Why do people in Chicago seem afraid of interacting with people sometimes?

Because they know they're surrounded by other Chicagoans.

**shudder**

My experience living here the last 33 years has been different than yours, OP. I tend to get a nod or a "hi" from most people I pass on the street in my neighborhood. (Not in the loop, where there are too many people to do that to all of them.).

I've been there several times and never had that problem, in fact I love the people there, so nice and friendly. What are you doing wrong, OP?

I heard my Mama cry. I heard her pray the night Chicago died.

I’m not doing anything. I try saying hi to people and they just look at the ground, so it can’t be what I’m doing. I thought the people would be more friendly, but I guess it’s just a stereotype.

Sure, OP. It’s not you, it’s them.

Sounds like my kinda town

OP = Jussie Smollett

R6 Has to be because I’m not doing anything out of the ordinary. I’m guessing they just aren’t that friendly a bunch.

OP are you the guy posting about the guy at work that avoids looking at you?

R10. No

OP, too many crazies in that city to risk making eye contact. Stick to your own knitting.

8 million Chicagoans can’t be wrong.

Dude, we need to know your race and which neighborhood you're talking about. That prolly explains most of it.

They’re probably afraid of getting shot. Or being accused of something by Jussie

R14, so people get treated differently here based on race? I guess that explains it then. That really sucks.

R15, are you from Chicago? Your post was not amusing.

Also R14 I’m in Uptown. But I’ve been mostly around the city downtown. So I’m guessing it’s different based on where you are.

Soooo... You won't tell us your race? And yes it does make a difference if you REALLY want to know what's going on. This is the USA.

It’s you, OP.

I used to live in Uptown and always found it friendly, except for some of the homeless along Broadway. So I'm pretty sure the issue is OP.

Chicago is so much more friendly than say, DC. I was there last fall it made me a bit homesick for living there.

When was the last time you looked in a mirror, OP?

I lived there almost all my life and I never felt that way. If it wasn't so expensive to live there I'd still be there. Of course people can be as OP described anywhere. People are more leary of other people now more than I ever remember even here in WV.

All the people attacking me for my experiences… it seems that my post hit home. A hit dog will always holler. I’m not saying it’s a bad city because it isn’t. I’m only speaking from my experiences and what I’ve seen. If you’re emotional then that’s not my problem lol. Kick rocks. R21, I will never understand why people stereotype cities as being this way or another. Years ago I went with a cousin because she was going to attend Howard. The people in DC were not anymore rude or friendly in any other place I’ve been in. *For the record, i am not generalizing Chicagoans. Im simply asking about a behavioral quirk I’ve noticed between the locals is all.

I don’t get this idea that Americans say hi to each other on the street. I live in a small town and no one ever acknowledges me when I walk down my quiet country road, unless it’s someone that knows me.

*

"For the record, i am not generalizing Chicagoans."

Narrator's voice: "For the record, that's exactly what he was doing."

OP is also:

*Weird behavior from a guy I work with*

[quote]I have a co-worker at work that I see from time to time. We don’t talk, but I noticed if we cross paths and he’d see me he’d either act avoidant like looking down or he’d make this frowning face and stick his head up. I don’t know what his deal is because I haven’t done anything to him to make his act this way, and he doesn’t act like this with other people so what is this guys deal?

R28, nice catching OP in that lie @R11.

I have no idea how you can know this unless you’re doxxing people or something. That isn’t me. R28

Do you have any large facial growths, OP? Neck goiters, maybe? I'm a former NY'er and I still haven't gotten used to how overly-friendly Chicagoans are after 14 years of living here.

Another absolutely idiotic post claiming something that has not a wit of validity or evidence on even a subjective level. Nuts.

OP you are trying so hard to keep stirring that "it's definitely not me" when numerous other people have said they do not have that experience. Perhaps you're imagining it, perhaps you are looking awkwardly at people, or perhaps it simply isn't true, and you're hoping someone will finally name the reason you want...

[quote]R30: I have no idea how you can know this unless you’re doxxing people or something. That isn’t me.

R28 is correct. Yes, it's you. I checked.

No, it's not 'doxxing.' The technique is called 'ignoredar,' and it's something any Datalounger can do.

HAHA, OP is caught - hilarious, and how humiliating you dumb freak.

Oh OP how embarrassing this thread turned out for you. Wow. Thanks r28. Good job outing another stupid troll.

If you want people to act friendlier to you, get a cute dog and walk it a lot although in Uptown, you'll probably get mugged..

OP you need to give strangers some room to breathe.

R31, what is your definition of someone being friendly? I’ve been to NY, the people are just as “friendly”, probably more outgoing than Chicagoans.

R33, anecdotal evidence does not trump my experiences. You can ask a bunch of people a question, some would say they’ve had a more pleasant experience. Others will have the opposite. You can’t dismiss someone’s experience just because a mob jumped in and said “welp didn’t happen to me”, it doesn’t work that way.

OP - you are a black man in Uptown who is gay. The white people won't talk to you based on past experiences with other black men In Uptown who then proceeded to rob them or assault them. The black people won't talk to you because you're gay and aren't looking to buy drugs . That pretty much sums up your neighborhood.

So uptown is not this diverse neighborhood where everyone gets along like people are making it out to seem? That’s interesting. Also, R41 that’s a gross generalization but it seems people aren’t taking issue with that for some reason…

Can you please describe uptown for someone nlt from Chicago? What are the neighborhoods like there?

I am visiting Chicago next week. I will staying in the Gold Coast neighborhood.

[quote]So uptown is not this diverse neighborhood where everyone gets along like people are making it out to seem?

Who the hell ever made Uptown out like that to you? Uptown is a mostly dangerous neighborhood. There are some great things there—The Green Mill, The Riv, a few great gay bars (thought most are closer to Boystown)...but it's also a dangerous neighborhood at night. I certainly wouldn't wander around there on my own. It's...gritty. Are you maybe thinking of Boystown?

R43 What is EVERY neighborhood in Chicago like? There are quite a few, you know.

Gold Coast is physically attractive, sterile, monied and white during the day, sometimes dangerous late at night (depending on the weather and day of the week), particularly Division between Dearborn and Chicago. The area around Mother's will be rife with drunk, spoiled youths at night. My boyfriend lives on the corner of Dearborn and Goethe, so I'm in the neighborhood often. There's a slew of great places to eat around you, but two that stand out to me are La Storia (super intimate and romantic authentic Italian), and lunch at the Restoration Hardware showroom.

Thanks, R45.

“anecdotal evidence does not trump my experiences”

Your experience is just as “anecdotal”. Every person other than you has reported that they find Chicago not to be as you describe it. And when they look for a reason that your experience might be different (your behavior or attitudes),, you reject those ideas as an attack and it solidifies your hypothesis. You think like a conspiracy theorist. “Other people aren’t agreeing with me, so I must have hit a nerve!”

Every other person, or just the people IN this thread? If someone posts a negative experience they had somewhere, y’all are quick to jump and say, “Well Chicago can’t possibly be like that, because it didn’t happen to me”. And if I wanted to accumulate negative experiences on a message board about how crappy Chicago was I can get the same amount of negative responses of people having bad experiences. Does that make it not valid because it doesn’t align with what YOU said? I said one thing about something I noticed in the city and you all jumped on it and started attacking me. What you’re doing is called gaslighting.

You didn't ask the entire internet. You asked us here at DataLounge. We gave you our answers, and they didn't match your own experience. (From the other thread you started, it appears you find people "avoiding" you often.) That's not gaslighting; it's just rejecting your conclusion.

OP, get some therapy.

People from suburban Midwest: why isn’t everyone LOOKING AND SMILING at me?

First time I ever took LIRR as a commuter I was freaked out by how many people were staring straight at me. Just sitting in their seats staring at me. After a few weeks I realized I was staring at other people. Not purposefully - the only direction you could look was forward, and if you were in an aisle seat that meant the people in the next row who were facing you were staring straight ahead - your faces just happened to be in the way.

Did you get a dog yet? Everyone talks to people walking dogs.

I'm Chicago born and bred, and I never smiled or said hello to someone I passed walking down the street. For reference born and lived in Ravenswood then lived in Roscoe Village.

Fwiw, when I volunteered to help Red Cross with mass sheltering of refugees from local fires in Portland, OR, another volunteer who had come from Louisiana asked me why people seemed so unfriendly in Portland.

I didn’t want to say, “You’re black,” although it’s a good guess, and settled for, “They think you’’re going to ask for money” because that, and asking me to sign a petition, are the ONLY two reasons anyone in Portland has ever initiated an on-street conversation with me.

People have been through Covid and who knows what else and big cities are stressful. I wouldn’t expect much overflowing delight at meeting your eyes, OP.

[quote]For reference born and lived in Ravenswood

I owned and resided in it, r55, but I don't remember you.

^ r54

So let’s all agree to kill the stereotype that Chicago is this overly friendly place?

But it IS MUCH friendlier than the east coast. I guess it's something hard to be objective about because it will depend on the level of friendliness you're used to in your hometown.

R59, what is you guys definition of friendly? Waving at you when you walk by? Smiling in your face? Small talk? This is never really specified.

You can get all of this in any east coast city, even in Boston of all places. Believe it or not.

OP is mentally ill.

Chicago is very Irish, Mexican and Black. For some reason we look really different but we really get along. Just say hi, but in a simple nod or downwards wave. We're in the Midwest and no need for extra attention.

R62 I don't know what Chicago you're living in. The only place where Chicago is VERY Irish (at least the old school kind) anymore is Bridgeport and they hate the Blacks and Mexicans. The Blacks and Mexicans hate each other too. I live in Pilsen and during the George Floyd riots, armed Latin Kings were discreetly parked at every corner of our neighborhood ready to take out any black teenager that even walked too closely to local businesses. I love Chicago, but I don't kid myself that it isn't an extremely segregated city.

R61 I bet you’re one of those idiots above still commenting because you’re mad. Are you upset about me critiquing Chicago or what? This city isn’t perfect, get over it.

That is the most corniest bullsh*t I’ve ever heard LOL R62.

Don’t forget about Mt Greenwood to R63. Eh, throw in the far northwest side while you’re at it.

True, R65, there's a good amount of old racist Irish, Italians, and Poles up there. I have nothing to confirm this, but I've always imagined Irving Park is where the old-timer Chicago cabbies retire to.

R63, the armed Latin Kings stories ran counter to the narrative that social justice warriors were then trying to promote of Black and Brown together. If you look at how virtually every Black neighborhood has opposed a migrant shelter, thee's a lot of antagonism.

R67 100%. You can love this city without pretending it's some kind of cultural love-in. There is certainly NO brown + black love in Chicago, and that was never more obvious than during the GF riots.

I'm white and have both latino and and black friends in Chicago, but very few that hang out together. And yeah, black friends of mine that live in South Shore have been VERY honest and vocal about their issues with the migrants, and I can't say I blame them. There's even animosity between the Venezuelan migrants and the Mexicans here. I feel like Pilsen is the safest neighborhood in Chicago and I'll stay as long as I can because honestly, the Latin Kings really do protect it. No muggings here, no carjackings, no lootings. Even Kia Souls are safe in Pilsen. They keep petty crime out of the neighborhood. Sure, they might occasionally kill each other over drug war shit, but that's their business, and families and residents don't get caught in the middle of it.

I doordash like crazy in this town and deal with all types of people in all social stations. And Chicago's way more unified than your Fox News channel wants you to believe. I'm in every neighborhood at all hours of the day. And most people just want to work and go about their business. In Chicago everyone becomes Irish on st Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo everyone becomes Mexican, MLK Day everyone remembers that good man. Yall just need to get the cluck out of your houses more often and see that it's not scary or there

It's important to know the social/political history of Chicago. Chicago was divided into neighborhoods according to ethnicity for political purposes. So the Polish, Italian, German, Irish, etc. all lived in very specific neighborhoods and these were divided into wards. The wards had elected officials representing each district in the Chicago assembly/(City Council.) Democratic Party politics in particular was based on this ethnic groups dynamic. Your ward boss would welcome new immigrants, help them get jobs, help pay for funerals, and buy food if you needed help. If you had a problem with local government, he would "fix " it. These old time ward healers and political bosses ran the show. And it worked. That was the thing about Chicago. As far as municipal services go Chicago worked. It also had a very corrupt police department. Talk about a "Blue Wall." Railroads, slaughterhouses and commodities trading, were big economic engines. It was a very blue collar town. This ethnic neighborhoods t hing also contributed to insularity and people naturally stuck to their own people. I think in a lot of ways this insularity passed from one generation to another. They can be wary of outsiders.

The ethnic neighborhoods of the early 20th century you speak of barely exist. All those folks live in the suburbs or other parts of the country. Same with those who came afterwards. The Indians who settled around Devon are now in the burbs and sold their restaurants to Pakistanis. The Appalachians who lived in Uptown , the Germans of North Center, the Swedes of Andersonvile, the Poles of Logan Square, the Irish of Bridgeport, the non-Orthodox Jews of West Rogers Park--either all gone or close to it.

Sorry, but the crime rate explains why people don't speak to strangers. Racism may be part of it. It's always been this way.

R69 Lol. Everything becomes Irish everywhere on St. Patrick's Day. Same as everything is Mexican everywhere for Cinco de Mayo. At least in big cities. And I can't imagine you're having the deepest social connections with people while you're Doordashing. Furthermore, I don't get anything from Fox News apart from the occasional snarking material here on DL.

I've lived in Chicago 14 years after spending the first 22 years of my life in NYC, which is my point of comparison when it comes to "diversity". Chicago is a VERY diverse city, but it's also a very segregated city with a lot of racial tensions. Acknowledging that doesn't cancel out all the amazing things about Chicago (which I very much love), but denying it denies a lot of people's lived experiences and struggles.

Just because the neighborhoods don't have the same cultural makeup as they did in the early 20th century doesn't mean they aren't still racially distinct. I don't know when the last time was you were up on Devon, but it is still VERY much little India. Pilsen and Little Village are still very much Little Mexico. Chinatown is still very much Chinatown. Bridgeport still has plenty of Irish. Ukrainian Village is still full of Slavs. Humboldt Park still has plenty of Puerto Ricans. The Southside is still Black.

And I'm not saying racism is why people don't talk to OP. Based on his other posts here, I'm just thinking people don't talk to him anywhere because he might be a little creepy and/or smelly and not know it.

R72 How would you compare NYC and Chicago when it comes to race relations? Which city do you think is better when it comes to that in your opinion?

R73 I don't think either city is "better" necessarily. They're just different. LA is still the city with the most racial tension. There aren't race wars in Chicago, and it pretty much remains unspoken for the most part (obviously less so post-pandemic).

In NY, everyone is on top of everyone else, there's simply no room to keep to your own. That's not to say there aren't racial divisions in NY, and there is CERTAINLY class division, but it's not like Chicago where practically every train line is a different race during rush hour. I don't think people who have lived in Chicago their whole lives (or shipped in from some other Midwestern city) notice it as much. It's not like people in Chicago only have friends of their own race or only partner with people of their own race or only work with people of their own race, but largely, they live amongst people of their own race. I keep using words like "largely" and "for the most part" because obviously races aren't a monolith anywhere. But in Chicago, black people don't want Latinos living their neighborhoods (and vice versa), white people don't want black people living in their neighborhoods, Latinos don't want white (or black) people living in their neighborhoods, and Chinatown doesn't want ANY non-Asian living in their neighborhood. The only time that changes is when neighborhoods are in the process of gentrifying (because white people go wherever the fuck they want to go)—but that's not "racially unifying", it's just the opposite.

[quote]LA is still the city with the most racial tension.

Not really, r74.

Are you white, R75?

Why, r76?

Because it's usually wealthier/upper middle class white people that don't notice racial tensions in their cities (mostly because they're shielded from it).

I don't fit that category, r78. Where do you live?

R79 Chicago, as per my post. But I'm in LA at least once a month for work.

Well, r80, I live in LA and perhaps it's because I live in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural area that I don't notice a high level of racial tension. What are you basing your evaluation on?

I’d figure a city as segregated as Chicago would have more racial tensions. I imagine in NYC since people live on top of each other like you said, they would be more comfortable around races that do not look like them, thus, less racial tensions. But there are always outliers to everything.

I wouldn't say the racial divisions in Chicago have anything to do with people not looking like them. Latinos don't want black people in their neighborhoods because they think they'll bring gun violence and petty crime with them; black people don't want Latinos because they think Latinos think they're better than them (which they do); Latinos don't want whites because they buy up businesses and buildings and spike rental prices; whites don't want poor blacks in their neighborhoods for the same reason Latinos don't; and Asians don't want anyone else for...undisclosed reasons?

I would say the most "racially diverse" neighborhood in Chicago is University Village/ Tri-Taylor.

I saw a man who danced with his wife!

Have you tried Mayberry? Everyone there is friendly.

*

R83, so in conclusion, it’s racism against people that don’t look like them…

R88 No, I don't think anything I said concludes that. Cause in Chicago, white people DO make neighborhoods less affordable. Black people DO have more guns. Latinos DO think they're better than black people. No one in Chicago pretends these things aren't true.

Well, maybe the Asians just don't like people who look different? I dunno. We don't ask and they don't tell.

Maybe it’s because you’re dressed like a freak OP.

[quote]Cause in Chicago, white people DO make neighborhoods less affordable.

It would be hard to collect data to support that statement because Chicago has been a segregated city for at least 70 years.

That said, we're all Democrats. United in our division.

I worked the polls in my very blue district during a primary and made note of the very few people who asked for Republican ballots--frat boys, sallow-skinned Federalist Society types and a few nasty old ladies.

R91 Taken from an r/chicago post:

"Little Village, East Garfield Park, Avondale, Bridgeport, Bronzeville, Pilsen, Beverly, Mckinley Park, West Ridge, Back of the Yards and Douglas Park are all in stages 1 through 3 and maybe a little 4. Humboldt Park is in each of those stages, depending on where you are. Stage 5 is mostly in the West Loop, but could be all over the North Side. Bucktown and Wicker Park is in stage 6 and the West Loop is trending that way. The hipper parts of Lincoln Park, River West, the Near North side and Lakeview from 10 years ago are now mostly ATMs.

I feel like this cartoon needs to separate the tech bro stage into a tech bro OR stroller stage, because the difference is real and significant."

Its not me. I don't bother anymore. I know what I saw, and I've talked to other people that notice the same. Internet isn't the place to have a meaningful discussion anyway. R90 's idiotic post is exhibit A.

but if I'm not mistaken Latinos have guns and gangs too so where is this logic coming from? Making broad generalizations about the races despite them not being totally true and Discriminating is the definition of racism R89.

[quote]Why do people in Chicago seem afraid of interacting with people sometimes?

I don't know about that. Ariana Madix has been very friendly, as has Max Von Essen. The only one who has been a little reticent has been Drew Nellessen, but maybe that's because he knows I want to suck his cock.

R96 It is true that Latinos have gangs and those gang-members do have guns, but at least in Chicago, they keep that shit locked up and they're not trigger-happy. You can (as I have for 14 years) live in prime Mexican gang territory and almost never hear a peep. It's FAMILY FRIENDLY gang violence.

I say if you're in a gang, you do what you gotta do— as long as you keep it out of block parties and street festivals.

Also, don't be a child. It's not racism, it's reality.

What’s the problem here!?

I wish that "Chicago Charm" translated when they crossed the Wisconsin border every summer

STUPID FIBS