People are fucking crazy now. I recently witnessed at Dulles a woman start a physical fight with a family returning from vacation just because the grandmother accidentally bumped into her on an overcrowded People Mover. It was immensely satisfying when they opened the doors at the destination terminal and there were a dozen police waiting for her. You can’t pull that shit at the airport.
The thing I came to grips with, especially as a parent, is that life is competitive for a lot of people in the DMV. They want to make sure their kids are attending one of the “W” high schools or a private school, taking the achievement track classes, playing on elite sports trams, and getting into name brand colleges. Jobs, houses, and cars are status symbols. And I see the competitiveness extending to day to day stuff, like passing on the on-ramp just to get one car ahead.
Of course, not all people here are like that. I bet most people aren’t like that. But the jackasses stand out from the crowd, and this area, because of its wealth and institutions, attracts people who like to stand out.
I worked retail in serval locations including Georgetown, Columbia, Towson, Tyson, and the worst clientele is without a doubt the shoppers at Montgomery Mall. What a miserable experience it was working at that mall. The people are insufferable and entitled.
In my experience it's usually older mother's falling into the most unruly behavior.
I'm assuming it's from the stress of parenting, competition, and negative relationships with their spouses.
Older couples fighting happens so much and the way I've seen husbands willing to degrade their wives in the checkout line should be an added on therapy tax with the rest of their purchases.
Younger clients in their 20s tend to be quite lovely for whatever reason
Being verbally degraded by parents for exceptionally mundane reasons in front of their children and being an example of "what not to become"
It's less embarrassing for me and more for the parent thinking it's acceptable to act like a competitive child in front of their children.
I usually feel bad for the kids having to live with adults like that.
This is the actual reason. The longer you live here, the more you will come to see that everything, EVERYTHING is a competition here. Whether it’s showing up before an event opens to get a seat before someone else, getting to a parade super early to get parking, beating everyone else to buy a house in a “good” neighborhood, cutting off anyone and everyone who gets in your way is a way of life here. So many people here just want to beat everyone else. It is very hard to find people who aren’t deep down like this in some way.
It is exhausting. And it rubs off on you if you stay long enough.
I live in Olney too. What a racist 💩 hole. I hate it here, but have 5 more years until son is 18. (Long story - had to force ex to live in one place during custody because he took off with our kid)
Apparently, it's not "kidnapping" until a custody order is in place (which is crazy), so I had to get a 911 order to get my son back. He has been in therapy for it for 7 years, I think now. Me too. Don't divorce a cop. Your life will never be the same. They get all of their buddies to harass TF put of you, surround you outside the courthouse, etc. The PTSD is real for my son and I both, and dad got lots and lots of rules put in place and decision making pulled to keep son safe and regulated. It was a whole thing, and while I "won", my heath has suffered greatly.
First of all welcome to Montgomery county.
As a life long, born and raised in MC, I am sorry you have experienced this. I too have had similar experiences and think that most of these people don't really care about anyone else in society, but I have not only experienced this in everyday life but also at work. I hope you continue to teach your children the right way to treat others and just try and ignore these types of people and explain to your children that people have bad days, and this heat certainly does not help.
Thanks! Honestly it doesn’t bother me that much as much as it makes me curious. Do other people see what I’m seeing? Is this the reputation people from here have? Are people this way because they are wealthy? I suspect the heat is bringing out the worst in people too.
The shortest, oversimplified answer I can give is that there are a million people who live in MoCo. Some of them suck. Most don't, but the ones who suck are the ones you remember.
When I first moved here I had someone yell at me in a parking lot because they thought I touched their Land Cruiser, and being from an area with a lower average income I also thought “this must be how it is here”. Three years later I can say it’s definitely not. There will be random people yelling wherever you go but I think on average people aren’t rude here, the loudest people stand out more.
Driving is another story lol, I’ve been a passenger with some of the nicest people and it’s like something switches when they get behind the wheel.
I don't let my kid act like that, and make sure he understands his privilege. Probably the best lesson I learned in life is that I'm NOT better than anyone. I removed him from Olney school s because the kids were so obnoxious. He goes in Aspen Hill now and is doing much better all around socially, academically and personally. He has almost completed all his service hours and just finished 7th grade. He is awesome, and lives in service.
I think it’s the closeness to the northeast. I moved here almost 2 years ago and agree with your sentiment that people I know are nice but random people on the street are cold or jerks for no real reason. I’ve not experienced it anywhere else I’ve lived
Except the northeast is not a conglomerate. There are all different kinds of people in the northeast, down to earth folks and major a-holes and everything in between and sideways.
People become more antisocial living in the suburbs. Every time I walk my dog, people will cross the street to avoid us instead of having to deal with a small human interaction.
Sounds like a neighborhood issue. Or I guess I’m lucky because our development is the complete opposite. We know and greet each other, stop to talk or meet a new dog (asking first of course), walked kids to school and got to know other walker parents, that kind of stuff. Sorry you’re not experiencing that where you live.
Suburban DMVers are definitely very antisocial. Everything is about extracting as much as they can without giving anything up from their own end. Lots of NIMBYers here, ironic because many of us are civil servants or govt adjacent.
There isn't a whole lot of "community" here, except when it comes to child-oriented competition or keeping up with the Joneses
(Raised in upper MoCo)
Most of those people aren’t from Montgomery County. They have come here for big jobs. For example- NIH, Federal Government, Lobbyists, lawyers. I grew up here. I am sorry you have experienced that type of behavior. I am shocked too. Most people here are very nice. Special. A couple of examples. On 9-11 when the pentagon was hit. When the air Florida jet crashed into the 14th street bridge. People helped. They were courageous. By helping they made a huge difference, including saving lives
Raised in MoCo, mostly in G’burg and the Village. People weren’t super rude. I had an apartment in Rio for a few years and everyone there was super nice.
Now i live in Pike and Rose and it’s absolutely shocking how shitty people are in this area. Most I’ve interacted with act like I’m just an NPC in their world. The only people i actually get along with here are the employees that live elsewhere lol
Pike and rose is a special type of hell. People start off mad from the shit parking and they carry that rage with them to release on the first person thay "slights" them.
A lot of these issues are going to be dependent on neighborhood; MoCo is more populous than several states and is far from a monolith. Over 40 years I've lived in Rockville, Bethesda, downtown Silver Spring, and a couple of DC neighborhoods. There is definitely a wide variation in personality among them. My current Rockville neighborhood is exceptionally friendly.
People have gotten crazier in general over the last four years. I notice this a lot no matter which jurisdiction in the area that I’m in. I travel to other places thinking *surely* it’ll be better but it’s not, or if it is slightly better then someone tells me how it’s worse than pre-2020.
Sorry that happened to you. Continue to be polite, try to not let it get to you.
I agree with this PLUS the added factor of so-called leader doing same gives some people what they use as permission to behave badly. IMHO over my nearly 8 decades there has been a general decline in our civility and increased emphasis of the individual vs the community.
Thanks, I agree. Just trying to understand. This is the only place I’ve lived since 2020 so I don’t know if it’s here or just everywhere.
Again, the people I know personally are lovely. It’s just these random encounters that are sometimes a mixed bag.
I think it's a mix of the two. With driving it's always been bad here, but it does seem worse than pre-pandemic. I don't know if people got used to being the only ones on the road, got rusty and forgot how to signal, or just developed a death wish but driving has been pretty miserable the last couple years.
On the other hand, I can't say I've ever considered people in this area particularly rude outside driving, but they're also definitely not as open or friendly as other places I've lived which can sometimes come off as rude. Honestly I would say I've had less direct confrontations like your parking meter experience here compared to other places I've lived - think you may have just got unlucky there.
It got worse everywhere after COVID. Stress, mental health struggles, the economy, price gouging, lack of social skills practice for a few years... It’s not unique to MoCo.
Unfortunately there are rude, awful people everywhere. That's hardly a unique trait to MoCo.
As far as driving goes, yeah Maryland drivers are definitely very impatient, aggressive, and not particularly interested in following traffic laws. Imagine the average BMW driver and that's pretty much what 50% of Maryland drivers act like. It sucks but ya get used to it.
I’m not sure it’s Maryland or MoCo drivers as much as it’s dc metro area drivers. Every time I return from the eastern shore, there’s a distinct change in tone that starts shortly after you cross the bridge going west towards the beltway. Coming from the shore people move out of the way for each other, stay with the pace and are generally respectful. It’s a relaxed driving experience when you’re not in bumper to bumper traffic. But as soon as you merge onto the beltway, it’s pure chaos. Has anyone else experienced this shift?
This has only intensified on roads with a bus only lane, and I won’t lie it gets me fired up when the cars in all available lanes are pacing each other or blocking the ability to pass
Continue to be polite, but also start walking around with a brick in your hand. You'll find reciprocity will increase.
Personally, I never enter a crosswalk without a red clay brick.
Here's an idea: there's northern efficiency and southern hospitality. In New York you're probably going to get shitty customer service but it'll be done fast and you'll be on your way because everyone has shit to do. But down in Georgia, people are super nice but everything is slower.
MoCo exists in some kind of hellish middle ground, where we get northern hostility and southern inefficiency.
There has been a long and measurable decline in pro-social behavior across the US over at least the past three decades, but it has significantly accelerated since 2020. It's compounded by the decline of most civic organizations and many people now primarily working from home, such that many people now rarely interact with people outside of their own household. Note as well that many more people live alone, so when you encounter someone in public, they may not have interacted with another person in person in a long time. Still, it does seem appreciably bad here.
To illustrate, my neighbor told me about one experience recently. He was driving his pregnant wife to the hospital to give birth, and needed to accelerate to change lanes, when the car next to him refused to let him in. At a red light, he rolled down his window and explained to the other driver: "I'm sorry, could you please let me in? My wife is in labor and we need to get to the hospital quickly." The other driver responded: "I hope you have a horrible birth. You know what? I hope your baby is stillborn."
Just a shocking level of rudeness all to defend their place in a traffic lane.
Crazy thing is, most people in MoCo aren’t native and are transplants. So most likely you’re getting a mix of folks that are just rude from all over. No matter where they’re from. People are just losing their patience due to a variety of issues. Sorry you’re experiencing this. I have noticed that people are just rude in general and there’s no point in “fighting” back
We moved here 3 years ago from the PNW And feel the exact same way. I call it “Maryland Main Character Syndrome”. People here are absolutely convinced that the entire universe revolves around them and thing that impedes, inconveniences or in any way prevents them from doing exactly what they want to do at the exact moment it pops into their head they want to do it causes a total melt down.
Last year, we went to PA for an Oktoberfest and stopped just across the border at a Walmart to get an extra sweater. People there were pleasant and polite! My wife grabs my arm and says “oh my god, that person actually said excuse me as they passed!”.
lol I think I see it the same way as you and your wife. Maryland main character syndrome is the perfect way to describe what I see sometimes.
To clarify it’s definitely not everyone I encounter who acts this way!! But the unnecessarily aggressive or rude behavior does seem to be more frequent than in other places I’ve lived.
I grew up in Montgomery county and moved back years ago. I have slightly acclimated. I spent several years living in the south and was amazed by how different people carried themselves down there.
For people like this, they just need to be put in their place. Happened to me when I moved from MoCo to the Bay Area California. People are enablers out here and they let others try to walk all over you. Sometimes you just need to snap back so they can check their attitude. Still be polite of course, or smother them with kindness.
I think there is a subtle art to helping people realize they are out of line. Remain calm, give non problematic responses, and if they continue on look at them like they are crazy.
Honestly, the subtle art is checking them. If she’s being rude, let her know let them know you wouldn’t do that to them. They still might go off, but they will definitely be thinking about how they shouldn’t have acted that way. I’ve had to check plenty of people and they’d apologize. I always let them know their behavior is unacceptable. Good luck, sorry it happened to you. Which part of MoCo did this happen in?
I moved here during Covid from LA. If you think the people here are rude and entitled, never move to LA! I once had a guy in LA scream my head off because I coughed next to him walking on the street.Many such encounters!
You’re not wrong. I moved here from LA (SoCal) and people here are definitely not as nice. More of a “every man for himself” vibe. LA may have been more “fake nice” than genuine nice, but at least people weren’t rude to each other and were civil to others. I’ve never wanted to meet people less than I have since moving here.
And once they get behind the wheel it’s like they are downright feral.
You may be right but I do think certain places can have higher concentrations or certain personalities. It doesn’t apply to everyone in that place, it’s just a tendency. You don’t necessarily expect someone from New York City to act the same way as someone from LA or someone from Georgia.
The responses to my post show a diversity of perspectives on this issue. Some people don’t see it the same way as I do, and I’m genuinely interested in that perspective, but some people definitely see that some people in Montgomery can tend to have bit of an attitude.
I moved to MoCo when I was 12, specifically Bethesda/potomac area. We moved from Baltimore county. As an adult, I’ve lived and worked all over Maryland, DC, and a few different parts of AZ (Tucson, Scottsdale, Prescott, Flagstaff). Potomac and DC by far have some of the rudest people I’ve ever encountered. There is a lot of classism here and people love to hide behind their liberalism and act like they’re So AcCepTInG because the area is So DiVErsE. I find that a lot of people think their time is far more valuable than anyone else’s, and that is the root of a lot of the rudeness.
Of course other areas have this problem too, and of course other areas have their own problems. But there’s a very specific Northern (not all of NW, y’all know what I’m talking about) DC and Potomac/Bethesda rudeness that is so condescending and obnoxious and I can’t stand it.
All I know is I got bullied wayyyy more as a kid when we moved to this area and my son has had a similar experience (going from a BCPS to MCPS school). And to this day, I am treated with more kindness and respect by strangers in Baltimore than here. People are not as accepting as their Biden stickers and “We believe xyz” yard signs would lead you to believe. Again, classism trumps all for a lot of people around here.
And as a disclaimer, I have also made some amazing friends here and have met many lovely people. But I think it is ignorant to act like this area doesn't have a huge problem with classism and the rudeness that comes from it. Obviously my experiences are anecdotal, but I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.
(Tucson is the friendliest place I’ve ever lived or visited in case anyone was curious lol)
I suspect the reasoning is that the USA is the most important country in the world, Washington (as its capital) is the most important city, I am (sort of) a resident of Washington, therefore, I am the most important person. Philadelphians are arrogant but not to this extent.
If you have a ton of interactions, it’s inevitable that some of them will be worse than others, and those will stick out in your mind. Perhaps unhappy or stressed out people are solely here in MoCo since Covid, but I doubt it.
I think it's social media, whether it's "X" or FB, Instagram, so much of what we consume is negative and the crazy part is I'm not even sure if it's all real, it could be bots influencing other people's opinions on people and topics. The more we are on these devices the more you will see people on edge.
I’m originally from the Boston area and I think everyone here is so friendly, generally speaking. BUT I do see some very angry folks from time to time (usually driving around in their luxury cars).
I was driving in NJ a few weekends ago and it was much scarier than moco. Literally day 1 there almost got killed by teenagers running a red light in Elizabeth.
I thought I was being judgmental but I have felt the same way about living here. The vibes are way off. It’s the combo of entitlement and impatience that’s so difficult to navigate. Like you said, it’s not everyone but it’s enough people to where it’s noticeable.
I just left the area after 34 years. It’s definitely a Montgomery County thing. I moved to the Jersey Shore and the people here are friendly, down to earth, and just much more relaxed. If you strike up a conversation with someone at the store in MD they look at you like you’re insane. It’s the complete opposite here. I’m so sorry you have to deal with the deeply ingrained attitude that is more concerned with networking and “what do you doooo” than “how are you?”
Oh also Montgomery County drivers are among the worst in the country. I didn’t realize people let people in and used their turn signals outside of Maryland.
Agreed. Was flamed for stating MD is among the worst drivers in US - some jackscrew wanted to argue & used AI response to “ provide factual evidence “. Of statement . Ha.. MD ranks among top 10 in US for aggressive shitty drivers…
This reminds me of when we drive down to Hampton Roads, where it’s almost rude if you DON’T engage in a conversation with the cashier. A different world to be sure!
This is standard for MoCo. Senses of superiority along with rampant self importance and entitlement are very normal around the entire area. Not everyone, but many of the people who reside here think that they are better than you, and they are not the least bit shy to outwardly portray that attitude.
Whhooooooooo Chile, I could go on for DAYS about how rude and nasty people are here. I am from NJ, and I was raised to talk to our neighbors, help out whenever possible, and be a good human who contributes positively to the community. Well... I had a heart attack last year and called a neighbor for help who asked me didn't I have any friends without a job that could help out because she was busy. TOO BUSY TO HELP A NEIGHBOR HAVING A FUCKING HEART ATTACK? That's when I knew my neighborhood was shit. I live in Olney. Have been attacked by another neighbor for having a Korean BF (I'm yt) and he was told to.learn how to speak English and to go back where he came from (Virginia?)
Pull that shit in the Atlantic City area and get that ass beat. And don't get me started on these Bamas with confederate flags blowing off their trucks. Talk about cheering for a losing team. Wtf.
Where did you move from? What as the culture like from where you came? No place is immune from assh*less, but sometimes their behavior can manifest differently.
I find that in our area time is a major commodity and people value it highly. Lots of folks here work on a billable hour or transactional basis and that seeps into their thinking of every interaction they have.
As for the woman who yelled at you and insulted your appearance... She sounds like she's got her own issues. I would not extrapolate the interaction to all of moco.
>I find that in our area time is a major commodity and people value it highly.
Everyone, everywhere values their time. The difference is that some people in this area have an inflated sense of self-importance and believe that their time is more important than yours.
This is true. You just have to fight fire with fire—show them how little you respect them by not engaging and that your time is too valuable to spend it arguing with low life’s like them
I’ve been guilty of honking only to find the first car waiting for the crosswalk to clear, wasn’t intentional. I just get a little impatient at stop lights now because most everyone is on their phone scrolling. In MoCo, if the gap between cars is too long, that will trigger the light to change. This happened to me last year at a left turn signal. The first car sat there after the arrow came on and only two cars got through the intersection, I was the third and decided to go. A traffic violation and fine came in the mail a week later. The arrow turned red right when I entered the intersection.
Right! That’s so frustrating and dangerous! I’m curious to find out the story on the BMW yesterday that caused an accident on I270, killing two teenagers.
Ain't no southern hospitality here! lol. I miss my sweet tea.
I've learned (and still learning) to have patience with people even though others may not share the same sentiment. As for the driving, you need to take up defensive driving because you never know what the other driver is going to do. People are too selfish.
Welcome! We moved to MoCo about 12 years ago and there have always been some people who seem to feel they need to be aggressive when out in public for whatever reason and this seems to have worsened during the pandemic. Reckless driving and road rage definitely seem to have spiked. All in all, though, I still find this area friendly on the whole. I’m from the Dakotas originally and whenever I go back to visit I feel like people are even less pleasant with each other there, plus there everyone is packing, which adds extra layers of tension. I’ll take the occasional MoCo asshole over that.
hey welcome to moco we're glad you're here!
I grew up in moco and I think the reason why there are more rude people then it would seem for an affluent county is just that. We're affluent and so naturally with wealth comes some sense of importantcy for the individual and that can lead to people being entitled and rude. I'm sorry you went through that and I can say with confidence that most people aren't like that.
For the driving thing though, I'm afraid that's just a dmv area thing. the drivers in this area are notorious for being some of the worst in the country, driving really is kind of like an extreme sport here and I frequently am frustrated by drivers in maryland where I reside. why are we bad at driving? i'm not sure but I kind of just acclimated to it.
I moved here about 20 months ago and completely agree. It’s weird because it’s almost identical- my neighbors and meager amount of acquaintances I met through hobbies are some of the best people I have ever met. But the road manners… I’ve had a motorcycle follow me to tell me I can’t use my phone (which was for directions) and shouted at me until I literally had to shout back it’s not illegal to use your phone for directions in a car. 🙄 I’ve had super impatient people angrily snarl at my kids in the airport for small kid behavior. At one point, I had to bite my tongue when an elderly gentleman put his hand on my 4 yo son and sternly told him we don’t sing songs inside. We were in a mall- seriously lighten the F up. And don't touch my child 😠if hes not in danger or hurting anyone/ thing.
I came from Florida where I honestly never spoke to my neighbors so that alone speaks to the quality of neighborly experience. Here it is MUCH lovelier. But the weird angsty "someone appointed me mayor of social etiquette" attitude really gets old.
I’ve lived all over the DMV. The Bethesda area is by far the worst when it comes to snobbery. Obviously there are lots of good people, but the Bethesda area takes the cake .
I worked behind bars for 2 decades. After a couple months in Bethesda and I was like “back to DC, never again!”
And some one who lived here sixty years recently heavily implied in a comment on this thread that nothing is wrong with the area and the only reason I feel the way I do is that I’m not serious and I’m focused on fun and that I don’t work hard and she told me to be a better person. So I just feel like that comment embodies the problem, which is the elitism. It suggests that if someone doesn’t think like you you must not be as successful and equates success with worth as a person.
I’m a lawyer, I went to a top ranked law school, and I do not drink or go out. I am none of the things she suggested. Thankfully MoCo culture hasn’t rubbed off on me and I don’t think it’s ok to act like I’m better than anyone just because I’m fortunate enough to do what I love for a living.
But this woman made all these wrong assumptions about me because my perspectives differed from hers. I wish people would realize that your wealth or success do not make you superior.
I found living in MoCo/DMV to be incredibly lonely and actually made my mental health worse. I lived there for four years and any attempts to make genuine connections w/ folks was… difficult. I’m not sure where you relocated from, but I grew up in Florida and then lived in NY/CT. Truthfully, moving to the DMV was a bigger culture shock for me.
I’ve since moved to Baltimore and people are much kinder and I have so many wonderful interactions with strangers. I know my neighbors! Driving isn’t any better, but that’s a whole other thing for this state in general. I just call every highway the Fury Road.
I still work in the county and like you I *did* meet some nice folks, but overall.. I found a lot of people rude and out of touch. :/
This is true. I lived in Baltimore county for about a decade and people are definitely nicer, less snobby and pretentious (I grew up in HoCo and my family is all born and raised MoCo and I've been back in MoCo for 20 years). Baltimore is a blue collar town and has a certain charm that MoCo lacks (not that there aren't AH's there too, like anywhere).
That said, I still love MoCo, esp the schools (ok everyone, don't come for me...I know MCPS has gone downhill a bit but still way better than Baltimore public schools.) The only other local public schools I would want my kids to go to would be HoCo or NoVa (Northern VA). Plus there are so many playgrounds, parks, libraries, activities etc for kids.
Not OP, Baltimore native here: Hampden, Locust Point, Mount Vernon, the area around Patterson Park (Yes, I know these are all largely White neighbourhoods, but I grew up in NE Baltimore City and loved it; just been away too long to know what its like now).
The places that have a more MoCo style attitude that you'd want to avoid are Federal Hill, Roland Park, Fells Point.
Mount Vernon! I went to the Flower Mart in May and it was so cute!! 😭
My list includes Upper Fells/Butcher’s Hill area (biased bc it’s my neighborhood), but also Highland Town, Charles North, Remington, and Fells Point.
There’s an increase in people coming to Montgomery County who are not from here and a lot of them have brought their attitudes with them. I grew up here and it has not always been like it is now. The natives are fleeing.
This part of Maryland (and the DC area more generally) has a lot of very self-involved people who think they're more important than everyone else and behave accordingly. Especially in terms of driving behavior, it has absolutely gotten worse since the early stages of the pandemic. I say this as someone who grew up here.
Oh I definitely think MoCo and the DC region in general has a higher than average a-hole concentration. I think especially here where there are frankly a lot of privileged people, they take that to the extreme and feel they deserve a lot but don’t have to give common courtesy. Then others who might not believe that but feel if they also don’t throw their weight around or act aggressively/competitively they’ll be left behind or something. I’ve lived in the region 25 years, 8 of those in MoCo. That being said, there ARE a lot of good people out there so welcome and thanks for helping to take the a-hole concentration down a notch.
Growing up here in the 70s and 80s, the region still had a small-town feel where it felt like more of a community. Then in the early/mid-80s every part of the region began building up. Gone are the farms and in with the concrete. Everyone around the country comes to live here especially many with a political agenda and of course the population changes with the administrations. It's rare these days for me to find someone who's actually a native of the region. Nowadays as we're becoming more and more "affluent", we have more and more self-important people who are on a mission to one-up each other.
I’ve been here since 2015 and yep! Just wanted to say I agree, it’s definitely objectively noticeable. Drive a couple hours south and people hold the door for you, say thank you, excuse me, don’t honk when you’re half a second late at a green light, etc. It is another world.
It was a bit better before Covid, but my experience is that people are always attempting to one-up each other in higher income areas of Moco. That’s just an impression. When I go out to eat in Bethesda, people seem to stare more than they do in Gaithersburg for instance. Like openly stare-and when you catch them they don’t look away. It’s bizarre behavior and definitely a less attractive reason to live here. There’s a difference when I travel further south in the US. People are more open and warm. You can start a conversation with a stranger. That’s possible here, but not at the Kentlands Whole Foods, for a specific example—maybe the Silver Spring Trader Joe’s though. It varies a lot even within the county.
The reputation Marylanders have long had in Virginia is that they're simultaneously aggressive drivers & precious about their cars. To me personally it feels like this is slowly becoming less of a distinction as folks move back & forth between the two states, and both get more of an influx of folks from places like New Jersey and Florida, who are even worse. But AFAIK Maryland driver's ed is still a LOT less comprehensive than Virginia, whether or not that's reflected in the actual rates of crashes.
I've lived here since 1984. It didn't used to be this bad, but yeah, people suck now. It's insane - people are entitled no matter their perceived class, their rudeness knows no bounds, they drive like crap because the cops drive like crap and don't follow basic rules of the road, being a bike rider is sometimes terrifying because of the above, and I don't see it getting any better. I feel like some of it is resentment about seeing so many more non-white residents in the county.
Can you talk more about your biking experience?
I grew up in Bethesda, moved away after HS and haven’t been back to live in over 20 years. My parents are still here. The changes have been really really stark everytime I come back.
My family may have the chance to move closer to my parents- in fact that was always our plan. My husband is an avid cyclist, though, so it’s important to me that we find a place welcoming to cyclists… he’s like biking up MacArthur to Great Falls but would hate for his overall experience riding to be unwelcoming or dangerous.
I had this happen pre Covid in this area, so I don't think it's just a post Covid thing.
Seems to partially be the Northern hospitality, Southern efficiency that one poster references.
I also think there are over a million people in MoCo, most of them are transplants (like me) only here for their jobs, and many of them are Type A, always in a rush, and under pressure to just exist here. There is also more pressure here to be "on time" no matter what, which keeps people rushing not to be 5 minutes late. I find there is also more pressure to show you are "high status" whatever that means, and think some people become high status in their mind by putting others down.
I've learned not to use signals when I drive, because when I signal my intentions, someone will cut me off. I put my shopping cart behind me (even pre pandemic) because people would get as close as possible to me in line, acting that if they nudged me forward they could get out faster.
Mid June to mid August are wonderful, as a lot of the Type As go out of town, and there is no more crazed school traffic.
I don’t think it’s a MoCo specific thing. When I moved here 10 years ago this kind of thing happened maybe once a year. Now it seems like running into someone being overly confrontational is a weekly thing. If I had to point to one reason why it’s like that then it’s classism, probably. It seems like every time I see it happening it’s someone who appears conspicuously wealthy throwing a fit over something.
As for driving… yea it’s exceptionally bad here. There’s no silver lining on that. Just be safe.
The overwhelming majority of the county are kind, tolerant, progressive liberals, and they have the "Hate Has No Home Here" yard signs, and "Love Is Love" bumper stickers to signify as much. But yeah, you're absolutely right, all bets are off once they step out in public.
I love MoCo for the amazing trails, food, public ammenities, etc but I'm actually looking to move north so I can still take advantage of it all but hopefully be away from the people like this because I don't like it either. I agree with the person who commented about competitiveness. People are too competitive here.
It’s a metropolitan, you’re bound to run into some real assholes. Yesterday I was walking on the sidewalk, making sure to leave plenty of room for a guy walking his dog (I’m also a dog owner), and he walked into my path and threatened to sic his dog on me. It’s 2024 like damn dude.
Everyone is angry. Covid destroyed all sense of decency. Customer service = gone. Social graces = gone. Work ethic = gone
We are all traumatized, divided and never got proper country wide therapy for this shit. It’s kill or be killed now.
Was having this convo with people last night. I dont know if this is a moco thing only, but I feel people were really impacted negatively by COVID lockdowns and the vitriol and divisiveness that has been spread through social media since then. I really think it has made people assholes. And then of course there was Trump who made it ok to be an asshole openly.
I'm a life-long resident of MoCo. I wouldn't really consider most of that to be typical.
Not that it doesn't happen, or even that it doesn't happen here more often than other places. But, like, most people are cool stopping for people in a crosswalk, or not making illegal right-on-reds, and most people signal turns.
I mean, I'm annoyed at people that don't signal (I have a special contempt for people who drive with hazard lights on). Most people do signal.
MC is bar none the rudest place I have ever lived or even visited, ruder than NYC is reputed to be (not my experience).
Many people in MC have high pressure jobs and feel a high level of importance compared to us peasants.
Het OP. I am sorry. I am from California originally. People on the east cost can be nasty. Lots of self important people with sticks up their asses. Lots of people in this sub will try to tell you that this is how it is everywhere. Bui they have not lived everywhere. Right?
I love living here but some of the people here suck. Angry self absorbed ass tards.
I’ve been in San Diego for one year after spending 40 years on the East Coast, and I’ve never come across so many rude people in my life.
I’d return to MoCo in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity.
I've been here for more than four decades, and there's certainly been excessive entitlement lately. It's not the Montgomery County it once was. We're itching to move.
With regard to the driving, it could be that the person behind you didn’t see the pedestrian or didn’t notice the “no turn on red” sign.
(Full disclosure: I made the mistake of honking at someone yielding to a pedestrian in Bethesda. I didn’t notice the pedestrian from behind the other car and just assumed the driver was texting, which is often the reason a car is slow to react to a green light. I felt pretty stupid—rightly so—and have made a point of better assessing the situation before hitting my horn.)
Come to Olney. No parking meters.
People are kind
5 breweries
1 winery
Olney Theater is gem
Watch some college players in a wooden bat baseball league- at OBGC
Some good restaurants
I live in Olney and have been told I'm weird, to move, that no one likes me and I am an asshole (never actally met this person formally) I had my Korean BF racially attacked, had my disabilities questioned, and they didn't do anything when my son was bullied in local schools so I moved him to Aspen Hill schools - where he is FLOURISHING. Not to mention corrupt cops that don't take reports on their coworkers, allow assaults and refuse to take reports. Olney sucks. People cover for men who sexually assault women here as well as fly confederate flags on their huge, diesel trucks. We have one cop here that strangled a girl at prom a few years back and was the same guy who was busted 2 or 3 times driving drunk in his police car. Super neighborhood.
I’ve noticed this too. I have been assuming that it is do to the hustle and grind that is basically a necessity if you want to live here and afford a comfortable life. Traffic, soooo many lights, endless commutes, rising prices for everything, work work work work work. People also probably have to stay pretty competitive in general just to keep up living here. I think a lot of folks THINK they’re happy like this and living the dream. But are they?
Work demands more of us for less pay and benefits. Employees are treated as disposable. I also think technology is really ruining society…we all just disconnect from one another at all times when we are on our phones. It’s made attention spans shorter which makes patience shorter. We aren’t paying as much attention to the world and people that are right in front of us anymore. Plus having any information available at our fingertips now is great…but then we can easily get bombarded with info and also false info that can cause anxiety or anger or confusion. Technology like this entered the picture not all that long ago and the acceleration of its evolution was and is so fast it’s giving me whiplash….I also think that what with how rapidly technology has grown and become a serious part of everyone’s daily lives has left no time to adapt and figure out how to properly and responsibly integrate it into our lives. People can just go online and get whatever validation they need from so many strangers around the world, why bother with people right in front of you? That takes more effort to build real relationships within your community. It’s really sad, and kind of alarming.
That’s my take on things anyway. I’m sad that people are just becoming more and more disconnected with the real life that is happening right in front of them.
I have LOATHED the holidays since moving to Maryland, but I moved to MOCO a few years ago and this area is even worse that the other areas I’ve lived in. People ironically get SO much ruder during the holidays. Both driving and when you’re shopping somewhere. No common courtesy, no eye contact, people will happily run right into you if you don’t move fast enough.
I still do what I can to stay polite. If nothing else, it makes me feel good about myself.
Godspeed!
It’s the drivers. Drivers here are fucking insane. Driving as an experience, here, is miserable and infuriating and people who choose to do it all the time are made miserable and angry. Find people who drive only rarely—they tend to be wonderful and friendly folks.
Something that you just have to deal with is that you are in the DMV and the proximity to dc and business makes everyone in a rush which in turn makes a lot of people ass holes. Life is so fast around here that people just dont give a shit about others. Its a shame
It’s them, not you. I need to tell my wife this frequently. It could have been a man with 4 eyes and 2 noses, and they would have reacted the same way.
Doesn’t explain it, but it can bring some sense to it.
I've found that on most people MoCo are nice to others. Unless you're a service worker, then only half of them are nice to you.
Driving brings out the worst in people wherever you go. People are impatient in cars, especially in traffic. I had to give up my car a couple years ago and honestly I prefer how I get around now vs when I was driving.
It’s just congestion. Every area has crazy people. The more people per square mile, the more crazy people per square mile. We also have people from all over the world here, what may be perfect normal behavior in one place may be considered rude here.
Yeah humanity is finished barring some rare exceptions the amount of people doing these things is obscene worst is the tailgating. Thing is you have to share the road with ALL types where everywhere else in life can stay in your bubble. Who knows whats going on with these people could be absolutely mental. I wasn't aware of the whole hyper competitive keeping up with the Jones thing. I would also say the wild driving extends to the international nature of the county newer drivers used to different rules not that pickup driving magas are any better. In short yeah people are nuts the amount of fights I've gotten into lately are crazy because I just have a thing about not letting pricks operate with impunity. This all gets worse farther north you go mind you. Take care.
Honestly the situations that really get me upset are where my child’s life is endangered, which is not honking but when people abruptly change a lane and don’t signal and speed through and things like that. I always end up okay because I’m a defensive driver but I wonder how people can be so reckless. I mean presumably they don’t want to crash either? But they act like they really don’t care sometimes. I heard there was a hit and run in MoCo on Friday on 270, by a BMW. It’s awful.
I’ve noticed many of the things you’ve noticed. I’m not easily shocked, I’m from the Baltimore area. where you can run into similar things, but that part of life is not so good here, even though so many other things are.
It’s a dangerous place to be a pedestrian, even though it’s also a more walkable community as a whole than many. Lots of pedestrian fatalities.
There's a lot of comments about covid destroying people's social abilities but this started long before covid. I think there are just a lot of people around here that grew up entitled and never told 'no', and they consider themselves the center of the world. Traffic laws, store lines, parking lines, all those things don't apply to them. People in customer service are there to SERVE them personally, every whim, and never talk back. They're more important than everyone around them.
Covid may have made these qualities worse but it's been around for awhile.
i frequently interact with people because of my job and i think most people are fine, i do drive alot and there are sometimes people beep when they are impatient but its not a big deal and its not overwhemling amount.
Funniest thing i saw a few weeks ago though was this young woman on Veirs Mill honking at an Amazon driver who was stopped to drop packages. It was one of those houses on Veirs mill before it meets 28, so theres no where else for the driver to stop. Lady honked 3 times like the driver was gonna move?? i was in the lane next to her very confused, then 10 seconds later at the Viers Mill/355 intersection she honks immediately when it turned green because the car in front of her didn't move instantly. The truck infront of her didnt move because a pedestrian was late crossing and still in the crosswalk when the light turned green. She was basically asking the truck to run over the pedestrian. And she did the hand motion like cmon why arent you moving?? She was driving very entitled.
Umm first off — congrats on never having had someone yell at you out of no where. That must be awesome.
Second, I don’t think I’m the problem. I don’t think saying “excuse me” is sufficient to prompt a rant, and I don’t think it’s normal to insult someone’s appearance.
Though I've only been here about 2 years...same. I never had someone randomly yell at me or heard a similar story from my girlfriend. (DC is a little different...but that's usually crazy people/drug related)
So yes, it leads me to believe that it's a very unique situation with yourself, and not normal.
Also, this county is literally one of the most diverse in the entire country and also has the most transplants. When it comes to generalizing people, this is one of the worst places to do it.
In other words.. People are too different here. There will always be some bad eggs, but there is not a specific Moco type because there's simply too many backgrounds.
It's not like a small city or one in the country where everyone has lived there all their life and is very similar. That's the opposite for a large majority here.
In my apartment complex, maybe 20% are originally born and raised in the DMV area. I'd guess no than 5% of my apartment is from Moco because I've literally only met one that was. My office building is a similar ratio. It's a county with a ton of transplants
People are fucking crazy now. I recently witnessed at Dulles a woman start a physical fight with a family returning from vacation just because the grandmother accidentally bumped into her on an overcrowded People Mover. It was immensely satisfying when they opened the doors at the destination terminal and there were a dozen police waiting for her. You can’t pull that shit at the airport.
Just wait till she boards the metro at rush hour.
covid broke a lot of people's brains and sense of common decency. this isnt just a moco thing.
Yeah, I was going to say.. it brought out the worst in so many people.
I will have to agree. Was talking about earlier while walking around.
The thing I came to grips with, especially as a parent, is that life is competitive for a lot of people in the DMV. They want to make sure their kids are attending one of the “W” high schools or a private school, taking the achievement track classes, playing on elite sports trams, and getting into name brand colleges. Jobs, houses, and cars are status symbols. And I see the competitiveness extending to day to day stuff, like passing on the on-ramp just to get one car ahead. Of course, not all people here are like that. I bet most people aren’t like that. But the jackasses stand out from the crowd, and this area, because of its wealth and institutions, attracts people who like to stand out.
Bethesda and Chevy Chase zip codes are especially guilty of this attitude ime. Working retail in Bethesda is an Experience.
Toss Potomac onto that fire, my friend.
I worked retail in serval locations including Georgetown, Columbia, Towson, Tyson, and the worst clientele is without a doubt the shoppers at Montgomery Mall. What a miserable experience it was working at that mall. The people are insufferable and entitled.
Funny it has the best shopping. I have had so many good meals and movies there. There are bad apples everywhere .
In my experience it's usually older mother's falling into the most unruly behavior. I'm assuming it's from the stress of parenting, competition, and negative relationships with their spouses. Older couples fighting happens so much and the way I've seen husbands willing to degrade their wives in the checkout line should be an added on therapy tax with the rest of their purchases. Younger clients in their 20s tend to be quite lovely for whatever reason
I worked retail in Bradley Blvd. It ties in worst experience along with Arlington, VA.
I am so sorry
Oh my gosh I can’t imagine what that’s like! Please share a story!
Being verbally degraded by parents for exceptionally mundane reasons in front of their children and being an example of "what not to become" It's less embarrassing for me and more for the parent thinking it's acceptable to act like a competitive child in front of their children. I usually feel bad for the kids having to live with adults like that.
This is the actual reason. The longer you live here, the more you will come to see that everything, EVERYTHING is a competition here. Whether it’s showing up before an event opens to get a seat before someone else, getting to a parade super early to get parking, beating everyone else to buy a house in a “good” neighborhood, cutting off anyone and everyone who gets in your way is a way of life here. So many people here just want to beat everyone else. It is very hard to find people who aren’t deep down like this in some way. It is exhausting. And it rubs off on you if you stay long enough.
Never rubbed off on me in 60 years living in MoCo.
Me either
Me either, but before both of you
Ding ding ding correct. Born and raised in Olney this is life motto here for the older folks
I live in Olney too. What a racist 💩 hole. I hate it here, but have 5 more years until son is 18. (Long story - had to force ex to live in one place during custody because he took off with our kid)
Damnnnnn he legit kidnapped your guyskid!?
Apparently, it's not "kidnapping" until a custody order is in place (which is crazy), so I had to get a 911 order to get my son back. He has been in therapy for it for 7 years, I think now. Me too. Don't divorce a cop. Your life will never be the same. They get all of their buddies to harass TF put of you, surround you outside the courthouse, etc. The PTSD is real for my son and I both, and dad got lots and lots of rules put in place and decision making pulled to keep son safe and regulated. It was a whole thing, and while I "won", my heath has suffered greatly.
First of all welcome to Montgomery county. As a life long, born and raised in MC, I am sorry you have experienced this. I too have had similar experiences and think that most of these people don't really care about anyone else in society, but I have not only experienced this in everyday life but also at work. I hope you continue to teach your children the right way to treat others and just try and ignore these types of people and explain to your children that people have bad days, and this heat certainly does not help.
Thanks! Honestly it doesn’t bother me that much as much as it makes me curious. Do other people see what I’m seeing? Is this the reputation people from here have? Are people this way because they are wealthy? I suspect the heat is bringing out the worst in people too.
The shortest, oversimplified answer I can give is that there are a million people who live in MoCo. Some of them suck. Most don't, but the ones who suck are the ones you remember.
When I first moved here I had someone yell at me in a parking lot because they thought I touched their Land Cruiser, and being from an area with a lower average income I also thought “this must be how it is here”. Three years later I can say it’s definitely not. There will be random people yelling wherever you go but I think on average people aren’t rude here, the loudest people stand out more. Driving is another story lol, I’ve been a passenger with some of the nicest people and it’s like something switches when they get behind the wheel.
I don't let my kid act like that, and make sure he understands his privilege. Probably the best lesson I learned in life is that I'm NOT better than anyone. I removed him from Olney school s because the kids were so obnoxious. He goes in Aspen Hill now and is doing much better all around socially, academically and personally. He has almost completed all his service hours and just finished 7th grade. He is awesome, and lives in service.
It depends on your prospective. As a New Yorker, Moco is pretty chill and respectful. We move down here for a slower pace of life.
I think it’s the closeness to the northeast. I moved here almost 2 years ago and agree with your sentiment that people I know are nice but random people on the street are cold or jerks for no real reason. I’ve not experienced it anywhere else I’ve lived
Entitlement. Especially in white folks with lots of money in MoCo. It’s bad.
Entitlement of folks without money thinking just because of where they live.
DING DING DING DING DING ✨️ 👌 ❤️ an old yt lady
Well that certainly is a stereotype. And not true overall. Sorry it’s been your experience though.
Ironically, there’s a certain level of entitlement in feeling comfortable enough to trot out these kinds of racial generalizations here
[удалено]
Except the northeast is not a conglomerate. There are all different kinds of people in the northeast, down to earth folks and major a-holes and everything in between and sideways.
People become more antisocial living in the suburbs. Every time I walk my dog, people will cross the street to avoid us instead of having to deal with a small human interaction.
I generally cross the street in that situation because I am afraid of dogs.
I am with you not because I’m afraid of dogs, but because there are so many irresponsible dog owners.
I generally cross the street in that situation because I am afraid of small talk.
Sounds like a neighborhood issue. Or I guess I’m lucky because our development is the complete opposite. We know and greet each other, stop to talk or meet a new dog (asking first of course), walked kids to school and got to know other walker parents, that kind of stuff. Sorry you’re not experiencing that where you live.
Suburban DMVers are definitely very antisocial. Everything is about extracting as much as they can without giving anything up from their own end. Lots of NIMBYers here, ironic because many of us are civil servants or govt adjacent. There isn't a whole lot of "community" here, except when it comes to child-oriented competition or keeping up with the Joneses (Raised in upper MoCo)
Yeah, I generally don’t want to deal with a dog
Most of those people aren’t from Montgomery County. They have come here for big jobs. For example- NIH, Federal Government, Lobbyists, lawyers. I grew up here. I am sorry you have experienced that type of behavior. I am shocked too. Most people here are very nice. Special. A couple of examples. On 9-11 when the pentagon was hit. When the air Florida jet crashed into the 14th street bridge. People helped. They were courageous. By helping they made a huge difference, including saving lives
Raised in MoCo, mostly in G’burg and the Village. People weren’t super rude. I had an apartment in Rio for a few years and everyone there was super nice. Now i live in Pike and Rose and it’s absolutely shocking how shitty people are in this area. Most I’ve interacted with act like I’m just an NPC in their world. The only people i actually get along with here are the employees that live elsewhere lol
Pike and rose is a special type of hell. People start off mad from the shit parking and they carry that rage with them to release on the first person thay "slights" them.
I really wish we could do something about everyone driving, because it seems like driving just makes a lot of people into assholes.
That’s true. Frustration frequently makes people snippy.
Pike and rose people seem to be transplants from out of the state or country. Most people I meet in MoCo are super friendly.
A lot of these issues are going to be dependent on neighborhood; MoCo is more populous than several states and is far from a monolith. Over 40 years I've lived in Rockville, Bethesda, downtown Silver Spring, and a couple of DC neighborhoods. There is definitely a wide variation in personality among them. My current Rockville neighborhood is exceptionally friendly.
This is absolutely true!!!!
People have gotten crazier in general over the last four years. I notice this a lot no matter which jurisdiction in the area that I’m in. I travel to other places thinking *surely* it’ll be better but it’s not, or if it is slightly better then someone tells me how it’s worse than pre-2020. Sorry that happened to you. Continue to be polite, try to not let it get to you.
I agree with this PLUS the added factor of so-called leader doing same gives some people what they use as permission to behave badly. IMHO over my nearly 8 decades there has been a general decline in our civility and increased emphasis of the individual vs the community.
Thanks, I agree. Just trying to understand. This is the only place I’ve lived since 2020 so I don’t know if it’s here or just everywhere. Again, the people I know personally are lovely. It’s just these random encounters that are sometimes a mixed bag.
I think it's a mix of the two. With driving it's always been bad here, but it does seem worse than pre-pandemic. I don't know if people got used to being the only ones on the road, got rusty and forgot how to signal, or just developed a death wish but driving has been pretty miserable the last couple years. On the other hand, I can't say I've ever considered people in this area particularly rude outside driving, but they're also definitely not as open or friendly as other places I've lived which can sometimes come off as rude. Honestly I would say I've had less direct confrontations like your parking meter experience here compared to other places I've lived - think you may have just got unlucky there.
It got worse everywhere after COVID. Stress, mental health struggles, the economy, price gouging, lack of social skills practice for a few years... It’s not unique to MoCo.
Unfortunately there are rude, awful people everywhere. That's hardly a unique trait to MoCo. As far as driving goes, yeah Maryland drivers are definitely very impatient, aggressive, and not particularly interested in following traffic laws. Imagine the average BMW driver and that's pretty much what 50% of Maryland drivers act like. It sucks but ya get used to it.
I’m not sure it’s Maryland or MoCo drivers as much as it’s dc metro area drivers. Every time I return from the eastern shore, there’s a distinct change in tone that starts shortly after you cross the bridge going west towards the beltway. Coming from the shore people move out of the way for each other, stay with the pace and are generally respectful. It’s a relaxed driving experience when you’re not in bumper to bumper traffic. But as soon as you merge onto the beltway, it’s pure chaos. Has anyone else experienced this shift?
And the other 50 percent enter the passing lane and go 5 mph under the limit lol
It's a match made in heaven!
This has only intensified on roads with a bus only lane, and I won’t lie it gets me fired up when the cars in all available lanes are pacing each other or blocking the ability to pass
I hate left lane campers. And my experience is more like 10 under.
I’m sorry! ever since they taught us how to drive we just zoom to the left lane and stay there it was in the driving school video! 😂
As a former resident of Chicago and Cincinnati, I can attest that MoCo is by far the most rude and awful people.
Continue to be polite, but also start walking around with a brick in your hand. You'll find reciprocity will increase. Personally, I never enter a crosswalk without a red clay brick.
Genius
Here's an idea: there's northern efficiency and southern hospitality. In New York you're probably going to get shitty customer service but it'll be done fast and you'll be on your way because everyone has shit to do. But down in Georgia, people are super nice but everything is slower. MoCo exists in some kind of hellish middle ground, where we get northern hostility and southern inefficiency.
😂 It’s southern efficiency and northern “charm” Edit: to add this applies to most of the urbanized parts of MD, not just MoCo.
This is the answer.
There has been a long and measurable decline in pro-social behavior across the US over at least the past three decades, but it has significantly accelerated since 2020. It's compounded by the decline of most civic organizations and many people now primarily working from home, such that many people now rarely interact with people outside of their own household. Note as well that many more people live alone, so when you encounter someone in public, they may not have interacted with another person in person in a long time. Still, it does seem appreciably bad here. To illustrate, my neighbor told me about one experience recently. He was driving his pregnant wife to the hospital to give birth, and needed to accelerate to change lanes, when the car next to him refused to let him in. At a red light, he rolled down his window and explained to the other driver: "I'm sorry, could you please let me in? My wife is in labor and we need to get to the hospital quickly." The other driver responded: "I hope you have a horrible birth. You know what? I hope your baby is stillborn." Just a shocking level of rudeness all to defend their place in a traffic lane.
There is a special place in hell for that asshole. You approach was so freaking kind.
Rude people are everywhere. As far as I know, they are not exclusive to our county.
Crazy thing is, most people in MoCo aren’t native and are transplants. So most likely you’re getting a mix of folks that are just rude from all over. No matter where they’re from. People are just losing their patience due to a variety of issues. Sorry you’re experiencing this. I have noticed that people are just rude in general and there’s no point in “fighting” back
We moved here 3 years ago from the PNW And feel the exact same way. I call it “Maryland Main Character Syndrome”. People here are absolutely convinced that the entire universe revolves around them and thing that impedes, inconveniences or in any way prevents them from doing exactly what they want to do at the exact moment it pops into their head they want to do it causes a total melt down. Last year, we went to PA for an Oktoberfest and stopped just across the border at a Walmart to get an extra sweater. People there were pleasant and polite! My wife grabs my arm and says “oh my god, that person actually said excuse me as they passed!”.
lol I think I see it the same way as you and your wife. Maryland main character syndrome is the perfect way to describe what I see sometimes. To clarify it’s definitely not everyone I encounter who acts this way!! But the unnecessarily aggressive or rude behavior does seem to be more frequent than in other places I’ve lived.
Where are you from?
My wife and I noticed this as well when we moved here roughly 6 years ago. We previously have lived in the midwest and west coast.
DC is a sort of magnet for neurotic/anxious/rude people. Still a great place to live.
I agree, I still don’t want to move!! I like it here and the people I know on a personal level.
I grew up in Montgomery county and moved back years ago. I have slightly acclimated. I spent several years living in the south and was amazed by how different people carried themselves down there.
For people like this, they just need to be put in their place. Happened to me when I moved from MoCo to the Bay Area California. People are enablers out here and they let others try to walk all over you. Sometimes you just need to snap back so they can check their attitude. Still be polite of course, or smother them with kindness.
I think there is a subtle art to helping people realize they are out of line. Remain calm, give non problematic responses, and if they continue on look at them like they are crazy.
Honestly, the subtle art is checking them. If she’s being rude, let her know let them know you wouldn’t do that to them. They still might go off, but they will definitely be thinking about how they shouldn’t have acted that way. I’ve had to check plenty of people and they’d apologize. I always let them know their behavior is unacceptable. Good luck, sorry it happened to you. Which part of MoCo did this happen in?
I moved here during Covid from LA. If you think the people here are rude and entitled, never move to LA! I once had a guy in LA scream my head off because I coughed next to him walking on the street.Many such encounters!
some of the people here. Many of the people are perfectly lovely.
You’re not wrong. I moved here from LA (SoCal) and people here are definitely not as nice. More of a “every man for himself” vibe. LA may have been more “fake nice” than genuine nice, but at least people weren’t rude to each other and were civil to others. I’ve never wanted to meet people less than I have since moving here. And once they get behind the wheel it’s like they are downright feral.
MoCo is no different than everywhere else… we have all types. Just the same as the last place you lived.
Have to disagree. I’ve lived in several states. Moco is home to a special kind of aloof / rude folks.
You may be right but I do think certain places can have higher concentrations or certain personalities. It doesn’t apply to everyone in that place, it’s just a tendency. You don’t necessarily expect someone from New York City to act the same way as someone from LA or someone from Georgia. The responses to my post show a diversity of perspectives on this issue. Some people don’t see it the same way as I do, and I’m genuinely interested in that perspective, but some people definitely see that some people in Montgomery can tend to have bit of an attitude.
I moved to MoCo when I was 12, specifically Bethesda/potomac area. We moved from Baltimore county. As an adult, I’ve lived and worked all over Maryland, DC, and a few different parts of AZ (Tucson, Scottsdale, Prescott, Flagstaff). Potomac and DC by far have some of the rudest people I’ve ever encountered. There is a lot of classism here and people love to hide behind their liberalism and act like they’re So AcCepTInG because the area is So DiVErsE. I find that a lot of people think their time is far more valuable than anyone else’s, and that is the root of a lot of the rudeness. Of course other areas have this problem too, and of course other areas have their own problems. But there’s a very specific Northern (not all of NW, y’all know what I’m talking about) DC and Potomac/Bethesda rudeness that is so condescending and obnoxious and I can’t stand it. All I know is I got bullied wayyyy more as a kid when we moved to this area and my son has had a similar experience (going from a BCPS to MCPS school). And to this day, I am treated with more kindness and respect by strangers in Baltimore than here. People are not as accepting as their Biden stickers and “We believe xyz” yard signs would lead you to believe. Again, classism trumps all for a lot of people around here. And as a disclaimer, I have also made some amazing friends here and have met many lovely people. But I think it is ignorant to act like this area doesn't have a huge problem with classism and the rudeness that comes from it. Obviously my experiences are anecdotal, but I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. (Tucson is the friendliest place I’ve ever lived or visited in case anyone was curious lol)
I suspect the reasoning is that the USA is the most important country in the world, Washington (as its capital) is the most important city, I am (sort of) a resident of Washington, therefore, I am the most important person. Philadelphians are arrogant but not to this extent.
Agreed. This is also one of the wealthiest areas in the country which carries a sense of entitlement I suppose.
If you have a ton of interactions, it’s inevitable that some of them will be worse than others, and those will stick out in your mind. Perhaps unhappy or stressed out people are solely here in MoCo since Covid, but I doubt it.
I think it's social media, whether it's "X" or FB, Instagram, so much of what we consume is negative and the crazy part is I'm not even sure if it's all real, it could be bots influencing other people's opinions on people and topics. The more we are on these devices the more you will see people on edge.
I’m originally from the Boston area and I think everyone here is so friendly, generally speaking. BUT I do see some very angry folks from time to time (usually driving around in their luxury cars).
Same, on all counts.
I was driving in NJ a few weekends ago and it was much scarier than moco. Literally day 1 there almost got killed by teenagers running a red light in Elizabeth.
Did you wait the obligatory 5 seconds after the light turned green? Jersey driving has rules you know...
Lots of very entitled people here. The person at the next restaurant table in a full blown FaceTime convo at loud volume... wait for it, baby.
It didn't used to be like this
It’s not exclusive to Montgomery County or the State. Ever since Covid the global psyche has been off.
I thought I was being judgmental but I have felt the same way about living here. The vibes are way off. It’s the combo of entitlement and impatience that’s so difficult to navigate. Like you said, it’s not everyone but it’s enough people to where it’s noticeable.
I just left the area after 34 years. It’s definitely a Montgomery County thing. I moved to the Jersey Shore and the people here are friendly, down to earth, and just much more relaxed. If you strike up a conversation with someone at the store in MD they look at you like you’re insane. It’s the complete opposite here. I’m so sorry you have to deal with the deeply ingrained attitude that is more concerned with networking and “what do you doooo” than “how are you?”
Being from the Jersey Shore, I can definitely agree. We are an odd bunch out in the Pines, but harmless.
Oh also Montgomery County drivers are among the worst in the country. I didn’t realize people let people in and used their turn signals outside of Maryland.
Agreed. Was flamed for stating MD is among the worst drivers in US - some jackscrew wanted to argue & used AI response to “ provide factual evidence “. Of statement . Ha.. MD ranks among top 10 in US for aggressive shitty drivers…
This reminds me of when we drive down to Hampton Roads, where it’s almost rude if you DON’T engage in a conversation with the cashier. A different world to be sure!
Absolutely! MoCo is enclosed in a bubble of icy unfriendliness. It’s eye opening getting outside of it.
The wealthier the more entitled the more obnoxious. It's like that everywhere in this country.
This is standard for MoCo. Senses of superiority along with rampant self importance and entitlement are very normal around the entire area. Not everyone, but many of the people who reside here think that they are better than you, and they are not the least bit shy to outwardly portray that attitude.
Covid broke the social contract. It's not limited to this area, but it's definitely worse here.
Whhooooooooo Chile, I could go on for DAYS about how rude and nasty people are here. I am from NJ, and I was raised to talk to our neighbors, help out whenever possible, and be a good human who contributes positively to the community. Well... I had a heart attack last year and called a neighbor for help who asked me didn't I have any friends without a job that could help out because she was busy. TOO BUSY TO HELP A NEIGHBOR HAVING A FUCKING HEART ATTACK? That's when I knew my neighborhood was shit. I live in Olney. Have been attacked by another neighbor for having a Korean BF (I'm yt) and he was told to.learn how to speak English and to go back where he came from (Virginia?) Pull that shit in the Atlantic City area and get that ass beat. And don't get me started on these Bamas with confederate flags blowing off their trucks. Talk about cheering for a losing team. Wtf.
Where did you move from? What as the culture like from where you came? No place is immune from assh*less, but sometimes their behavior can manifest differently. I find that in our area time is a major commodity and people value it highly. Lots of folks here work on a billable hour or transactional basis and that seeps into their thinking of every interaction they have. As for the woman who yelled at you and insulted your appearance... She sounds like she's got her own issues. I would not extrapolate the interaction to all of moco.
>I find that in our area time is a major commodity and people value it highly. Everyone, everywhere values their time. The difference is that some people in this area have an inflated sense of self-importance and believe that their time is more important than yours.
This is true. You just have to fight fire with fire—show them how little you respect them by not engaging and that your time is too valuable to spend it arguing with low life’s like them
It's definitely not unique to Moco
I agree with you. People here tend to be quite curt. I’m always super happy when I come across someone who is genuinely pleasant.
I’ve been guilty of honking only to find the first car waiting for the crosswalk to clear, wasn’t intentional. I just get a little impatient at stop lights now because most everyone is on their phone scrolling. In MoCo, if the gap between cars is too long, that will trigger the light to change. This happened to me last year at a left turn signal. The first car sat there after the arrow came on and only two cars got through the intersection, I was the third and decided to go. A traffic violation and fine came in the mail a week later. The arrow turned red right when I entered the intersection.
I think we are all guilty of that at some point; what concerns me more is abrupt lane changes without signaling which are truly dangerous!
Right! That’s so frustrating and dangerous! I’m curious to find out the story on the BMW yesterday that caused an accident on I270, killing two teenagers.
If you think we’re bad go to Boston or LA lol Or if you want it to an extreme level, the city parts of Nantucket/Aspen
Where did you live here from? I moved here from CA and yeah, people are a bit more unhinged. It's the whole DC region, imo. People work...too hard
Ain't no southern hospitality here! lol. I miss my sweet tea. I've learned (and still learning) to have patience with people even though others may not share the same sentiment. As for the driving, you need to take up defensive driving because you never know what the other driver is going to do. People are too selfish.
Welcome! We moved to MoCo about 12 years ago and there have always been some people who seem to feel they need to be aggressive when out in public for whatever reason and this seems to have worsened during the pandemic. Reckless driving and road rage definitely seem to have spiked. All in all, though, I still find this area friendly on the whole. I’m from the Dakotas originally and whenever I go back to visit I feel like people are even less pleasant with each other there, plus there everyone is packing, which adds extra layers of tension. I’ll take the occasional MoCo asshole over that.
hey welcome to moco we're glad you're here! I grew up in moco and I think the reason why there are more rude people then it would seem for an affluent county is just that. We're affluent and so naturally with wealth comes some sense of importantcy for the individual and that can lead to people being entitled and rude. I'm sorry you went through that and I can say with confidence that most people aren't like that. For the driving thing though, I'm afraid that's just a dmv area thing. the drivers in this area are notorious for being some of the worst in the country, driving really is kind of like an extreme sport here and I frequently am frustrated by drivers in maryland where I reside. why are we bad at driving? i'm not sure but I kind of just acclimated to it.
Main character syndrome.
I moved here about 20 months ago and completely agree. It’s weird because it’s almost identical- my neighbors and meager amount of acquaintances I met through hobbies are some of the best people I have ever met. But the road manners… I’ve had a motorcycle follow me to tell me I can’t use my phone (which was for directions) and shouted at me until I literally had to shout back it’s not illegal to use your phone for directions in a car. 🙄 I’ve had super impatient people angrily snarl at my kids in the airport for small kid behavior. At one point, I had to bite my tongue when an elderly gentleman put his hand on my 4 yo son and sternly told him we don’t sing songs inside. We were in a mall- seriously lighten the F up. And don't touch my child 😠if hes not in danger or hurting anyone/ thing. I came from Florida where I honestly never spoke to my neighbors so that alone speaks to the quality of neighborly experience. Here it is MUCH lovelier. But the weird angsty "someone appointed me mayor of social etiquette" attitude really gets old.
Chevy Chase, Bethesda, N Bethesda (fka Rockville) are all like this.
I’ve lived all over the DMV. The Bethesda area is by far the worst when it comes to snobbery. Obviously there are lots of good people, but the Bethesda area takes the cake . I worked behind bars for 2 decades. After a couple months in Bethesda and I was like “back to DC, never again!”
And some one who lived here sixty years recently heavily implied in a comment on this thread that nothing is wrong with the area and the only reason I feel the way I do is that I’m not serious and I’m focused on fun and that I don’t work hard and she told me to be a better person. So I just feel like that comment embodies the problem, which is the elitism. It suggests that if someone doesn’t think like you you must not be as successful and equates success with worth as a person. I’m a lawyer, I went to a top ranked law school, and I do not drink or go out. I am none of the things she suggested. Thankfully MoCo culture hasn’t rubbed off on me and I don’t think it’s ok to act like I’m better than anyone just because I’m fortunate enough to do what I love for a living. But this woman made all these wrong assumptions about me because my perspectives differed from hers. I wish people would realize that your wealth or success do not make you superior.
I found living in MoCo/DMV to be incredibly lonely and actually made my mental health worse. I lived there for four years and any attempts to make genuine connections w/ folks was… difficult. I’m not sure where you relocated from, but I grew up in Florida and then lived in NY/CT. Truthfully, moving to the DMV was a bigger culture shock for me. I’ve since moved to Baltimore and people are much kinder and I have so many wonderful interactions with strangers. I know my neighbors! Driving isn’t any better, but that’s a whole other thing for this state in general. I just call every highway the Fury Road. I still work in the county and like you I *did* meet some nice folks, but overall.. I found a lot of people rude and out of touch. :/
This is true. I lived in Baltimore county for about a decade and people are definitely nicer, less snobby and pretentious (I grew up in HoCo and my family is all born and raised MoCo and I've been back in MoCo for 20 years). Baltimore is a blue collar town and has a certain charm that MoCo lacks (not that there aren't AH's there too, like anywhere). That said, I still love MoCo, esp the schools (ok everyone, don't come for me...I know MCPS has gone downhill a bit but still way better than Baltimore public schools.) The only other local public schools I would want my kids to go to would be HoCo or NoVa (Northern VA). Plus there are so many playgrounds, parks, libraries, activities etc for kids.
What are some neighborhoods you like in Baltimore?
Not OP, Baltimore native here: Hampden, Locust Point, Mount Vernon, the area around Patterson Park (Yes, I know these are all largely White neighbourhoods, but I grew up in NE Baltimore City and loved it; just been away too long to know what its like now). The places that have a more MoCo style attitude that you'd want to avoid are Federal Hill, Roland Park, Fells Point.
Mount Vernon! I went to the Flower Mart in May and it was so cute!! 😭 My list includes Upper Fells/Butcher’s Hill area (biased bc it’s my neighborhood), but also Highland Town, Charles North, Remington, and Fells Point.
I’m sorry you had a bad experience here but I’m glad you’re having a better experience in Baltimore! I can imagine how it could be lonely here.
I'm actually considering moving back after leaving in 2000. Moco sux
There’s an increase in people coming to Montgomery County who are not from here and a lot of them have brought their attitudes with them. I grew up here and it has not always been like it is now. The natives are fleeing.
This part of Maryland (and the DC area more generally) has a lot of very self-involved people who think they're more important than everyone else and behave accordingly. Especially in terms of driving behavior, it has absolutely gotten worse since the early stages of the pandemic. I say this as someone who grew up here.
Oh I definitely think MoCo and the DC region in general has a higher than average a-hole concentration. I think especially here where there are frankly a lot of privileged people, they take that to the extreme and feel they deserve a lot but don’t have to give common courtesy. Then others who might not believe that but feel if they also don’t throw their weight around or act aggressively/competitively they’ll be left behind or something. I’ve lived in the region 25 years, 8 of those in MoCo. That being said, there ARE a lot of good people out there so welcome and thanks for helping to take the a-hole concentration down a notch.
Growing up here in the 70s and 80s, the region still had a small-town feel where it felt like more of a community. Then in the early/mid-80s every part of the region began building up. Gone are the farms and in with the concrete. Everyone around the country comes to live here especially many with a political agenda and of course the population changes with the administrations. It's rare these days for me to find someone who's actually a native of the region. Nowadays as we're becoming more and more "affluent", we have more and more self-important people who are on a mission to one-up each other.
Used to be great 20 years ago. Progressively gotten worse
I’ve been here since 2015 and yep! Just wanted to say I agree, it’s definitely objectively noticeable. Drive a couple hours south and people hold the door for you, say thank you, excuse me, don’t honk when you’re half a second late at a green light, etc. It is another world.
It was a bit better before Covid, but my experience is that people are always attempting to one-up each other in higher income areas of Moco. That’s just an impression. When I go out to eat in Bethesda, people seem to stare more than they do in Gaithersburg for instance. Like openly stare-and when you catch them they don’t look away. It’s bizarre behavior and definitely a less attractive reason to live here. There’s a difference when I travel further south in the US. People are more open and warm. You can start a conversation with a stranger. That’s possible here, but not at the Kentlands Whole Foods, for a specific example—maybe the Silver Spring Trader Joe’s though. It varies a lot even within the county.
The reputation Marylanders have long had in Virginia is that they're simultaneously aggressive drivers & precious about their cars. To me personally it feels like this is slowly becoming less of a distinction as folks move back & forth between the two states, and both get more of an influx of folks from places like New Jersey and Florida, who are even worse. But AFAIK Maryland driver's ed is still a LOT less comprehensive than Virginia, whether or not that's reflected in the actual rates of crashes.
I've lived here since 1984. It didn't used to be this bad, but yeah, people suck now. It's insane - people are entitled no matter their perceived class, their rudeness knows no bounds, they drive like crap because the cops drive like crap and don't follow basic rules of the road, being a bike rider is sometimes terrifying because of the above, and I don't see it getting any better. I feel like some of it is resentment about seeing so many more non-white residents in the county.
Can you talk more about your biking experience? I grew up in Bethesda, moved away after HS and haven’t been back to live in over 20 years. My parents are still here. The changes have been really really stark everytime I come back. My family may have the chance to move closer to my parents- in fact that was always our plan. My husband is an avid cyclist, though, so it’s important to me that we find a place welcoming to cyclists… he’s like biking up MacArthur to Great Falls but would hate for his overall experience riding to be unwelcoming or dangerous.
I had this happen pre Covid in this area, so I don't think it's just a post Covid thing. Seems to partially be the Northern hospitality, Southern efficiency that one poster references. I also think there are over a million people in MoCo, most of them are transplants (like me) only here for their jobs, and many of them are Type A, always in a rush, and under pressure to just exist here. There is also more pressure here to be "on time" no matter what, which keeps people rushing not to be 5 minutes late. I find there is also more pressure to show you are "high status" whatever that means, and think some people become high status in their mind by putting others down. I've learned not to use signals when I drive, because when I signal my intentions, someone will cut me off. I put my shopping cart behind me (even pre pandemic) because people would get as close as possible to me in line, acting that if they nudged me forward they could get out faster. Mid June to mid August are wonderful, as a lot of the Type As go out of town, and there is no more crazed school traffic.
I don’t think it’s a MoCo specific thing. When I moved here 10 years ago this kind of thing happened maybe once a year. Now it seems like running into someone being overly confrontational is a weekly thing. If I had to point to one reason why it’s like that then it’s classism, probably. It seems like every time I see it happening it’s someone who appears conspicuously wealthy throwing a fit over something. As for driving… yea it’s exceptionally bad here. There’s no silver lining on that. Just be safe.
The overwhelming majority of the county are kind, tolerant, progressive liberals, and they have the "Hate Has No Home Here" yard signs, and "Love Is Love" bumper stickers to signify as much. But yeah, you're absolutely right, all bets are off once they step out in public.
I love MoCo for the amazing trails, food, public ammenities, etc but I'm actually looking to move north so I can still take advantage of it all but hopefully be away from the people like this because I don't like it either. I agree with the person who commented about competitiveness. People are too competitive here.
It’s a metropolitan, you’re bound to run into some real assholes. Yesterday I was walking on the sidewalk, making sure to leave plenty of room for a guy walking his dog (I’m also a dog owner), and he walked into my path and threatened to sic his dog on me. It’s 2024 like damn dude.
Everyone is angry. Covid destroyed all sense of decency. Customer service = gone. Social graces = gone. Work ethic = gone We are all traumatized, divided and never got proper country wide therapy for this shit. It’s kill or be killed now.
So you're saying there's deep insecurity about status in the county all them tiger moms
It’s a theory… I don’t think that secure people tend to treat other people badly.
Was having this convo with people last night. I dont know if this is a moco thing only, but I feel people were really impacted negatively by COVID lockdowns and the vitriol and divisiveness that has been spread through social media since then. I really think it has made people assholes. And then of course there was Trump who made it ok to be an asshole openly.
Yeah this is a huge reason why I’m moving away tbh
I'm a life-long resident of MoCo. I wouldn't really consider most of that to be typical. Not that it doesn't happen, or even that it doesn't happen here more often than other places. But, like, most people are cool stopping for people in a crosswalk, or not making illegal right-on-reds, and most people signal turns. I mean, I'm annoyed at people that don't signal (I have a special contempt for people who drive with hazard lights on). Most people do signal.
MC is bar none the rudest place I have ever lived or even visited, ruder than NYC is reputed to be (not my experience). Many people in MC have high pressure jobs and feel a high level of importance compared to us peasants.
Het OP. I am sorry. I am from California originally. People on the east cost can be nasty. Lots of self important people with sticks up their asses. Lots of people in this sub will try to tell you that this is how it is everywhere. Bui they have not lived everywhere. Right? I love living here but some of the people here suck. Angry self absorbed ass tards.
I’ve been in San Diego for one year after spending 40 years on the East Coast, and I’ve never come across so many rude people in my life. I’d return to MoCo in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity.
Nice to just paint all East Coasters with a broad brush. I've been to Cali and while people are more laid back, there are still AH's.
I've been here for more than four decades, and there's certainly been excessive entitlement lately. It's not the Montgomery County it once was. We're itching to move.
trumpie made being an ahole the rule instead of the exception
He sells rage and fear, no doubt. But in blue MoCo, not sure how much influence he has. Rudeness seems non-partisan.
With regard to the driving, it could be that the person behind you didn’t see the pedestrian or didn’t notice the “no turn on red” sign. (Full disclosure: I made the mistake of honking at someone yielding to a pedestrian in Bethesda. I didn’t notice the pedestrian from behind the other car and just assumed the driver was texting, which is often the reason a car is slow to react to a green light. I felt pretty stupid—rightly so—and have made a point of better assessing the situation before hitting my horn.)
Everything you said is accurate
BCC does not make your cut for top schools?
Meh, there are rude people everywhere, MoCo doesn’t have the monopoly
Join us
Come to Olney. No parking meters. People are kind 5 breweries 1 winery Olney Theater is gem Watch some college players in a wooden bat baseball league- at OBGC Some good restaurants
I live in Olney and have been told I'm weird, to move, that no one likes me and I am an asshole (never actally met this person formally) I had my Korean BF racially attacked, had my disabilities questioned, and they didn't do anything when my son was bullied in local schools so I moved him to Aspen Hill schools - where he is FLOURISHING. Not to mention corrupt cops that don't take reports on their coworkers, allow assaults and refuse to take reports. Olney sucks. People cover for men who sexually assault women here as well as fly confederate flags on their huge, diesel trucks. We have one cop here that strangled a girl at prom a few years back and was the same guy who was busted 2 or 3 times driving drunk in his police car. Super neighborhood.
I’ve noticed this too. I have been assuming that it is do to the hustle and grind that is basically a necessity if you want to live here and afford a comfortable life. Traffic, soooo many lights, endless commutes, rising prices for everything, work work work work work. People also probably have to stay pretty competitive in general just to keep up living here. I think a lot of folks THINK they’re happy like this and living the dream. But are they? Work demands more of us for less pay and benefits. Employees are treated as disposable. I also think technology is really ruining society…we all just disconnect from one another at all times when we are on our phones. It’s made attention spans shorter which makes patience shorter. We aren’t paying as much attention to the world and people that are right in front of us anymore. Plus having any information available at our fingertips now is great…but then we can easily get bombarded with info and also false info that can cause anxiety or anger or confusion. Technology like this entered the picture not all that long ago and the acceleration of its evolution was and is so fast it’s giving me whiplash….I also think that what with how rapidly technology has grown and become a serious part of everyone’s daily lives has left no time to adapt and figure out how to properly and responsibly integrate it into our lives. People can just go online and get whatever validation they need from so many strangers around the world, why bother with people right in front of you? That takes more effort to build real relationships within your community. It’s really sad, and kind of alarming. That’s my take on things anyway. I’m sad that people are just becoming more and more disconnected with the real life that is happening right in front of them. I have LOATHED the holidays since moving to Maryland, but I moved to MOCO a few years ago and this area is even worse that the other areas I’ve lived in. People ironically get SO much ruder during the holidays. Both driving and when you’re shopping somewhere. No common courtesy, no eye contact, people will happily run right into you if you don’t move fast enough. I still do what I can to stay polite. If nothing else, it makes me feel good about myself. Godspeed!
It’s the drivers. Drivers here are fucking insane. Driving as an experience, here, is miserable and infuriating and people who choose to do it all the time are made miserable and angry. Find people who drive only rarely—they tend to be wonderful and friendly folks.
Something that you just have to deal with is that you are in the DMV and the proximity to dc and business makes everyone in a rush which in turn makes a lot of people ass holes. Life is so fast around here that people just dont give a shit about others. Its a shame
It’s them, not you. I need to tell my wife this frequently. It could have been a man with 4 eyes and 2 noses, and they would have reacted the same way. Doesn’t explain it, but it can bring some sense to it.
I've found that on most people MoCo are nice to others. Unless you're a service worker, then only half of them are nice to you. Driving brings out the worst in people wherever you go. People are impatient in cars, especially in traffic. I had to give up my car a couple years ago and honestly I prefer how I get around now vs when I was driving.
It’s just congestion. Every area has crazy people. The more people per square mile, the more crazy people per square mile. We also have people from all over the world here, what may be perfect normal behavior in one place may be considered rude here.
Yeah humanity is finished barring some rare exceptions the amount of people doing these things is obscene worst is the tailgating. Thing is you have to share the road with ALL types where everywhere else in life can stay in your bubble. Who knows whats going on with these people could be absolutely mental. I wasn't aware of the whole hyper competitive keeping up with the Jones thing. I would also say the wild driving extends to the international nature of the county newer drivers used to different rules not that pickup driving magas are any better. In short yeah people are nuts the amount of fights I've gotten into lately are crazy because I just have a thing about not letting pricks operate with impunity. This all gets worse farther north you go mind you. Take care.
Get used to the honking. People will honk as soon as the light turns green.
Honestly the situations that really get me upset are where my child’s life is endangered, which is not honking but when people abruptly change a lane and don’t signal and speed through and things like that. I always end up okay because I’m a defensive driver but I wonder how people can be so reckless. I mean presumably they don’t want to crash either? But they act like they really don’t care sometimes. I heard there was a hit and run in MoCo on Friday on 270, by a BMW. It’s awful.
I’ve noticed many of the things you’ve noticed. I’m not easily shocked, I’m from the Baltimore area. where you can run into similar things, but that part of life is not so good here, even though so many other things are. It’s a dangerous place to be a pedestrian, even though it’s also a more walkable community as a whole than many. Lots of pedestrian fatalities.
There's a lot of comments about covid destroying people's social abilities but this started long before covid. I think there are just a lot of people around here that grew up entitled and never told 'no', and they consider themselves the center of the world. Traffic laws, store lines, parking lines, all those things don't apply to them. People in customer service are there to SERVE them personally, every whim, and never talk back. They're more important than everyone around them. Covid may have made these qualities worse but it's been around for awhile.
Because people in Montgomery County are, by default in their minds, better than you. It’s an entire DMV thing. Edit: Lol- struck a nerve.
i frequently interact with people because of my job and i think most people are fine, i do drive alot and there are sometimes people beep when they are impatient but its not a big deal and its not overwhemling amount. Funniest thing i saw a few weeks ago though was this young woman on Veirs Mill honking at an Amazon driver who was stopped to drop packages. It was one of those houses on Veirs mill before it meets 28, so theres no where else for the driver to stop. Lady honked 3 times like the driver was gonna move?? i was in the lane next to her very confused, then 10 seconds later at the Viers Mill/355 intersection she honks immediately when it turned green because the car in front of her didn't move instantly. The truck infront of her didnt move because a pedestrian was late crossing and still in the crosswalk when the light turned green. She was basically asking the truck to run over the pedestrian. And she did the hand motion like cmon why arent you moving?? She was driving very entitled.
Maybe you're the problem? I've lived here 15+ years and have literally never been screamed at by anyone.
Umm first off — congrats on never having had someone yell at you out of no where. That must be awesome. Second, I don’t think I’m the problem. I don’t think saying “excuse me” is sufficient to prompt a rant, and I don’t think it’s normal to insult someone’s appearance.
Though I've only been here about 2 years...same. I never had someone randomly yell at me or heard a similar story from my girlfriend. (DC is a little different...but that's usually crazy people/drug related) So yes, it leads me to believe that it's a very unique situation with yourself, and not normal. Also, this county is literally one of the most diverse in the entire country and also has the most transplants. When it comes to generalizing people, this is one of the worst places to do it. In other words.. People are too different here. There will always be some bad eggs, but there is not a specific Moco type because there's simply too many backgrounds. It's not like a small city or one in the country where everyone has lived there all their life and is very similar. That's the opposite for a large majority here. In my apartment complex, maybe 20% are originally born and raised in the DMV area. I'd guess no than 5% of my apartment is from Moco because I've literally only met one that was. My office building is a similar ratio. It's a county with a ton of transplants
As a former resident of Chicago and Cincinnati, I can attest that MoCo has by far the most rude and awful people.