Why do Filipinos don't greet each other?

[EthanJM 0]

I have seen those type of Pinays not only in our area but in a different places. Snobs, stuck up and would size you up whether or not you're driving a Mercedez and carrying a LV purse.

I am not a snob kind of person but, definitely not the type of "hi/hello" one either. So, this thing never really bothered me at all. Life is too short and, I've got better things to do than thinking about 'em. In fact, they're just making me laugh. Because I know for a fact that some fellow Pinays are indeed like that.

Just ignore them and don't let them ruin or, at the very least, affect your precious day, IMO.

Cheers!

[kev_n_jena 89]

Jena and I have been discussing this topic. She has some interesting observations.

When driving home through the rural area we live in, many people will wave at you and of course I always wave back. When Jena first arrived, she would ask, who is that? I'd say, I don't know, just a neighbor. She found that extremely strange!

We live in the last house on a dead end road with about 14 houses on it. I only know the last 4 families. She would ask me, who lives there? Who lives there? I'd have to say, well, according to the mailbox it's blah blah blah. She was very surprised we lived on the same road and didn't know each other.

Jena also mentioned, if you say hi to someone from her area that you don't know, they might think you're wierd. If it's a guy saying hi to a woman they don't know, the woman might think they're hitting on them.

Kevin

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I think it is a bit of something else. My wife refers to people as enemies, or allies. It's like the girls are always picking sides for some apocalyptic conflict.

Edited July 12, 2011 by Some Old Guy

[gretchen_darren 67]

My wife refers to people as enemies, or allies. It's like the girls are always picking sides for some apocalyptic conflict. --- Yep, didn't you hear... world War III is men against the women. So the women are figuring out already who to have in the battle while the men will figure it out after the "first strike" happens.....

as for greeting each other, I have noticed unelss they know each other. It is a difference in "class" or "dress". If you dress appropriately they greet you, but otherwise you are not of their"station" they ignore you. I think this just comes from the way things are in the philippines and if you attempt to cross those boundaries, you had better be a very very very beautiful girl in their culture. U haven't seen the men do it, it is like some unwritten code....

Edited July 12, 2011 by gretchen_darren

[Jubi & Tony 3]

As I say to my Fiancee, lets take the best of both cultures and make them our own. I have found the culture in the Philippines to be very warm and welcoming. I have been to places in America where I found the same. I have been to places in America to where you minded your own business and said very little. There is one culture difference I noticed I was doing that my Fiancee questioned me about soon after my first visit. If I was passing thru a crowded store and passing close to people I would say "excuse me" if I was passing them. My Fiancee noticed it and asked why? I explained that in the USA, things are more spread out and so we have a cultural personal space around each of us so its considered polite to say "excuse me" when passing through someone else's personal space. In big cities the personal space is much smaller and you don't really see this curtesy. The funny thing is while I was writing this I had a similar analogy for driving too...lol I love the beauty and the warmth of the Filipina culture.

[chinese_mutt 11]

Ever considered because there are too many bad people in Philippines that we are so used to scowling at people to make sure they don't even attempt to steal, cheat, etc. from us?

I used to look at every person in the jeepney like they are going to grab my bag and run. lol.

Pasensya na... pero totoo naman ayaw lang natin amin. Minsan kelangan suplada ka para di ka tabihan ng mga manyak, mag-nanakaw at kung ano ano pang masamang tao.

I think it is just a gut reaction based on our environment. When I got here I had a terrible time being nice to strangers because I was taught not to talk to strangers. I am still embarrassed at times and would not greet first unless they greet me. Although after almost two years I am starting to get use to the idea of being "friendly". When I go to Asian stores and hear/seen Filipino walking by I still can't bring myself to greet them and start conversations... it does not come naturally to me. And when they do greet me and ask me questions I still feel shy/embarrassed like I don't know what to say or do. Mukha lang snob pero sa totoo walang social skills! hahaha.

[EthanJM 0]

Why you say mostly white people are friendly to others in the street .? I am not white nor black but color do not determines politeness. My Fiancee is from the philippines . Maybe your fellow pinays are yet to adapt to the cultural shock .Trust me --when they are adapt to it --they are more ''Americanised '' than I .

Color of the skin is not supposed to determine politeness but based of my experience when Filipinos greeting each other are concerned, it does. I hope I can understand better why Filipinos have this attitude and mentality. Are they afraid to be rejected that's why to be safe they prefer not to greet anybody? Are they mayabang, thinking that what ever little thing they accomplished in life makes them above the rest? Or is it as simple as a culture thing and is just the way how they are brought up? I just don't know.

If Filipinos in the Middle East (worked there for 2 years) always greet each other (90% of the time), why can't Filipinos in the US (in my experience only about 30% of the time)?

[~happyndinlove~ 540]

Color of the skin is not supposed to determine politeness but based of my experience when Filipinos greeting each other are concerned, it does. I hope I can understand better why Filipinos have this attitude and mentality. Are they afraid to be rejected that's why to be safe they prefer not to greet anybody? Are they mayabang, thinking that what ever little thing they accomplished in life makes them above the rest? Or is it as simple as a culture thing and is just the way how they are brought up? I just don't know.

If Filipinos in the Middle East (worked there for 2 years) always greet each other (90% of the time), why can't Filipinos in the US (in my experience only about 30% of the time)?

ALL of the above!?

Some people have this "I got here before you did so therefore, I am way above ya" attitude.

Edited August 12, 2011 by ~happyndinlove~

[giantkoolit2011 0]

I always meet people (mostly white) on the street or in an elevator etc who greet you (Good morning, How are you?) even if they don't personally know you. I also met a lot of Filipinos who doesn't even bother to smile.

Is this a culture thing, or is it because we are just afraid to be rejected? Are we scared to smile or greet for fear that it might not be a Filipino after all? Or are some Filipinos just snobs and think highly of their stature now that they live comfortably abroad? I am just wondering...

If the white people can say "Hi, how are you?", why

Edited October 27, 2012 by giantkoolit2011

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

You do know you are posting to a thread that is over a year old, don't you?

[Tintin and Mike 127]

It's pretty strange that just earlier when I had my morning walk and I always say good morning to other walkers. In the back of my mind I say, Mike will blend in so well here. He likes to say hi to everyone, maybe it's the politician son in him LOL

[aamirpearl 47]

I always meet people (mostly white) on the street or in an elevator etc who greet you (Good morning, How are you?) even if they don't personally know you. I also met a lot of Filipinos who doesn't even bother to smile.

Is this a culture thing, or is it because we are just afraid to be rejected? Are we scared to smile or greet for fear that it might not be a Filipino after all? Or are some Filipinos just snobs and think highly of their stature now that they live comfortably abroad? I am just wondering...

If the white people can say "Hi, how are you?", why can't we?

Im thinking the same too, when i was vacationing in Dubai and saw so many Filipinas, while sitting on the public bus they were starring at me and i smile at them but only got a sad or grumpy look back.

[Juliet and Steve 93]

Using the verb "to do" in the same sentence, while separated by only a single noun, may have something to do with it. Just kidding of course. My grammer twitch kicked in when I saw the title. "Why do Filipinos don't...?" AAACCCKKK!!!

Perhaps you could reiterate your comment in Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilonggo, or Waray and then someone might, just kiddingly of course, critique your misuse of the elements of grammar of that language.

When I see misuse of what we consider common grammatical structure I'll assume that English is a person's second language and that their or their family's first language was something other than English. In such cases I'm generally impressed, rather than put off by errors, after all, they have worked hard to learn two languages which is more than I've been able to do.

[av8or 34]

here's a tip.. if you really want to find out if one is pinoy or not, just go say "psssst".. if they turn around, coconut..

[neodragon0l 6]

I typically do not say hi to others on the street. I live in LA after all. It's more of a safety reason than being friendly. It's kind of mind your own business type of thing. In other parts of the country where my relatives live, the Filipino population is so small that they tend to know each other and say hi to each other. That's a culture shock to me because I am not used to greeting people.