Re: Take it from a flight attendant
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1/3/2007
I agree with much of what this article says. But, it is often a matter of opinion. If your opinion is rude=direct/open-with-opinions, then maybe Northeasterners could be considered rude. If friendly=direct/open-with-opinions, then Denverites might be considered rude. Conversation with Denverites can often be nice, especially if you say nice things about the Broncos or about the weather. If you share an opinion about art or current affairs, it can quite quickly shut down the conversation with Denverites. I suspect this is probably true with many midwesterners, as well. Culturally, I suspect that in the mid or mountain west, it can be considered rude to disagree or be "too direct" or "too open", whereas, in many places in Europe, the Northwestern US, or the Northeastern US, e.g., this can result in some exchange of ideas that is cherished and a bonding point. As for culture, yes there are some cultural opportunities in Denver. Chances are, people you meet here will not have taken advantage of them. There are some places where the arts or intellectualism pervades the mentality of the place, whereas in Denver, the direct accessability of the condo in the mountains or the shopping at the outlets via the SUV and the interstate (driving to the mountains via I70 is often bumper to bumber on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon - if you like that, not such a bad thing) may carry more weight with people. Emissions from all those SUVs on the roads results in something akin to LA smog - the Denver "brown cloud" - that can be both quite a sight, and quite a burn to the nose and lungs (literally). But while many Denverites might be relatively "progressive" (prochoice, maybe), most of those same people would grimace and look the other way at the suggestion that their propensity to drive that SUV all over the mountain west is what is causing things like that brown cloud, for example.
joe | Denver, CO