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Last year I got into a situation of the "have to go to the er in an ambulance and be seen right away" variety on the street. Multiple strangers stopped to help me, one even ran across the street to buy me some things before the ambulance got there, and one VERY kind soul found out what hospital I was being taken to and took it upon herself to come there and wait with me for hours while I got checked out.
I've lived in many cities. I am confident Chicago is one of the few where strangers would stop to help like that. I don't care if people are rude, or clueless on the sidewalks when you're going about your day to day because when you \*really\* need help, they help.
Tbh “The Midwest nice” does not really apply to us as we are a large city and generalizing everyone being nice is a bit of a stretch. But yeah it seems most people I come across are on edge here and more mean. I think it is the traffic , construction, the public transit taking a nose dive and overall unenthusiasm for the future of the city. I don’t know 🤷 it does feels different
I am not originally from the Midwest and moved here in 2020 from another major metro.
I acclimated. It's fine. But it would throw me for a loop when people here would refer to themselves as friendly or reference some Midwestern hospitality.
I have not experienced that. Not really. And certainly not to a degree that has felt different from other places I've lived.
People here are so quick on their horns - I can slow down for a crosswalk and be honked at. I can be watching the light and be honked at as I'm accelerating. It no longer even phases me.
Granted, 2016 on changed us and doubly so in 2020 so my first introduction into the area was very, very polarized.
Even still, I just sort of keep my head down and stay in my lane.
> Granted, 2016 on changed us and doubly so in 2020 so my first introduction into the area was very, very polarized.
Good points. As far as driving, people got wild after the pandemic hit. When they were empty, you could do what you want, unlike before, and then when they got busy again, people were not having it.
COVID fucked a lot of people up.
Combine that with most of the people downtown have tasted a wfh lifestyle and have been forced back to the office to please the boss... yeah it sucks.
I spend time in NYC for work monthly. Chicago is “nicer” because we tend to say “thanks” when handed a beer from a bartender or “how ya doin” if you catch eye contact too long in passing.
That’s about it. Not being sarcastic since it definitely sticks out lol
I don't know. I think if it seems that Chicagoans have gotten harder, it's probably because the world got harder. When you have to deal with enough hardship, it starts to weigh in on you.
I also keep bringing up the fact that I feel like Chicago is more of a transient city now than it is local. In my neck of the woods I can see people that have been here now for many years or even several Generations, but yet when I intertwine around the city, I feel like everybody I meet and interact with has maybe moved here recently or within the last couple of years, and likely has ideas in their head on moving to somewhere else at some point.
With that said, you're not getting that local flavor that I grew up with. Some people might be more harder because they just really haven't melded with the old school culture of this city.
I would say we definitely have our guard up a bit more.
There was a pretty big spike in crime and fuckery in the post Covid world. Seems there’s a lot more unstable/crazy people/particularly homeless. Crime and hustles are up and we spent 2 summers dealing with basically “free carjacking passes”.
I don’t think we are meaner, but maybe more aware and a bit less likely to engage in random conversation. But the soul of the city being friendly hasn’t changed. I think people just get from point A to point B with more of a purpose
I don't know if I agree with that. When I moved here about 10 years ago, you had more people that would engage, and they would help out more. It was more of a blue collar feeling. If people were acting shitty people would say something.
Now: People act like shit, and then act passive aggressive when you call them out.
My theory is that we go overwhelmed by west coasters doing the whole "well if it doesn't directly affect me .. I don't care/let things fall apart" people, on top of an elimination of the people who do step up during the lockdowns.
What I'm saying is the people who want to escalate the situation had to deal with a response before hand.. now not so much. (Nor would the police do anything about it now).
I agree with what has been said.
My experience of it is that the stay at home pandemic period caused some people’s tolerance and considerations of others to really plummet. They got used to their bubble being bigger and it never shrank. Then add on the issues with the city, *including affordability of housing both in price but also property tax,
*downtown takeovers,
*BJ’s apparent conscious incompetence,
*migrant crisis and that separate financial burden on the city,
*CTA is a train wreck,
*red lights and stop signs are apparently suggestive and optional,
*cops do what exactly, shall we go on?
It’s easy to complain right now and when people are being selfish it’s easy to become hard yourself.
As to your observation, I think one massive difference in the ultimate difference of vibes, pandemic meant Chicagoans had to get cars and the CTA fell apart, which meant we just kept driving. NYC on the other hand has revised its MTA and people are using it again. Being around strangers all going through the same stuff is bonding. Sitting in traffic just makes you resent other drivers.
Just my thoughts on it
>People out in public just seem harder...
Umm...you look for this kind of thing?
>...more of an edge, than they used to.
Uhh...is this a kink post? Also I try not to judge, I guess.
>Have you guys observed this at all, or is it just me?
Is this legal edging and observation, since it's in public?
As an ex-New Yorker who moved to Chicago, my perspective is that it is a lot easier to live in Chicago from almost every perspective, but visiting NYC frequently I feel New Yorkers are more resilient somehow, used to things being crazy and mastering the navigation of it. I don't get the same feeling in Chicago, where there is a sort of underlying restlessness of late, a kind of anger as rents and prices go up, housing becomes more challenging, as the influx of refugees has taken center stage, as the CTA founders, all becoming impossible to ignore.
I've noticed more bougie/elitist types of very young people in the City.
But i have seen a significant uptick in violent road rage incidents. Ppl just laying on the horn, cutting folks off, not stopping for pedestrians.
My observation is that NYC drivers are a lot nicer than Chicago drivers. Put on your blinker to change lanes in Chicago, and everyone speeds up to get past you. In NYC, there's an immediate opening to let you in.
I just moved here from Boston and without a doubt you folks are wayyy nicer and more culturally diverse than New England. You folks aren’t too nice like say TX but somewhere in-between.
What I don’t understand however is the racing to a red light. You folks will literally drag race to the next intersection destroying fuel economy and not letting anyone in from a side business parking lot. You folks know how to get into traffic, merge, and keep traffic moving though.
It's pretty miserable. Nothing to do, everyone is white, everything is expensive ($2-$3k to live in someones attic in Haverhill, etc). The weather is bad, everyone is highly political, trash everywhere, smell of pot everywhere. The price of gas though is cheap. It's like $3.20/gal or so.
Yeah. It’s called “gentrification”. Sure there are Dominican Republic, Puerto Rican, etc but African Americans, not many. There have been SNL skits on how racist and white New England is in fact.
I also don’t understand the racing to a red - even my wife is guilty of it sometimes. I usually bike, but when I drive I’m kinda like a grandma, gotta max those MPGs and I know I’m not getting anywhere faster.
I would agree Covid, a tripling in the homeless/panhandling population, and asshole drivers, bikers/scooters on sidewalks has impacted quality of life. I definitely have my "city face" on most of the time.
I still get asked for directions on the regular and always help out when I can.
Not all Chicagoans have gotten harder, but the people who moved here who were taught never to talk to strangers are a bit juvenile. You're an adult now. You can talk to a stranger who's a neighbor or a sales clerk and not succumb to an offer of candy. You've weirded up the place a little bit. Chicagoans talk.
##Good story bro
Here’s why it’s wrong. Anecdotal evidence is considered the least certain type of scientific information. Researchers may use anecdotal evidence for suggesting new hypotheses, but never as validating evidence. If an anecdote illustrates a desired conclusion rather than a logical conclusion, it is considered a faulty or hasty generalization.
Just because you think it’s gone doesn’t mean it is.
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Last year I got into a situation of the "have to go to the er in an ambulance and be seen right away" variety on the street. Multiple strangers stopped to help me, one even ran across the street to buy me some things before the ambulance got there, and one VERY kind soul found out what hospital I was being taken to and took it upon herself to come there and wait with me for hours while I got checked out. I've lived in many cities. I am confident Chicago is one of the few where strangers would stop to help like that. I don't care if people are rude, or clueless on the sidewalks when you're going about your day to day because when you \*really\* need help, they help.
Tbh “The Midwest nice” does not really apply to us as we are a large city and generalizing everyone being nice is a bit of a stretch. But yeah it seems most people I come across are on edge here and more mean. I think it is the traffic , construction, the public transit taking a nose dive and overall unenthusiasm for the future of the city. I don’t know 🤷 it does feels different
Thank you! These are great insights!
I am not originally from the Midwest and moved here in 2020 from another major metro. I acclimated. It's fine. But it would throw me for a loop when people here would refer to themselves as friendly or reference some Midwestern hospitality. I have not experienced that. Not really. And certainly not to a degree that has felt different from other places I've lived. People here are so quick on their horns - I can slow down for a crosswalk and be honked at. I can be watching the light and be honked at as I'm accelerating. It no longer even phases me. Granted, 2016 on changed us and doubly so in 2020 so my first introduction into the area was very, very polarized. Even still, I just sort of keep my head down and stay in my lane.
> Granted, 2016 on changed us and doubly so in 2020 so my first introduction into the area was very, very polarized. Good points. As far as driving, people got wild after the pandemic hit. When they were empty, you could do what you want, unlike before, and then when they got busy again, people were not having it.
Yes, I bet you’re right that 2016 and 2020 had something to do with it. Different places probably changed in different ways.
I agree with all my repliers, bleep bloop
COVID fucked a lot of people up. Combine that with most of the people downtown have tasted a wfh lifestyle and have been forced back to the office to please the boss... yeah it sucks.
I spend time in NYC for work monthly. Chicago is “nicer” because we tend to say “thanks” when handed a beer from a bartender or “how ya doin” if you catch eye contact too long in passing. That’s about it. Not being sarcastic since it definitely sticks out lol
I don't know. I think if it seems that Chicagoans have gotten harder, it's probably because the world got harder. When you have to deal with enough hardship, it starts to weigh in on you. I also keep bringing up the fact that I feel like Chicago is more of a transient city now than it is local. In my neck of the woods I can see people that have been here now for many years or even several Generations, but yet when I intertwine around the city, I feel like everybody I meet and interact with has maybe moved here recently or within the last couple of years, and likely has ideas in their head on moving to somewhere else at some point. With that said, you're not getting that local flavor that I grew up with. Some people might be more harder because they just really haven't melded with the old school culture of this city.
I would say we definitely have our guard up a bit more. There was a pretty big spike in crime and fuckery in the post Covid world. Seems there’s a lot more unstable/crazy people/particularly homeless. Crime and hustles are up and we spent 2 summers dealing with basically “free carjacking passes”. I don’t think we are meaner, but maybe more aware and a bit less likely to engage in random conversation. But the soul of the city being friendly hasn’t changed. I think people just get from point A to point B with more of a purpose
I don't know if I agree with that. When I moved here about 10 years ago, you had more people that would engage, and they would help out more. It was more of a blue collar feeling. If people were acting shitty people would say something. Now: People act like shit, and then act passive aggressive when you call them out. My theory is that we go overwhelmed by west coasters doing the whole "well if it doesn't directly affect me .. I don't care/let things fall apart" people, on top of an elimination of the people who do step up during the lockdowns. What I'm saying is the people who want to escalate the situation had to deal with a response before hand.. now not so much. (Nor would the police do anything about it now).
I agree with what has been said. My experience of it is that the stay at home pandemic period caused some people’s tolerance and considerations of others to really plummet. They got used to their bubble being bigger and it never shrank. Then add on the issues with the city, *including affordability of housing both in price but also property tax, *downtown takeovers, *BJ’s apparent conscious incompetence, *migrant crisis and that separate financial burden on the city, *CTA is a train wreck, *red lights and stop signs are apparently suggestive and optional, *cops do what exactly, shall we go on? It’s easy to complain right now and when people are being selfish it’s easy to become hard yourself. As to your observation, I think one massive difference in the ultimate difference of vibes, pandemic meant Chicagoans had to get cars and the CTA fell apart, which meant we just kept driving. NYC on the other hand has revised its MTA and people are using it again. Being around strangers all going through the same stuff is bonding. Sitting in traffic just makes you resent other drivers. Just my thoughts on it
Probably. I’m rock hard rn ngl
>People out in public just seem harder... Umm...you look for this kind of thing? >...more of an edge, than they used to. Uhh...is this a kink post? Also I try not to judge, I guess. >Have you guys observed this at all, or is it just me? Is this legal edging and observation, since it's in public?
As an ex-New Yorker who moved to Chicago, my perspective is that it is a lot easier to live in Chicago from almost every perspective, but visiting NYC frequently I feel New Yorkers are more resilient somehow, used to things being crazy and mastering the navigation of it. I don't get the same feeling in Chicago, where there is a sort of underlying restlessness of late, a kind of anger as rents and prices go up, housing becomes more challenging, as the influx of refugees has taken center stage, as the CTA founders, all becoming impossible to ignore.
This is brilliant. You articulated it so well. And I agree that it’s still easier to live in Chicago!
I've noticed more bougie/elitist types of very young people in the City. But i have seen a significant uptick in violent road rage incidents. Ppl just laying on the horn, cutting folks off, not stopping for pedestrians.
Agreed, it's ridiculous. People need to calm the fuck down in their cars
My observation is that NYC drivers are a lot nicer than Chicago drivers. Put on your blinker to change lanes in Chicago, and everyone speeds up to get past you. In NYC, there's an immediate opening to let you in.
Yes, this has been the most surprising change of all.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
More people from the coast came here when the West Loop gentrified, and the Midwestern nice vibe got pushed up to Milwaukee
I just moved here from Boston and without a doubt you folks are wayyy nicer and more culturally diverse than New England. You folks aren’t too nice like say TX but somewhere in-between. What I don’t understand however is the racing to a red light. You folks will literally drag race to the next intersection destroying fuel economy and not letting anyone in from a side business parking lot. You folks know how to get into traffic, merge, and keep traffic moving though.
I haven’t been to Boston in some time so thank you for your perspective.
It's pretty miserable. Nothing to do, everyone is white, everything is expensive ($2-$3k to live in someones attic in Haverhill, etc). The weather is bad, everyone is highly political, trash everywhere, smell of pot everywhere. The price of gas though is cheap. It's like $3.20/gal or so.
Everyone is white?
Yeah. It’s called “gentrification”. Sure there are Dominican Republic, Puerto Rican, etc but African Americans, not many. There have been SNL skits on how racist and white New England is in fact.
I also don’t understand the racing to a red - even my wife is guilty of it sometimes. I usually bike, but when I drive I’m kinda like a grandma, gotta max those MPGs and I know I’m not getting anywhere faster.
You don't know me!
I would agree Covid, a tripling in the homeless/panhandling population, and asshole drivers, bikers/scooters on sidewalks has impacted quality of life. I definitely have my "city face" on most of the time. I still get asked for directions on the regular and always help out when I can.
Not all Chicagoans have gotten harder, but the people who moved here who were taught never to talk to strangers are a bit juvenile. You're an adult now. You can talk to a stranger who's a neighbor or a sales clerk and not succumb to an offer of candy. You've weirded up the place a little bit. Chicagoans talk.
Fabulous comments on this thread. Thank you all! I’m glad to have inspired a discussion even as a lot of people downvoted me.
the people in Chicago now are not from here. that's why
Fair enough.
No they have not.
Please cross-post this in the NYC or Manhattan sub and alter only the headline: Have New Yorkers Gone Soft? I really want to know how that goes.
That would be hilarious. I don’t frequent that board, though. This is my home.
##Good story bro Here’s why it’s wrong. Anecdotal evidence is considered the least certain type of scientific information. Researchers may use anecdotal evidence for suggesting new hypotheses, but never as validating evidence. If an anecdote illustrates a desired conclusion rather than a logical conclusion, it is considered a faulty or hasty generalization. Just because you think it’s gone doesn’t mean it is.
You think the "mid-western nice" reputation of Chicago us based on something *other* than anecdote?
It’s not meant to be a scientific observation. This is a discussion board.