What's The Rudest Place On Earth?

According to a new poll, LA is the rudest city in the country. I don’t buy it — after the jump, a breakdown of rudeness across the country, and my pick for the real rudest place ever.

New York

The thing about New York rudeness is, at least when you’re a transplant, it all seems to send the message that you are doing something wrong. Even when you’re not! This is especially true with cabs. Case in point: the cab driver who vehemently and repeatedly denied that my intersection existed — and, when I carefully directed him there in approximately seven minutes, pretty much acted like I had created the location with my evil terraforming powers in order to ruin his evening.

Rudeness level (out of 10): 8

Los Angeles

It is obvious that the rudest people in Los Angeles are people you meet on the freeway. The rudest person I have encountered there is That Person who is driving a big SUV or something and, in the process of trying to exit in heavy traffic, edges you completely out of your lane or even onto the shoulder (this happened) — and then, while still talking on his/her phone, gives you a little wave like it’s okay and we’re all friends here. We are not friends. Fuck you.

Rudeness level: 7

Boston

Many people were really nice to me in Boston. The lady at the coffee shop let me sit there all day when the Internet in my apartment wasn’t working, and my random Craigslist roommate carried my desk back to our place after I bought it at a yard sale. My neighbor let me take a shower in her bathroom when my heat and hot water weren’t working for weeks. Which brings me to: utilities people in Boston are the meanest utilities people ever. Nowhere else has the gas company not only a) refused to set up service, but also b) yelled at me for even asking.

Rudeness level: 6

San Francisco

People in San Francisco are really not that rude. I kind of racked my brains and the rudest thing I could come up with was the time a beer garden wouldn’t let me and my friends in because they were “catching up on glassware.” Pretty bush league.

Rudeness level: 4

Iowa City

In Iowa City, the post office thanks you for complaining to them. The mechanic checks out your car for free. People stop you on the street to tell you that they have the same brand of rain boots that you’re wearing, and you might want to watch out because they can be kind of slip-y. Almost all the rudeness perpetrated n Iowa City is out-of-towner-on-out-of-towner. I guess the rudest thing that happened to me there was when a lady kicked me out of the public pool because I accidentally went in during Senior Swim. But it was really my fault. I had not checked the schedule. And I was from out of town.

Rudeness level: 1

The Internet

Clearly, the Internet is the rudest place on earth. There are ways of being rude that on the Internet that do not even exist in the physical world — when was the last time you saw someone in real life tell another person to “die in a fire”? In the real world, you cannot make an animated gif of someone doing something dumb over and over again — all you can do is say, “boy, that was dumb.” Weak sauce. The following is not by any means the rudest thing anyone’s ever said to me over the Internet, but it’s my current favorite: “Anna-I’m sorry I can’t bring myself to refer to you by Ms. North because I’ve lost any and all respect that I typically hold for people I’ve never met.”

Rudeness level: 11

Got a story of egregious rudeness? Share in the comments, along with where it took place, and later we’ll share the horrors.

New York Takes Second Place On List Of Rudest Cities — L.A. Earns Dubious Victory [NY Daily News]