Just locations... and we tend to walk long distances and not stand in one spot in a busy location. Plus, we aren't afraid to make photos without people in them.
He still gets people thinking he's a perv... or get pissed... (if the movie is accurate) but luckily for him, he has people who know him around the area that will come to his defense.
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
Why, it's sound logic to say that, because there is some bad guy out there, that everybody who has his hobby is, evidently, bad.
Ban everything that's potentially bad! Ban the Internet, ban street photography, ban everything that somebody may not understand!
Ban everything that's potentially bad! Ban the Internet, ban street photography, ban everything that somebody may not understand!
kevin m
Veteran
I'm a transplant, not a native, and rudeness is, for reasons I don't fully understand, a New-England wide trait. I don't know whether it's the 6 months of winter, the hard-scrabble history of trying to eke a living out of the sea or the rocky soil, but whatever the cause, it's true. Boston is just more-so because it's bigger, as far as I can tell. And also because World Series victories in 2004 and 2007 did nothing to cheer the place up.
But I think the observation is correct. NYC is loud and aggressive, but there's a mean-streak to Boston. We considered moving there for work, and it wasn't JUST the ridiculous real-estate prices that kept us away. 
filmfan
Well-known
Being from the Boston area and having also lived in 3 other regions of the country before, meeting all kinds of people, I have never once heard of this Boston rudeness claim. Not a single time.
I have also traveled to almost every major city in the USA and Canada and I have never noticed anything to this extent personally or from others.
Having said this, I will however admit that Boston has a few areas with rude people, just like every other city.
I have also traveled to almost every major city in the USA and Canada and I have never noticed anything to this extent personally or from others.
Having said this, I will however admit that Boston has a few areas with rude people, just like every other city.
kevin m
Veteran
Really? Midwesterners who travel here think all New-Englander's are rude; Southerners think they're Satan's spawn, but they're too polite to say it.
njos
Member
street ? we are part of it..
they just reported the "bad" influence of people and the news just "luck" to get that moment.
they just reported the "bad" influence of people and the news just "luck" to get that moment.
filmfan
Well-known
Really? Midwesterners who travel here think all New-Englander's are rude; Southerners think they're Satan's spawn, but they're too polite to say it.
I am currently living in the midwest-- Boulder, Colorado to be exact. I have friends who have traveled to Boston and are from Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Georgia, South Carolina and every single one of them enjoyed the city of Boston tremendously...
kevin m
Veteran
They were either exceedingly polite, or you hadn't plied them with enough liquor.
filmfan
Well-known
They were either exceedingly polite, or you hadn't plied them with enough liquor.
Well maybe so, but I just find it odd that so many of them say the same thing...
Anyways, my theory is that this stigma is a result of the blue collar Boston thing that is so popular in the movies these days...
kevin m
Veteran
Well, maybe we can blame the Affleck brothers for that...!
dcsang
Canadian & Not A Dentist
It's interesting that everything else on that "response" site is completely empty and devoid of information - nothing "about me", nothing under "gallery" nothing anywhere save for that rebuttal to WBZ News..
Dave
Dave
Brian Legge
Veteran
I'd chalk some of it up to cultural differences. I've worked with several guys from Boston who are now out here on the west coast. To paraphrase them -
'In Boston, you know where you are at with someone. If you don't like them, you tell them to go f*** themselves. Thats just how it is - you know where you stand. Out here everyone is phony and nice but not 'real' with each other. You never know who your friends really are.'
Small sample size, but I've heard similar commentary out of several friends from both Boston and Chicago. It is definitely a trend among the ones I've met. Another commonality - they hate Seattle drivers because they aren't aggressive enough.
'In Boston, you know where you are at with someone. If you don't like them, you tell them to go f*** themselves. Thats just how it is - you know where you stand. Out here everyone is phony and nice but not 'real' with each other. You never know who your friends really are.'
Small sample size, but I've heard similar commentary out of several friends from both Boston and Chicago. It is definitely a trend among the ones I've met. Another commonality - they hate Seattle drivers because they aren't aggressive enough.
saxshooter
Well-known
I noticed that too. I'm guessing he didn't have much of an online presence (he did say he shot film) and felt the need to post something quickly in response to the television piece.
morgan
Well-known
I think the perception as a tourist is very different than living here. I've been here four years now, and that's long enough to get a good grip on the situation here. As a tourist, I think Bostonians are helpful. If you ask someone for directions, they'll give them to you. Cabbies are chatty. If all you do is go to back bay, it can seem great. Living here though, it's very tough. People are very reserved and seem to stay in their own particular circle. People have told me anecdotally that it can take years to make friends here. And they don't really do acquaintances, so it can be very difficult to get to know someone, to break through this shell. It's tough to connect with people in this way. You can talk to someone and there's literally no expression on their face. It's very strange, especially coming from Philly where people actually emote. I agree that NYC is friendlier.
You can know somebody for years here and they'll never dole out basic information. Most of my friends aren't from here or moved away for a while and got de-bostonized. I'm not a person who has ever had problems making friends.
As far as rudeness goes, it seems more like a lack of self-awareness (some would call that manners). People never hold the door for anybody, and basic communications are at a minimum. There's a general workman-like attitude combined with a puritanical hangover that just makes people cold.
One more rant. If you're a contemporary, creative person, Boston isn't for you. This city doesn't foster creativity, and despite an abundance of art schools, most graduates leave for greener pastures. There are great institutionalized arts stuff here (museums, operas, galleries, theaters), but there's not a ton of great local work going on, unless you like paintings of boats. The city seems to be primarily financial companies, insurance and a lot of biotech. Smart people for sure, but not people I always want to hang out with. For a city with such a liberal heritage, you'd be hard-pressed to find modern thinking in its populace.
The university communities tend to stay within themselves.
Obviously, I'm stereotyping and everything I wrote isn't true about everybody. There are some good people here, if you can find them. But I feel kinda hoodwinked by Boston. It seems great on the surface, but underneath it's still the same fishing town it was 200 years ago, or even the same puritanical village it was 400 years ago.
MC JC86
Negative Nancy.
I really like what you wrote here.
While anecdotal and off topic, I think this is both insightful and accurate. Perhaps because it agrees with my thinking, and who doesn't like that.
Boston does have some great people, two of the best I know in fact (my brothers). But after any length of time it seems to be a city that sleeps full of grumpy gusses. Of course, you're a lot less likely to get shot or stabbed their than my home town (Philly)... at least you'll be assaulted with a smile though.
andredossantos
Well-known
Hasn't anyone ever heard the perjorative noun "Masshole"?
I lived in Western Massachusetts for 5 odd years during and after college (I grew up just north of NYC) and the vibe out there is pretty different than Boston. Anyway, I got to know a know a lot of Bostonians and count many among some of my closest friends. I find some of people's observations ring true in a general sense but you really cannot stereotype. That being said I would never want to live in Boston.
I lived in Western Massachusetts for 5 odd years during and after college (I grew up just north of NYC) and the vibe out there is pretty different than Boston. Anyway, I got to know a know a lot of Bostonians and count many among some of my closest friends. I find some of people's observations ring true in a general sense but you really cannot stereotype. That being said I would never want to live in Boston.
kevin m
Veteran
Not just Boston, it's a New-England wide trait. To tell you the truth, I've grown to appreciate this trait a bit. Cold and rude is one side of it, but there's also a reserve that's admirable, and they don't share the general American inclination to puke up unnecessary personal information within the first 10 minutes of being introduced. In some ways, I find the genuine rudeness of New Englanders preferable to the often phony and indecipherable good cheer of Californians.
semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
If it bleeds, it leads.
ampguy
Veteran
visiting Boston is OK, but would be hard for me to live there. About 13 years ago, the company I was working for had purchased a company headquartered in Hudson, outside of Boston, and we traveled there a lot. It was difficult for me to understand the accents (and sometimes behaviors ) of the folks who lived there a long time.
Anyways, a running joke back on the west coast, upon returning was if we had spent evenings in "woosta" which was apparently where the dining and nightlife was, if you didn't want to head all the way into Boston proper, and have loads of change for the self serve pay highways, but we all thought it was crack town USA.
However, as was mentioned earlier, Boston is a great place for biotech, tech, and probably a lot of other things. Just not my cup of tea, but cool place to visit.
) of the folks who lived there a long time.Anyways, a running joke back on the west coast, upon returning was if we had spent evenings in "woosta" which was apparently where the dining and nightlife was, if you didn't want to head all the way into Boston proper, and have loads of change for the self serve pay highways, but we all thought it was crack town USA.
However, as was mentioned earlier, Boston is a great place for biotech, tech, and probably a lot of other things. Just not my cup of tea, but cool place to visit.
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