The rudest Nation

Ricardo G

pickarooney wrote: »

The French are infuriatingly polite. Has anyone that says they're rude actually ever been to France?

I would have to agree, i was in Paris for the first time last year and found the french to be the most polite and mannerly people i have ever encountered !! Very helpful and always went out of their way to do something for us. There is a misconception that the French are ignorant and rude globally and where does that stem from ????? England surprise surprise :rolleyes:

arybvtcw0eolkf

biko wrote: »

In any nation the people from the capital are always the rudest, most others are fine.
I've been refused to be served in Israel because I didn't speak Hebrew but not everyone are dickheads there.
Funnily, when I was there I hitch-hiked all the time. The Jews said to avoids Arab cars and the Arabs said to avoid Jewish cars
At the end of the end they were all quite nice.

I started hitch hiking in Tel Aviv one very stoned out morning, and woke up in Demascus, Syria a day later

Had another Christian driver offer me the services of his sister, had another two who turned out to be IDF tankers on leave & spent a weekend in Eilat with 'em.

Another hike took me away for a few days in a Druze village somewhere near Akko, and yet another took me from Eilat to a kibbutz near Naqoura with a beauty from Uraguay

Hitch hiking is brilliant in Israel, always an adventure :cool:

pickarooney

pickarooney wrote: »

The French are infuriatingly polite. Has anyone that says they're rude actually ever been to France?

Yes. I've been there over 15 times for holidays and work and have worked with plenty of French people over here. I'd say anyone who thinks they're infuriatingly polite has barely scratched the surface. It's superficial politeness. All 'excusez-moi madame' until they don't get their own way, then they turn around and curse you to hell.

Ricardo G wrote:

I would have to agree, i was in Paris for the first time last year and found the french to be the most polite and mannerly people i have ever encountered !! Very helpful and always went out of their way to do something for us. There is a misconception that the French are ignorant and rude globally and where does that stem from ????? England surprise surprise

You think only the English dislike the French? Haha.

pickarooney

Markus Harsh Range wrote: »

Yes. I've been there over 15 times for holidays and work and have worked with plenty of French people over here. I'd say anyone who thinks they're infuriatingly polite has barely scratched the surface. It's superficial politeness. All 'excusez-moi madame' until they don't get their own way, then they turn around and curse you to hell.

Well, I imagine you're fully capable of starting a row in an empty room so I'll casually dismiss your anecdotal stereotyping and continue scratching the surface for another 15 years.

bronte

Of all the places I've been I did find people dealing with the general public in France to be pretty rude. I'd go back again, but it puts a dampener on things.

old_aussie

scientific1982 wrote: »

The Aussies

That achievement took a lot of practice for us to get it down pat.

CorkMan

China.

I was in a restaurant and walked up to the waiter and he asked "You want food or not?"

catbear

I used to think the French were rude but I just think they like being complicated, but with the Italians (and I hate to generalise) but the concept of queueing just seems too hard for them to grasp.

I was in a queue for a Ryanair flight from Rome to Dublin when this middle aged italian man with his coat draped over his shoulders meandered past the queue and then just stood there at the top as cool as anything.

The Irish guy standing at the top of the queue turned and looked at him and said "this is a queue", the italian guy just looks down his nose and said "in Rome do as Romans do". Without a blink the Irish guy said "that's an Irish plane and you queue or you don't get on an irish plane". Everyone cheered. A Danish woman we had being talking to was extremely pleased to see an Italian taken down a peg in his own country.

I think to generalise any nation by just visits to their big cities is unfair really. I'm sure there are Italians who get the queueing thing.

Seaneh

The French are pretty ****ing uppity.

More specifically, Parisians.

GodlessInfidel

Israeli's. Met a few nice ones travelling who i remain friends with to this day, but the majority are pig ignorant and racist.Aussies and South Africans aren't too far behind

HalloweenJack

Spanish could be considered rude by some people.

I found them to be short on "thanks" and "pleases" and somewhat uninterested in helping out strangers in their problems and when they do, they seem annoyed at helping.

I didn't think it was rude, though, just not polite.

kilmuckridge

ejmaztec wrote: »

My neighbours are rude ignorant feckin boggers from Boggerland, wherever that is. Apparently the Boggerland people are the same rude fucks, mostly because they're all related to each other.

+1

longshanks

the north koreans wouldn't let me do anything in their lovely country, kept calling me a western spy dog, wouldn't smile for the camera (the soldiers and police, that is).
come to think of it the iranian cop/soldier fellas weren't too friendly either. again, no posing for the camera there.
and i won't even start on the nutjobs you'd meet in afghanistan. we were playing god top trumps and they got all rifley shootey anytime someone dropped the mohammed card
also, kilkenny. untamed stripey savages

pickarooney

pickarooney wrote: »

Well, I imagine you're fully capable of starting a row in an empty room so I'll casually dismiss your anecdotal stereotyping and continue scratching the surface for another 15 years.

I disagree with you and you insult me without any basis or justification. Are you French by any chance? Have you lived there for a long period of time?

Casually dismiss my 'stereotyping' all you like. After 25 years of one bad experience after another, I'm not so sure it counts as stereotyping. Nobody hates the French more than other French people. They're as horrible to each other as they are to anyone else, if not more so. A French colleague jokingly told me the other day that everyone she knows in France is depressed. I'm not surprised.

Stinicker

crybaby wrote: »

Now I have never been to the country but without a doubt from the many people I have encountered from living and travelling abroad the Israelis take this easily.

Just last week one of them was shouting at me "I WILL **** YOU UP" in a club for having the audacity to ask him politely not to sit down in my girlfriends seat. This is a bloke who is on holiday in a foreign country where everyone is having great fun and smiling it just seems to be in their nature to be *****.I think the compulsory one year in the army has something to do with their attitudes whatever it is everyone that travels seems to share the opinion that they are just arseholes.

It is unfair to blame this on military service, Germany also has conscription yet their people are amongst the nicest and friendliest in the world. Israel is just a misanthropic state, and their people pure bigots. A nasty nation of haters.

Fintomiginto

I found Londoners to be absolute coooonts

They barely look at you when you address them and sometimes they would completely ignore you, turned me off ever going back to London

Snickers Man

Israelis by a mile. And I've spent some time there.

Thoroughly obnoxious and unsympathetic people. In general. There are of course exceptions. I think they feel that nobody likes them so they don't even bother trying to be likable.

The French, especially in Paris, have an annoying habit of tutting and pretending not to understand you if you veer even a teensy bit from the standard accepted grammar. Like saying le instead of la or daring to use the second person singular instead of plural when talking to a stranger.

They're a bit like Gaelgeoirs in that respect. Use Munster Irish when talking to a Donegal man and they look at you in disgust.

But on holiday in the Basque country, everybody we had to deal with was unfailingly charming.

Kivaro

Without doubt, the rudest people on the earth come from ...........

Lesbia.

Keeping all the good stuff to themselves is just plain rude.

old gregg

I spent a week in Bucharest (Romania) last year and found a large number of folks I encountered to be pretty rude including the car hire company who tried to rip me off for €500 and yet along the way I was approached by a guy one day who asked me if I was lost and needed directions just cos I was carrying a map.

Never had a problem in France but figure that Parisians enjoy being snotty with foreigners so let them enjoy it as long as the coffee tastes good.

Tar.Aldarion

pickarooney wrote: »

The French are infuriatingly polite. Has anyone that says they're rude actually ever been to France?

+1 Politest people ever with me. So nice.


Anyway, wouldn't really pick a place out, maybe Italy but sure everywhere has it's good and bad.

RolandIRL

i would have to say the People's Republic of Dickheads

NSFW btw

starlit

I cannot decide...I am between Germany, France, Holland, Greece, England and some places near Saudi Arabia and places out in the Middle East.

southsiderosie

I love Spain, but I've found many Catalans to be shockingly rude and arrogant. The Basques hate being part of Spain too, but they don't act like that gives them a license to be assholes.

McNulty737

I went to paris for the first time this summer, and really though the people there were extremely friendly and helpful when asking for directions/ordering in resturantes etc.

Also visited rome in the summer for the first time, and italians were extremely rude/unhelpful....left two resturantes before ordering due to the ignorant waiters.

However i´ve lived in Madrid for the past 12 months and find the people here to be the most ignorant, rude, lazy and intolerant people i have ever encountered. They also have a pretty extreme superiority complex which goes hand in hand with it being a capital city. Foreigners are not treated well by the locals, who make no effort what so ever to understand when foreign people are trying to speak a bit of spanish....was sickened when they won the world cup.

southsiderosie

McNulty737 wrote: »

However i´ve lived in Madrid for the past 12 months and find the people here to be the most ignorant, rude, lazy and intolerant people i have ever encountered. They also have a pretty extreme superiority complex which goes hand in hand with it being a capital city. Foreigners are not treated well by the locals, who make no effort what so ever to understand when foreign people are trying to speak a bit of spanish....was sickened when they won the world cup.

Really? I love Madrilenos - especially the crazy grandmothers who curse constantly. The one thing with the language is, they don't really slow down for people (or will for about 10 seconds), which makes it really hard sometimes for non-native speakers. But people like to joke and have a wicked sense of humor, especially in some of the older more traditional neighborhoods.

dan719

Markus Harsh Range wrote: »

Yes. I've been there over 15 times for holidays and work and have worked with plenty of French people over here. I'd say anyone who thinks they're infuriatingly polite has barely scratched the surface. It's superficial politeness. All 'excusez-moi madame' until they don't get their own way, then they turn around and curse you to hell.



You think only the English dislike the French? Haha.

I've spent over a year of my life in total in France. Does that mean my opinion is worth more than yours? :rolleyes:

I find them very helpful once you make the effort to speak the language. Not even well, but just make an attempt and they'll more than likely go back to English if you're struggling.

Different strokes for different folks.

Sergeant

Again, this perception that the French are rude is quite baffling, I have found the reality to be completely different.

My girlfriend and I spend 3 weeks travelling across Russia by train. Almost exclusively an unpleasant experience, a genuine coldness in their dealings, quite a bit of open hostility, and deeply racist.

dan719

dan719 wrote: »

I've spent over a year of my life in total in France. Does that mean my opinion is worth more than yours? :rolleyes:

I find them very helpful once you make the effort to speak the language. Not even well, but just make an attempt and they'll more than likely go back to English if you're struggling.

Different strokes for different folks.

Well, since I've spent far, far more time than that in France, not by your logic, no. I speak the language fluently and have done since I was 6. I've done most of my jobs partly or all through French. Obviously it's different strokes for different folks, that's exactly why I don't appreciate my opinion being dismissed because it doesn't fit in with someone else's idea that the French are lovely. I know plenty of other people think so, but I don't. And this isn't some crazy unfounded stereotype, it's 25 years of dealing with crazy French people.

As I've already said, I do agree that they are superficially polite to strangers and tourists. I do agree that use their pleases and thank-yous and are very prim and proper. But as I said, that disintegrates very quickly. Total opposite to the Spanish, who come across to tourists as loud, rude and ignorant, but are often lovely when you get to know them as people.

It also really bothers me that Irish people think the English are the only people who hate/slag the French. Sure, the English like to slag them but I haven't experienced any real animosity, in contrast to what I've heard from the Spanish/Belgians/Swiss/Germans/Americans.

Tchaikovsky

Nigerians, surely. Or is it racist to say anything bad about them?

ricero

mikom wrote: »

More like.

Israel

10, 9, 8, 7, 6............. New poster comes to their aid!!!

bloody shylocks oh im a badass :rolleyes:

Partizan

Sergeant wrote: »

Again, this perception that the French are rude is quite baffling, I have found the reality to be completely different.

My girlfriend and I spend 3 weeks travelling across Russia by train. Almost exclusively an unpleasant experience, a genuine coldness in their dealings, quite a bit of open hostility, and deeply racist.

Ah you have to understand the Ruskaya dushka (Russian soul). They are a very complex people and have some similar traits to us (fondness to alcohol). Once you get to know them they are brilliant. However they can change in an instant. I was in Russia last September to see my brother's in laws. They made me feel very welcome. It wasn't in Moscow but in Ekaterinburg. Unreal place. What I got up to there for the 2 weeks is unrepeatable on this thread. The Russians on the outside look so glum and rude but get to know them and you get to discover a whole different character. They are direct, upfront and will tell you how what they think of you. They are genuine people. The dyevouchki on the other hand :P

Lapin

Its ironic how a lot of people spend a week on holidays in Paris and come home with tales of rudeness associated with French people. Like any large city the place is a melting pot of people from different cultures and nationalities. The fact that they speak the language of their country of residence doesn't mean they are from the place. Its quite possible to spend a few days in Paris doing the touristy things and not meet a single Parisian.

Waiters are the exception. Like Dublin barmen, they reserve the right to be rude. Its almost an unwritten part of their job description. Part of the charmless charm of the place.

dan719

Markus Harsh Range wrote: »

Well, since I've spent far, far more time than that in France, not by your logic, no. I speak the language fluently and have done since I was 6. I've done most of my jobs partly or all through French. Obviously it's different strokes for different folks, that's exactly why I don't appreciate my opinion being dismissed because it doesn't fit in with someone else's idea that the French are lovely. I know plenty of other people think so, but I don't. And this isn't some crazy unfounded stereotype, it's 25 years of dealing with crazy French people.

As I've already said, I do agree that they are superficially polite to strangers and tourists. I do agree that use their pleases and thank-yous and are very prim and proper. But as I said, that disintegrates very quickly. Total opposite to the Spanish, who come across to tourists as loud, rude and ignorant, but are often lovely when you get to know them as people.

It also really bothers me that Irish people think the English are the only people who hate/slag the French. Sure, the English like to slag them but I haven't experienced any real animosity, in contrast to what I've heard from the Spanish/Belgians/Swiss/Germans/Americans.

Eh, my logic was that one's opinion (once it was based on personal experience ) was equally valid regardless of how much time had been spent in the country (within reason).

The only person trying to change anyone else's opinion on this thread is you. Everyone else has stated their own experience and left it at that.

I'm off to the pub.

dan719

dan719 wrote: »

Eh, my logic was that one's opinion (once it was based on personal experience ) was equally valid regardless of how much time had been spent in the country (within reason).

The only person trying to change anyone else's opinion on this thread is you. Everyone else has stated their own experience and left it at that.

I'm off to the pub.

Oh, is that why any criticism of the French is met with 'you obviously didn't spend enough time there/don't speak French'? :rolleyes: That's my problem. The insinuation that you have to be stereotyping or generalizing or have some personality defect rather than having come to the conclusion that French people are really rude based on years of personal experience.

admiralofthefleet

hungary

ive worked with a few over the years and they were all tossers, i deliberatley go out of my way to try and get on with the people i work with but it didnt work with them

CrackisWhack

I've noticed an increase in the rudeness of Irish people in recent times,


Its got to be South Africans though!

The Israeli

Israel for sure.

* Don't know how to queue.
* Talk very loudly and often shout completely unnecessarily.
* Courtesy words are often unfamiliar to them.
* Like to argue a lot and often don't know how to receive "no" answers.
* Often think that they know best.L
* Many of them don't try to act accordingly to the foreign country's courtesy rules when they are on a visit in there.
* Prefer to say and hear the dirty truth in the face and not to hide behind courtesy.
* Find this forum pretty amusing

annie87

I was on Erasmus in France and 99 % of people we met were lovely. Upon hearing our foreign accents, lots of them wanted to chat to us and show off how 'good' their english was. Had lots of crazy nights over there resulting from meeting randomers while out, and having the craic with them. And if you walk by people the vast majority would say 'Bon jour' or 'Bon Soir' to you, whereas here, people would nearly cross the road to avoid making conversation.

Not rude, exactly but I went on Tunisia when I was 13, and hated it because grown up men used to flirt with me (and my 11 year old sister) and we were proposed to on a few occasions. I'm sure those men meant it all in jest but i thought it was really scary and I wouldn't go back there.

pcardin

omg! You're moaning about French and totally forgot about Russians. There is no one else on this planet as rude, cold, angry and unpredictably dangerous as they are. All the worst characters human being can have live in Russians.

Captainship

pcardin wrote: »

omg! You're moaning about French and totally forgot about Russians. There is no one else on this planet as rude, cold, angry and unpredictably dangerous as they are. All the worst characters human being can have live in Russians.

True
here is a great example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy0W2YTTlTo&playnext=1&videos=tSVfUMBGbt4

Mr Keek

Spent some time in Mexico and could't wait to get out of the place, everywhere I went, I was called a Gringo.

People just sneered at us constantly and assumed that we had more money than they did that they were more 'Street Smart' than us and that we'd fall for anything. Constantly trying to con our money off us.

CrackisWhack

Captainship wrote: »

True
here is a great example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy0W2YTTlTo&playnext=1&videos=tSVfUMBGbt4

not to mention this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuOXaav7qZU

pickarooney

Markus Harsh Range wrote: »

I disagree with you and you insult me without any basis or justification. Are you French by any chance? Have you lived there for a long period of time?

Oh quelle surprise, the victim card, the ace in your strong suit of righteous idignation, high-horse navel-gazing, I-have-it-so-tough-ness, everyone-picks-on-me-because-I-look-different-itude and jaw-dropping hypocrisy, the basis of which is every thread you ever post in.

pickarooney

pickarooney wrote: »

Oh quelle surprise, the victim card, the ace in your strong suit of righteous idignation, high-horse navel-gazing, I-have-it-so-tough-ness, everyone-picks-on-me-because-I-look-different-itude and jaw-dropping hypocrisy, the basis of which is every thread you ever post in.

Yeah, yeah, yeah :rolleyes: You might want to take a long, hard look at yourself there. Calling someone a victim because they question being insulted for not sharing your point of view? I totally, 100% understand why the French suit you so well. You should come work where I work, there are some 30 French people nobody likes who would probably appreciate a likeminded soul.

Cormac2791

Ever thought it was just you getting into all those arguments?? :P nah.. Just depends on who you meet, we met very friendly frenchies on holiday in Italy! I'd admit though that they're very 'rude'on the roads

Victor McDade

Whatever nationality Markus Harsh Range and pickarooney are

cormacharraghy

cormacharraghy wrote: »

Ever thought it was just you getting into all those arguments?? :P nah.. Just depends on who you meet, we met very friendly frenchies on holiday in Italy! I'd admit though that they're very 'rude'on the roads

Even I have to admit that the Italians are MUCH worse on the roads :eek: At every toll booth, there's always someone who drives past the line of cars and forces their way in at the front so they don't have to wait. They also drive up your ass and beep obnoxiously if you're not driving at 150 mph like they want you to. Italians are total gobsh1tes when behind the wheel.

Barna77

HalloweenJack wrote: »

Spanish could be considered rude by some people.

I found them to be short on "thanks" and "pleases" and somewhat uninterested in helping out strangers in their problems and when they do, they seem annoyed at helping.

I didn't think it was rude, though, just not polite.

In Spanish, "thanks" and "please" if not said many times, it's implicit in the tone of your voice, in the way you speak. So you are asking a randomer for a smoke, but you say please without actually saying it.

If it makes sense.

Mr Keek wrote: »

Spent some time in Mexico and could't wait to get out of the place, everywhere I went, I was called a Gringo.

I'm called gringo.... over here

southsiderosie wrote: »

I love Spain, but I've found many Catalans to be shockingly rude and arrogant.

Because they think the universe revolves around them :rolleyes:

Barna77

Barna77 wrote: »

In Spanish, "thanks" and "please" if not said many times, it's implicit in the tone of your voice, in the way you speak. So you are asking a randomer for a smoke, but you say please without actually saying it.

That's true. The Spanish hardly ever use please and thank-you. Only when they are asking for a favour or genuinely grateful for something. You can always spot the foreigners because they say 'por favor' when asking for a drink or food. Spanish people never do that!

It's also perfectly fine in Spanish to say 'give me X' if said in a polite tone of voice. I'm always reminding my students that it's not cool in English to march up to a randomer and say 'give me a cigarette!'

rebelmomma

CrackisWhack wrote: »

I've noticed an increase in the rudeness of Irish people in recent times,


Its got to be South Africans though!

I just spent 4 days traveling around Clare and Kerry staying in different hotels and could not believe the rudeness of some of the hotel staff/management I met.

I was embarrased that the tourists happened upon these people. No wonder the tourism and hospitality industry is ****ed in this country if they were what meets them when they arrive.

Saying that my previous job saw me work with people from all over the world who came here to learn English. The most rude nations seem to be Swedish, Catalan, South Korean and Austrian.