Golden Hen wrote:
I travel often and it stikes me as odd that while in Massachusetts if you make eye contact with a stranger it is regarded as being rude. Yet, in Louisiana if you don't make eye contact and offer a greeting then locals consider that to be impolite.
Why do Northerners deny your humanity while Southerners embrace it?
Making eye contact is a two way street. Are each of the two people considering the other one rude when they both looked at each other? I am not following the logic here.
I am originally from VT and I have spent a lot of time in five New England states, NY, PA, NJ, MD, DC, VA, NC, TN, and SC. The only time northern people were rude to me was if they were in an automobile. If they were not in a vehicle, they have never bothered me when I was running, walking, shopping, eating, etc. Most of them didn't open the door for me or call me sir, but that is not being rude.
Many more southerners have opened doors for me and called me sir. While they are usually more polite, I don't think they are any nicer than northern people. I do believe that southern people are more likely to give people they just met a chance, whereas northerners are more likely to be cold in the beginning, but once they get to know someone a little, they become friendly.