rob them !
Here in Yorkshire we are more friendly than in big cities as you will have come across..also people in Newcastle are friendly people too..a smile and "morning" to an elderly person who may not talk to many people can sometimes lift their day...costs nothing
Yorkshire people are more friendly, then Lancashire are a close second 😊
No. The other way round!@@williambailey344
I lived in Yorkshire for a couple of years you aren't as friendly as you make out. I was abused as I didn't have a Yorkshire accent. You get good and bad wherever you live always some idiot to spoil it.
@@williambailey344I’m originally from Yorkshire, and I wouldn’t say the friendliness is anything special there. I’ve met plenty of rude abrupt people from there, as well as some nice ones. But if anything I find them a bit friendlier up here in Newcastle. Probably a bit more polite overall
@@williambailey344definitely not true. You’re friendly unless someone’s from Lancashire!
“I was livid.” is the British way of saying “I don’t care if I’m going to be featured on a true crime podcast.”
🤣🤣
🤣 🤣
😂🤩
I've lived all over the UK and people usually do speak to strangers except in central London and in Manchester I had many experiences of people not answering or ignoring.
Are you for real
I'm English from down south, these two are talking rubbish, they're legends in their own minds.
Yeah they sound pretty privileged/uptight in this. I’m sure most normal people living down south or even in London wouldn’t relate to what they’re saying
@@miles7374 s a 69-year-old London Male,I know many blokes who WILL say something if things are not right . Secondly, after being brought up in a tight Inner London working-class Community,I have spent a lifetime talking to complete strangers with very little negative effect. Last week I chatted to a Guy from Bangla Desh who lived on the estate where I parked my car, ,I spoke to a Sri Lankan in a park and 2 days ago chatted to a 77-year-old Ornithologist in my local park.I have done it endless times on buses and tubes and walking my dogs though, However, as I am now "old" I would not chat with a much younger Woman, as they would not understand that it is a weird concept for them. I do NOT "TUT" but do say something:)
A lot of what they say is totally unrepresentative. They also seem to have lived a very sheltered existence. I wish she would learn how to pronounce escalator!
Dog owners will often talk to any other dog walker, but the conversation often revolves around the dogs, breed, age looks, behaviour etc
Yes, that really amuses me.
They all come up with exactly the same comments, and pretend that they're really interested in each others animals.
This is so true, I always show wild interest in other people's dogs, knowing full well that mine are the out and out best 😂
AKA Things only Londoners understand.
I was just about to say the same thing.
Londoners are the most passive aggressive people on the planet. Writing a letter? Taking shit from hairdressers? What?? It's like they are from a far flung part of the old empire or something. Totally alien. In most places, a stern, passive aggressive look like that means "lets fight". If you stare at somebody like that in the North of England or Scotland you'll get stabbed 😂London is the least British thing about Britain.
Very London centric. Where I live down in East Sussex it's very normal for strangers to strike up conversations at bus stops, shops etc, and also to smile and say hello to people you walk past.
I live in the West Highlands of Scotland and none of this is applicable to us. Mind you, we don't identify to "Brits" anyway.@@Chris_J_N
So many times in British restaurants I've heard people at the next table moaning about the food or the service. Then, when a waiter asks them if everything is alright, they all smile and say, "Lovely, thank you!" That is such a British thing to do!
so true I have done this numerous times, then get annoyed with myself.
I’ve complained before many times but maybe not everyone is like me here.
It’s worth remembering though that over in US people are socialised to make a big fuss over there customers. Customer service is on point there. Our customer service is often very poor here and people have learnt to expect a poorer service. Years ago my brother complained about his dish which they replaced, only to worry after that they may have made him a new one and ejaculated into it for the inconvenience. 😂
I reckon there will be a national week of mourning when David Attenborough passes on. He is such a loved and respected TV personality among the vast majority of Brits.
There are a few who don't like him but they are definitely in the minority.
I mean he's been on our screens for 70 years now! (I had to look it up, his first show presenting was zoo quest in 1954) 70 years of presenting nature documentaries. He dedicated his whole life to documenting Animals from all over the world and his most current work to raise awareness about the environment. He's a legend.
It's going to be a very sad moment.
I'm a londoner and I chat to people in shop queues and with the staff. Always got a joke or a pleasant word. I love it. But I was born chatty.
Me too. I think on public transport in London though or on their lunch break, there is respect for people not wanting to talk. If however there is a reason, even just accidentally knocking someone's bag as you go by, there is a connection that can be followed up with conversation. People that don't live in London and are just working there can sometimes be less friendly. Depends on areas and people. I am currently living in South East England and people are very friendly. But then again, I probably wouldn't talk to people in a rush and when going for a walk, often it is just an exchange of smiles between people who ate not in a hurry, whilst some people want to chat too. Got to judge the individual rather than being indiscriminate.
@@iolog513 I was in Brighton and Eastbourne a few years ago, and the people were all lovely.
@@milou66Eastbourne has more hours of sunshine than any other place in the UK so it's probably reflected in their personality. 😀It's also home to a large number of retired people, many of whom moved there from other, perhaps chattier, parts of the country.
@@peterc.1618 Yes! A bit like VIctoria, British Columbia, the retirement capital of Canada. Which, coincidentally is jammed with British ex-pats.
Rural Scotland, and I'm the opposite. I hate it when strangers try to talk to me. If I don't know you, why would I want to talk to you?
I'm happy to help, but I'm not looking to make two-minute friends on the way to the shops.
I really don't agree that people in the UK don't talk to strangers. I live on the southeast coast of England and on numerous occasions have had conversations with other passengers on the bus or at a bus stop or waiting room, etc. Whenever walking out in the countryside people always say hello to each other as they walk by. I do agree with a previous comment that people from the north are more friendly though. I've never heard of writing a letter to people you've had an argument with. I don't know anyone who's done that. And, as much as we love David Attenborough, we do watch other nature programmes. I really wouldn't take everything they say too seriously.
Exactly! They’re talking cobblers. I’ve lived in North London all my life and contrary to what they’re saying, us Londoners do talk to strangers wherever they come from. Those two are the type who look like they wouldn’t give you the time of day - probably stick to their own little cliques.
Don’t let those two put you off coming here we’re friendly / helpful but not in your face.
I'm a Brit and I make friends with strangers . I also ask people to move to the right on an escalator and tell off a person if they are rude or try to push in front of me in a queue. I don't let people get away with bad manners.
The problem is that asking people to move to the right on an escalator is rude in itself since it’s up to them where they stand
@@cultfiction3865 No it's not rude it's politeness. As the rules are clearly stated on how to use the escalator. Eg Stand to the right walk on the left. This is so those who are able and need to get up their quicker or down quicker are able to do so. It's also helps with moving people along. I always leave the right side for those who are less able to walk up those long escalators and I run up the left side in order to get off as quick as possible thus making it easier move space for other's to use the escalator. It's just using it the in the correct manner and allow other's room to use it as well.
What would be rude and downright dangerous would be to push someone.
Also the that left lane is used by transport police, etc in emergencies. So don't ever use it to just stand in it.
@@eileencritchley4630 Yeah but by following all this strict protocol you create an environment that is uptight and unfriendly which is the irony here. In the bible the Pharisees tried to condemn Jesus for plucking wheat on the sabbath day with his followers, since doing any type of work was strictly forbidden to Jews on the sabbath. His response to them was to ask them if a man’s sheep fell into a hole on the sabbath day, would they leave it there cos it’s the sabbath or get it out. He was illustrating that strict adherence to rules takes away peoples humanity. Something far more important. And you have the proof of that in some of the places down your end such as London where most people that go there comment on how rude the natives are down there. Because the reality is that if you expect someone to move on the escalator so you can get past, then you are been intolerant of them. Then you become the rude one.
Up where I live nobody gives a chew about where someone stands on an escalator since they put humanity before rules, unlike these places like Surrey and London
@@cultfiction3865 The rules are for safety and security off all who use the London Underground system. Ever heard of Health and Safety? Asking someone to move so someone can get past is the polite thing to do when that person is holding up and getting in the way of others. If I was in the way/was in the wrong place for what hat space has be designed for and someone asked me to move of course I'd move it's the polite, responsible and the Christian thing to do. That is real humanity. Otherwise it's lawless everyone for themselves, do whatever you want attuide which is totally not what our Lord asks of us.
@@eileencritchley4630 So what you are saying is that you support those who are intolerant of others. If they are in such a rush they should learn to set off earlier shouldn’t they? It’s their fault in essence, nobody else’s. Bad timekeepers do end up rushing. Anyway it makes no sense, if everyone is standing to the right side, their will be a much longer tailback which will slow everyone else down. In life we are meant to maximise the resources available to us. If two thirds less people are carried up the elevator each hour for the sake of some bad timekeepers to run past on the left, then it’s an impoverished use of the capacity available. Up where I live I’ve never seen a sign asking to stand on the right it’s a London/down south thing. And nobody should move for anyone unless they have asked politely. Otherwise the northern response would be to smack them in the mouth.
I'm from Manchester and the escalator thing in London of standing on the left, no one cares up North. It's almost the opposite. If you try to pass someone on the escalator, you'll get looks of 'wait your f***ing turn!' and tuts of 'how rude. No patience these days.'
Yeah exactly that's the way it is pretty much everywhere aside from London, most of this video is London centric
If someone blocks the escalator and I'm in a rush, I will tell them to get out of my way, bluntly.
Morning Joel, I'm sorry to hear about the bridge collapse overnight, I wish the injured a speedy recovery, and that the dead rest in peace.
Israel did it
@@mikeoxlong4110- Don’t start with your ignorant sh!t.
@@mikeoxlong4110Please tell me you're being sarcastic?
@@mikeoxlong4110May I introduce you to the concept of evidence? Check it in the dictionary.
@@mikeoxlong4110 how?
I live in the south of England & we do talk to strangers in the queue or on the bus !!
Not talking to strangers is a London thing. It doesn't apply to the majority of the UK. Don't forget these guys are London centric. Joel should know this as he's been outside London.
Most of the people you meet in London don't live there. They are commuters and tourists. For example in the actual City Of London. The resident population is less than 10,000 people. But over 200,000 commute in for work.
@@grahamsmith9541 But it has a population of about 8-9 million? its almost a megacity.
@@w2cky400 Greater London does. NOT the actual City of London. Which is independent from Greater London. Governed by the City of London Corporation. with the Lord Mayor of London Michael Mainelli. Separate City of London police force. Covers 1.12 sq miles to the East of the City of Westminster. The city boundaries are marked with statues of Dragons.
The other City Westminster and the London Boroughs that are NOT in either City. Are govend by the Greater London Authority. With the separate Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
@@w2cky400 ua-cam.com/video/LrObZ_HZZUc/v-deo.htmlsi=gAWNwfeNojfYJdDb
As a Northerner, talking to people on the tube is my favourite London past time, Southerners hate it and fellow Northerners love to watch them squirm!
I am a 69 year old Londoner who has done that,virtually,all his life though societal "conventions" mean that now I am, reluctant to talk to a strange Woman under,say,30. Sad.
Ah, then you Sir are a unicorn! It is terribly sad that men especially are getting called 'creepy' for passing the time with a stranger (usually a woman). We live in the most unfriendly society in history. Don't change. Keep chatting and smiling at strangers. The world needs it. I make a point of giving at least one genuine compliment to a stranger every day I go out. Sometimes that friendly word or cheery smile can make all the difference to someone. x
It's also because of the close proximity on the tube. It can be awkward to be fair.
I'm amazed to say that I have been watching and listening to David Attenborough since 1957 when he presented Zoo Quest.
we scousers (from liverpool) are the friendliest people ever, we say hello to absolutley everyone and make everyone welcome, nothing is too much trouble to help anyone out..we would give you our last penny.... were not english we are scouse... were not english we are scouse ........ make sure you visit liverpool on your next uk trip.. see for yourself... ps love your channel ... always make me smile ty :)
Very London.
The Royle Family is one of my favourites. So nuanced, so funny ❤️
Indeed. It was surprisingly cleverly done, given the premise being little more than a less well-off family sitting together in a living room at home chatting to each other. Almost like watching a serious piece of theatre sometimes, very warm and human, and even quite witty. Certainly very well observed characters and writing.
@@frglee Couldn’t have described it better myself. So very sad Caroline Ahere passed. She was a genius writer.
We have the same rule for escalators in Germany. It makes sense.
This may be related, but Toronto is finally getting to be a not terrible biking city. But as the bike lanes get more generous in size, pedestrians just start treating them like extra space to walk, or worse, space to just stand in with their kids eating icecream.
And people ignore it quite often! Usually they will be apologetic when you ask to go past on the left (they know they're not behaving properly), but I've also very occasionally had people make a comment like, "If you're in such a hurry...." I just don't like standing on escalators, and if it's at all possible, I will walk.
In Spain too. Maybe is an European thing.
Take what these pair say with a pinch of salt !
This couple need to change their channel name to "Views only Middle Class Brits will have" because their views do not hold for the working or upper classes
.. and they are deffo NOT a couple. Joel and his Rugby player boyfriend have their on YT channels. One about their life together and their kids, the other a Health channel. Both are informative.
@@were-all-human9427 who cares
I thought we were a classless society...but in your mind you must be reflecting on the 19 hundred
@@user-gx3mw7rx4n If you truly believe we live in a classless society then you must have been either drinking to much of the cool-aid or just not paying attention. I suggest you and take another look.
Sorry to hear about the Baltimore bridge collapse this morning. Scary as I've used that beltway a few time in the past. I hope you are safe and well and my thoughts are with the folks caught up in the disaster.
Joel this British pair make my teeth itch, she was talking about sitting on a table in a pub garden and they got chatting to another couple she said " I was an organic moment " when they spoke !!!!!
She also disproved the point she was trying to make. Anybody sitting in a b33r garden on the same table as others are obviously gonna talk to each other lol. She needed a different example lol
@@lifesbutastumble It's because there full of shite and are pandering to already perceived stereotypes
back in the 80's, where we had longer as you have seen in 80's videos, it was so true, go get hair cut, wash cut and blow dry, say yeah thats great, straight home wash your and restyle it,
Speedily headed towards 100K! Well done! 👏🏽
Oh yes gosh, he’s flying to 100k subscribers, last I looked it was about 20k 😂😂
I talk to strangers regularly- I walk my dog everyday and it’s just normal for walkers to strike up conversations usually regarding each others pet - but also in shops just as a way to show friendly banter- I did find it totally different when I lived in London people seemed much more private than outside of the city .
The best letter I've known written to a company
A University sports team... while very drunk... decided to ask Irn Bru if they would sponsor them.
1 drunken letter in an envelope addressed simply... Mr Irn Bru. NO stamp
A few weeks later they actually got a really sarcasticly silly reply about not being able to along with 2 crates of Irn Bru
Best reply Ever
❤ to Irn Bru
I get my haircut twice a year and am heavily bearded. When arriving at the barber's I sometimes announce "I'm turning myself in". If asked "how I would I like it?" I reply "Do your worst!" Oddly they never have! (but it usually raises a laugh)
Years ago when I still cared about my hair, I had a haircut in a 'unisex' salon, whilst staying with friends for the weekend, in a small Devon town. I was set upon by what I took to be a teenage apprentice. I couldn't help but notice that the owner/manageress glancing in my direction and then walked past for a quick look. A minute later she came over and asked the girl to run an errand for her and she took over to repair whatever had happened to my hair. I wondered what I would have said if the apprentice had completed the cut uninterrupted and asked if it was OK?
Talking to strangers. Yep I agree with London. Probably the North of England is like Wales… we talk to anyone and everyone in Wales. ❤
Yes we do❤❤
I'm an Aussie. I've been to a wedding where the brides best friend made a speech.
The barber thing happened to me - I always have it drop down at the front of my ears (like the guy here in the video you're reacting to) and I explained that, but she shaved it straight across. In fact, it tilted upwards! I was livid and before I could engage a filter, I blurted it out: 'what the eff is this'. Censored here but I didn't then.
Not a great day - I went home and shaved it all off. Not the end of the world because I also do that from time to time anyway, but to pay for someone to butcher it and have to come home and sort it out myself was infuriating.
Hi Joel. Here's something that you'll struggle with. Ever read the British adult comic "Viz"? I'll wager that us Brits will collapse at how funny it is versus you'll not understand most of it. I await your reply.
This is nothing like true British culture. It's basically London culture I live in Wales I moved from the south East of England and yes when I went to London people didn't really speak on the tube or in London's streets mainly because the London culture is rush rush rush everywhere else in the UK people actually give time to others especially the further west one travels as for the rest of the video I don't really understand what the hell they are talking about because my experience of all their gripes are the exact opposite of what these people said they didn't like
Hey Joel have you seen the Harry & Paul box set? There are some great sketches of an elderly couple doing exactly what you're talking about.
I think some of these are London traits. I think you can’t judge all English people by the same things. I’m from Yorkshire, and striking up a conversation on a bench, or waiting for a bus, or on the bus is natural and is how I was raised. I’d probably feel more wierd if it wasn’t another woman admittedly. If I wasn’t feeling chatty, I’d go on my phone or put my ear buds in and pretend to be listening to music lo
i stopped going to barber over 20 years ago. bought some clippers and shave my head. i am never disappointed with my work 🤣. i did my brothers best man speech and he was 'i didn't expect a character assassination'
4:42 No, I mildly protest. I wanted a trim, not a buzz cut but hey, my head feels cooler now.
I don't have that problem now as I'm going bald. So it's a no.1 all the way😂
@@antonycharnock2993Same. I had hair down to my shoulders, and then I got a job as a chef in Spain. It was so hot I cut it all off, BUT I still went for various styles. Going bald these days, I get a number 2 back and sides and number 3 on top every single time lol. No point trying to style away a balding head lol
I will endorse ‘Very British Problems’. It’s hilarious!
P.S. My favourite British problem is discussions on weather.
There’s an old comedy sketch about a Yorkshireman being arrested for being friendly to Londoners on the underground tube train and scaring them. In the North of England it’s more expected that strangers will strike up a conversation.
The “hair cut” thing 😂. I mean it’s not like the barber could stick it all back on if you don’t like it 😂😂. I just find London too busy and everyone rushing to get somewhere. It’s just too full and busy for me personally.
You just never use that hairdresser again. More a lady problem than a guy problem.
@@antonycharnock2993 Yeah, women are way too fussy about their hair.
I've been to London once. I was TERRIFIED! Couldn't wait to get home to my quiet, small remote town in the north.
@@mehallica666 Royston Vasey?
@@79BlackRose Ha, almost. But the butcher's more sinister.
One of the benefits of being old is that one tends to care less about what other people think and can thus be more spontaneous (unfiltered, some of my friends might say) but I can see what these guys are on about. We English middle class tend to 'freeze out' those who offend. One of my scariest experiences was giving a (gay) father of the bride speech to a predominantly MAGA crowd in the Bronx. Needless to say I fell back on English gratitude for the American input in WWII and early love of John Wayne films which got me through until we were all too inebriated for anyone to worry.
One MILLION percent right. If I see a vacant seat on a crowded train,by the window,and covered by the passenger's bag or case,then I am making a beeline for it! I stood in a queue going almost out of a Bank door and took the trouble(as a customer) to open the doors to let a few people out. One African Guy just walked past me as if it was his right and I walked out in the street to remonstrate with him. If someone does a discourtesy on the roads then I will try to let them know.One woman would not let me join the main road and blocked me .Eventually, I joined the A12 and saw that HER lane was disappearing and drove parallel to her and smiled and ensured she was going nowhere,the complete opposite of what I would have done if she let me in!
You're very good and blowing up. Almost 100K subscribers now.
You really enjoy watching their videos and I enjoy watching you reacting to them.
It’s the same for travelators at airports, people stop on them next to their suitcases/cabin cases and completely block the way.
In the Royle Family... Barbara & Jim ( Sue & Ricky the Actors) Also appeared as Husband & Wife in a long running Soap (TV Show) Called Brookside AKA Brookie... which is no longer running the show anymore.... as Shelia & Bobby....started in 1982 x
I live in E mids. We are friendly. I will chat to anyone and they will chat back. Its just how we are here. ❤
The hard stare is exemplified and amplified in the Paddington books.
From wiki
When he gets annoyed with someone, he often gives them one of his special "hard stares", taught to him by Aunt Lucy, which causes them to become flushed and embarrassed. Paddington's adventures usually arise from him misunderstanding something and trying to right (what he perceives to be) unfair or unjust situations.
Most teachers use this technique a lot.
Not talking to strangers might be true for London and the South but definitely not true in the North West. I've had long conversations with people on the bus, in shops, at the library and many other places. Also if you're walking your dog you get to know many people and yes they do sometimes become friends!
I love the sound of David Attenboroughs voice.
Sean Pertwee is also an excellent narrator.
I was gonna put him in my main comment, but I don't remember him doing nature documentaries. Love him narrating MasterChef the Professionals, though
@@lifesbutastumble He did the thing with the monkeys terrorizing the streets of India (I think it was). 🤣🤣Can't remember exactly what it was called but I do remember enjoying that.
Monkey Thieves was the name of it. Really good watch.
@@budgetmerchOh he did that? I saw that years ago and really enjoyed it, but thought of it more like urban nature rather than the wilderness, so never put 2 and 2 together lol. I think it even showed the monkeys diving into water for pleasure, right?
Talking to strangers is the norm in the N East. I was amazed at how southerners are so insular, bordering on rude.
Whenever I make a letter or E mail of complaint I always put at the very bottom cc and random initials so they think a copy has gone to my solicitor , it works.
Here in Wales, we take the dog for a half hour or so walk .. over an hour later, we’re still there having chatted to numerous people. Wonderfully friendly and humorous.
Talking to strangers only relates to London/Greater London/The South. Anywhere Machester and North of there you can talk to strangers on the metro/tube, Newcastle in particular is very well know to be friendly to strangers, almost like we know you as a friend haha 😅 Geordies are very friendly and willing to help ❤
Good choice 👍 I always like listening to those two...really sweet and funny. When I read the book of 'Very British Problems' it did make me laugh out loud...so much was relatable...so I would think the website is worth finding 🤔
I met Sir David Attenborough once. decades ago.. what an attractive man. I wa sin y 20s and he in his early 50s..lol.. those eyes were SO000000 blue and he spoke so nicely to me.
I had train friends. Morning and evening. We had such fun. In no time we were ar our stop.
Yeah got to comment because up north we talk to anyone anywhere ,we make friends in a bus stop or even in a shop ,southerners we think are rude ,I went to London and said hello on the tube and they just looked the other way ,up north we smile and chat,very different in different parts of the country
Us Brits have a very dry sense of humour, we laugh at jokes that are based on very 'dark' subjects that are learned from current affairs and National news ( ie the football chanting about Adam Johnson being a paedo) we quite commonly say "if you can't laugh about stuff, what can you do?", it's not that we condone the subjects in question, but more that we all know about it, and aren't gonna let whatever it is blow over. Within minutes of some salacious story being featured on the news, somebody will walk in the pub with a joke about it, we'll laugh harder the more cringey it makes us feel, and tbh I think it's that element which we all find funny. If something really is in bad taste and the person telling it is the local weirdo, well that's a whole different ball game. In that instance he'd be KO'd, as jokes attempted by a person that people have their suspicions about, that is not gonna fly but they will on the end of somebody's boot! Another thing that occurs probably more often than we think, is when you pop to your local say on a Weds straight from work and a couple of your mates are doing the same, there's no intention to stay long, you all agree that 7.30pm is when you're all gonna make a move. Well, before you know it they've called "time at the bar, drink up ladies and gents, your glasses please!" Omg! What TF happened? The next minute you're in a cab with some other people from the pub who had actually planned to go, whilst my friends and I (who worked at horse yards and were dressed in muddy riding clobber and welly boots 👢) pissed right up and door staff let us in this night club!! Perhaps they thought we were in fancy dress as farmers? But it's always the weeknights that you're supposed to behave, which is like a red rag to a bull, and those forbidden nights outshine the Fri/Sat planned ones! Cockney comedian Micky Flanagan does a great bit about this too, it's worth googling his skit about milk and slippers!! 😂😂😂😂❤🇬🇧
Hairdressers always show me my hair before they give me my glasses back - I am as blind as a bat! Yeah lovely, it's lush thank you!!!!!
As a 69-year-old London Male,I know many blokes who WILL say something if things are not right . Secondly, after being brought up in a tight Inner London working-class Community,I have spent a lifetime talking to complete strangers with very little negative effect. Last week I chatted to a Guy from Bangla Desh who lived on the estate where I parked my car, ,I spoke to a Sri Lankan in a park and 2 days ago chatted to a 77-year-old Ornithologist in my local park.I have done it endless times on buses and tubes and walking my dogs though, However, as I am now "old" I would not chat with a much younger Woman, as they would not understand that it is a weird concept for them. I do NOT "TUT" but do say something:)
Barbers showing the haircut at the back of the head. I always tell them not to show me. We don't do a before so there is comparison. Looking at the back of my haircut would be the only time I look at the back of head. For peace of mind no one has ever come up to me subsequent to a haircut and said " Oh I don't like the back of your head."
It's mainly in London people don't strike up conversations ..elsewhere in the UK they do
I would add from my experience in London pubs and clubs that if you hit it off with a Brit who's been drinking, you might get tricked into thinking you're forming an actual lasting connection. I was in a tiny club once in London, and I immediately endeared myself to the people running the night because no one could understand why a Canadian was there and knew about the place. So I showed them the TIME OUT where I read about it and they jumped up and down, because THEY didn't know they were in it. Anyway, we all got bombed together, and by the end they were saying you HAVE to come down to Oxford to visit us! We're best friends, now! So the next day I called them, and I could just hear the flatness in their voice which told me that all that good feeling and comraderie evaporated with the booze, and they definitely did not want to hear from me again.
Us northerners are absolutely fine talking to complete strangers! That’s definitely a southern trait !
I'm a yorkshire girl we'll speak to anyone whether they want to or not ❤ 😊❤
with the left thing, our school had signs saying always walk on the left side 😭
I'm a country boy, raised and living in the Highlands of Scotland, and while it''s stereotypical for Londoners to not converse with strangers, unlike those in the north. I share that in common with Londoners.
I don't want to be bothered by people I don't know, unless they need help or something. I'm not looking to make friends with people passing me by in the street.
This not talking to strangers is not down to being 'toffee nosed' or snooty, down South in particular it is simply the fact that we value personal space rather more, and are less nosey than our Northern cousins. They usually want to know the ins and outs of a 'ducks quack' and then rudely pick holes in you, your accent, clothes, food/drink choices or opinions. 😂
As a 69-year-old London Male,I know many blokes who WILL say something if things are not right . Secondly, after being brought up in a tight Inner London working-class Community,I have spent a lifetime talking to complete strangers with very little negative effect. Last week I chatted to a Guy from Bangla Desh who lived on the estate where I parked my car, ,I spoke to a Sri Lankan in a park and 2 days ago chatted to a 77-year-old Ornithologist in my local park.I have done it endless times on buses and tubes and walking my dogs though, However, as I am now "old" I would not chat with a much younger Woman, as they would not understand that it is a weird concept for them. I do NOT "TUT" but do say something:)
Check out any small town or village and the perspective changes massively!
From Cornwall in the south west to Aberdeenshire in the north east.. everyone I’ve ever met has been interesting and interested in me.
In quiet simple places things can get boring - a new person with a whole different life experience is so interesting!!
A cosmopolitan city like London is an amazing stimulus for different cultures and what that brings, but sometimes people are so overloaded with new experiences is that sometimes you just want to ‘block it all out’
Us Northerners will talk to anyone, even animals.
the escalator, the barber and offer looks when something bother you is the same in Spain
The Barber/Hairdresser thing - it was a huge relief to me when I succumbed to the passage of time and accepted that my hair was going away, because it allowed me to use my beard trimmer to do a buzz cut (which was pretty much what I was paying the barber for) and most of the time I do a more even job than the barber tended to manage and the trimmer costs roughly the same as one visit to the barber.
I'm from London and I don't know anyone who writes letters to people when someone has done them wrong 😂😂😂. Maybe that's a posh people thing.
I live in the West Midlands and find it very difficult to relate to J&L, I don't know anyone who writes a letter, even to complain, standing on the right of an escalator, not where I come from, most people would find you rude to over take them, David Attenborough! sorry, I watch anyone but him, Joel got it right when he said "he just sends you to sleep" to me that would be because his voice is so boring, giving someone a stern look, the only person I would dare give a stern look would be my own son and he is to old for that now, give a stranger a dirty look, you would most likely get a mouthful of abuse or worse, not talking to strangers, I think that is very much a London thing, here people often talk to you in queues or sitting at a bus/tram stop, I also say hello to people who pass me, young people have often been caught out by it, but usually smile and reply, maybe I am just a sign of the changing generations I feel quite sorry for young people living and working in London, sounds like they can't live a normal life ❤
I'm originally from Brum and can confirm everything you said.
My phone once rang whilst I was on the train and it was my elderly mum who is hard of hearing. Obviously I had to speak up. Well this old bloke had the impertinence to tell me to be quiet. Let's just say I wasn't impressed and I told him in no uncertain terms. First time that had ever happened to me. It's not like I'm some "yoof" bangin some grime out of my headphones😂
The escalator thing is ruled by your right (mostly) hand is stronger, so if you hold on to the rail, your on the R side (wrt user) going up or down, leaving the L clear for those in a hurry!
I always strike up conversations with strangers and 90% of the time it turns out well, this happens alot where I'm from in the Midlands
Hi , i live in the south and make small talk with strangers in queue or bus stops etc , its not common to just go up to a stranger in the street and start a conversation thats just odd to us , yes about the weather but for some random person to come up to me amd talk about random stuff is not the norm 😊
Strangers talking is a London thing. In Scotland and particularly Glasgow strangers will always talk
Same for me - if I don't like my haircut, then I don't complain, but next time choose any one of the other 17 hairdressers in my small market town here in the UK. Yes, there are 17 hairdressers/barbers to choose from, but not much else as most of the shops are shut down now.
It’s strange I’ve never thought about the not speaking to strangers thing, I will have small chats with strangers bur I can remember my grandfather would talk to anyone and would know their life story within 5 minutes, it’s sad we have lost this for some reason.
NO !
standing at the bus stop - on the bus or in a que, you can have a convo with anyone,
us brits love to chat ...
if we are in a rush or dont want to talk, we will walk and talk or just out right say sorry I'm in a bit of a hurry.
I did hear that in Singapore (I think it was) that it's actually ILLEGAL to talk to anyone whilst travelling on their tube system.
The hierarchy literally goes/went..
The Queen (before)
David Attenborough
Yup, Attenborough definitely at the top now. Followed by Judi Dench.
In Germany, each member of the couple has a witness (not called "best man" or "maid/maiden of honor"), and both of them give speeches at the reception/dinner. But the only one I have ever thought was really good was the one I gave when I was the witness for my best friend - IMHO. 🙂
JPS my friend, this is only in London. The rest of UK will speak to anyone anytime. Hugs, Ed
There's a new nature series by David Attenborough called 'Mammals' starting this Sunday on BBC One. The camerawork is even more mindblowing, and they have developed special cameras to film in colour in the moonlight.
That must be a southern thing, in Liverpool we speak to strangers all the time but then Liverpool is the best place in the UK
I don’t stand on a particular side on an escalator. I stand on the side which hasn’t got a clear drop next to it usually as i hate heights and looking down lol
"like" arrrghhh! All of you, STOP SAYING "LIKE".
Don't talk to strangers is very much a Southern thing. In the North it's more likely they will talk to you first anyway.
If you move into a new area and you start to see the same people at the bus stop for a few days in row or pass the same person walking their dog a few times. You might nod your head then the next time say something simple like 'Good morning or 'lovely dog' and smile then keep walking then maybe the next time you pass on the street you might say 'dreadful weather to day' it's take's us time, it's almost as if we are assessing each other a bit first and awaiting on the response for the other person.
The sketch I mentioned is the mash report
Each time I have been in the US for a longer period I very much enjoyed how easy it is to get to know people and make friends in the US. Itis a great positive thing about your country 😊
I think the not talking is definitely a southern thing, up here in northwest England it's an unusual day if there's no conversation, or "jangling" as my late mother called it.