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points by triceratops 4 hours ago | 0 comments
> talking to total strangers on the trail (or in a restaurant, or in an art museum, etc.) has long been a taboo in some countries

Which ones? I'm really curious to know.

Chatting up women just to hit on them has become a no-no. And some conservative countries strongly restrict most opposite gender interactions between non-relatives.

Other than that, I really don't know where it's unacceptable to make polite conversation with strangers.

[–] TFNA 3 hours ago
Come to Finland and Sweden, which have a strong outdoor culture, but being talkative to other people on the trail is likely to make them uncomfortable. Guidelines for using communal wilderness infrastructure often emphasize the importance of giving other people space, to the point of politely ignoring them. (And no one would speak to a total stranger in a restaurant or art gallery unless they were a clueless foreigner, crazy, a religious proselytizer, or all of the above.)

More generally internationally, if one is a single man and others around are couples, socializing is rarely going to be welcome because one is just a third wheel and people will wonder why you're alone. I have seen this firsthand in the bikepacking community, which went from once being a hobby largely of solo men (who would often then team up for some time) to being predominantly couples on many popular routes.

[–] triceratops 3 hours ago
"Talking to people" and "being talkative" are very different things though. Like you can't even ask people for directions in the Nordic wilderness?

Obviously you wouldn't speak to someone seated at another table at a restaurant. But what if you're waiting in line to be seated, and it's taking a while? It'd be "taboo" to even acknowledge other diners waiting with you?

Saying a few pleasantries and continuing about your day is not the same as socializing.

[–] TFNA 3 hours ago
No, one would not normally acknowledge other people in a queue while waiting for a long time, not even with the slightest of pleasantries. (In any event, the very notion of "waiting to be seated" at a restaurant sounds rather foreign to these shores, though I know it is common in the USA.)

As for asking people for directions, there is a strong social pressure towards trying to solve things on your own instead of talking to random local people, and today everyone has smartphones with map apps.

The OP, however, was talking about supposedly being able to meet new friends and form bonds through public spaces, and that goes beyond the "saying a few pleasantries and then going about your day" that you mention. If your expectations do not necessarily apply to other countries, obviously his were completely unrealistic.

[–] triceratops 2 hours ago
> No, one would not normally acknowledge other people in a queue while waiting for a long time, not even with the slightest of pleasantries

Wow TIL.