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The friendliest, warmest, kindest people on the planet?
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Teacher in Rome



Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1286
PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 8:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I loved the spat about Appalacia - I have always wanted to visit on account of bluegrass music. My liberal US friends tell me it's pretty grim, though. Who am I to believe??

Back to the question: Italians are fabulously kind, generous and hospitable people, as long as you aren't in a car. Then they become the most selfish, unreasonable and ignorant people you will ever meet anywhere.

Like with anything, it depends on how you see people, how much you know of the culture, and how adaptable you are to local customs. In the words of John Steinbeck (Cannery Row) "Its inhabitants are, as the man once said, "whores, pimps, gamblers, and sons of bitches," by which he meant Everybody. Had the man looked through another peep-hole he might have said: "Saints and angels and martyrs and holy men," and he would have meant the same thing.
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Chancellor



Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 8:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Teacher in Rome wrote:
I loved the spat about Appalacia - I have always wanted to visit on account of bluegrass music. My liberal US friends tell me it's pretty grim, though. Who am I to believe??
They're liberals and, like conservatives, they are not to be believed. Yes, depending on what part of Appalachia you're in there's quite a bit of poverty (particularly in Eastern Kentucky/Southwestern West Virginia) and, for many of the people there, things are pretty grim. But my experiences among them have been positive. You should definitely visit towns like Welch, WV and Hazard, KY.

Quote:
Back to the question: Italians are fabulously kind, generous and hospitable people, as long as you aren't in a car. Then they become the most selfish, unreasonable and ignorant people you will ever meet anywhere.
Laughing

Quote:
Like with anything, it depends on how you see people, how much you know of the culture, and how adaptable you are to local customs. In the words of John Steinbeck (Cannery Row) "Its inhabitants are, as the man once said, "whores, pimps, gamblers, and sons of bitches," by which he meant Everybody. Had the man looked through another peep-hole he might have said: "Saints and angels and martyrs and holy men," and he would have meant the same thing.
Agreed. It's all a matter of perspective.
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Justin Trullinger



Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 9:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
They're liberals and, like conservatives, they are not to be believed.
Laughing


Best,
Justin
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lostdegaine



Joined: 16 May 2004
Posts: 35
PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 7:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Of course, Appalachia is a huge region and includes cities such as Asheville, NC, which is constantly listed among the top places to live in the US.

According to Wikipedia:

� Modern Maturity named it one of "The 50 Most Alive Places To Be," AmericanStyle magazine called it one of "America's Top 25 Arts Destinations," Self magazine labeled it the "Happiest City for Women," it is one of AARP Magazine's "Best Places to Reinvent Your Life," and was proclaimed the "New Freak Capital of the U.S." by Rolling Stone. Asheville has also been called "a New Age Mecca" by CBS News' Eye On America, and named the "most vegetarian-friendly" small city in America by PETA. In the 2008 book The Geography of Bliss, by Eric Weiner, Asheville was cited by the author to be one of the happiest places in the United States.�
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johnslat



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
And then, there's "Deliverance" (banjos playing in the background.)
Regards,
John
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Vanica



Joined: 31 Aug 2006
Posts: 368
Location: North Carolina
PostPosted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 5:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
There are really nice people in New Mexico. And there are really nice people in NC. The secret is: Stay away from the white people. They are REAL BAD.

Seriously the nicest people we met were at the Jemez Pueblo near Albuquerque and on the Gullah islands on the SC coast.
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Blingcosa



Joined: 17 May 2008
Posts: 146
Location: Guangdong
PostPosted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 3:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yeah, white people - don't trust them. Ninja's are black - just for the record.

In my travels (sorry never been to Appalacia or New Mexico) my list of the friendliest people would be as follows:

1. Afar (Djibouti)
2. Maori (NZ)
3. Latin Americans
4. Polynesians
5. Chinese
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Blingcosa



Joined: 17 May 2008
Posts: 146
Location: Guangdong
PostPosted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 3:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Special mention: Turks - hospitality is second only to the Afar
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