Here's a question for the Americans (mainly) ... are people in New York really as aggressive as the media makes them out to be?

I ask purely because I wonder - I have contact with a lot of people daily as clients, and I have just noticed that of the ones from New York, there does seem to be a higher percentage of aggressive types than there are when looking at people overall.

The media gives one the impression that in New York it is seen as a positive attribute to want to get in to arguments and conflicts, and I have just noticed a correlation. But my 'sample size' is too small to be very meaningful - it could just be coincidence. So I wonder.

Like most generalizations, this one is also true.

As always then, it raises the question 'why is it so'?

One wonders if it is the effect of densely populous living. New York would have to be the most densely populous city (as far as I know anyway), so hence, the most pronounced effect of this type (just hypothesizing here).

But that raises the issue of other examples of dense population, outside the USA - Tokyo comes to mind (other Japanese cities too I think). I'm not sure if a similar phenomena exists in Tokyo but if it does I've seen no evidence of it online - and I do deal with quite a lot of Japanese people - they are among the most courteous and respectful individuals you'll ever meet. But perhaps that could be cultural values overriding the effect of the dense population.

Interesting - I'm sure someone would have done a Ph.D on it somewhere.

Interesting question. I sure don't know. This is probably right up your alley in that there is no one prominent contributing factor. Faster paced lifestyle, cultural influences, population density, etc.

Agreed. I do know one thing - it's not for me - I prefer life away from cities in general, and NY aside, in the country, people seem generally friendlier.

Same here. This is why I like where I live so much. As the crow flies, I'm miles away from the nearest 3-story or taller building, but only minutes away from pretty much everything I need and want. I can be in Honolulu in half an hour on occasions when I must leave my comfort zone.

I like those rednecks.

One other thing, the way people talk - voice inflections, pronunciation, etc, can make someone sound a certain way. Speaking of rednecks, those with a southern accent here can sound uneducated. So can people who speak in ebonics. Some people with southern accents or who use ebonics are uneducated, but one doesn't demand the other. So, NY accent may just sound aggressive.

I thought this thread was about unfounded generalisation?

Where did you get that idea?