Uh-huh. Rudeness in the Burgh.
It is no secret that there are quite a few small things that I find a little irritating about my being a transient resident of Pittsburgh. One such no-see-um, I swat at it but can't squish it, bugger-like-annoyance has been the Burghish variant of manners. Now, I recognize that mannerisms are certainly regional. And I am all right with the fact that there is a variant of English spoken here that I will probably never really understand (but you can read all about it other places online, or have yourself a little fun at home with your very own Yinzer doll (you should totally follow this link, btw)). But one thing that I find overwhelmingly frequent, and rude, is the prevalence and use of the colloquial, "Uh huh."
What does this rambling crap even mean?
I will tell you.
Gimme a sec.
Ok.
The local vernacular includes the use of the slang phrase "uh huh" in many situations in which others might say, "I'm sorry!" or "Excuse me!" or "You're welcome."
This might not seem like much, but after my being smacked with a grocery cart by a soccer mom, in shock I exclaimed, "Excuse me!"
She replied, "uh huh."
In a shop, if I pay for something and the clerk hands me my change, I say, "Thank you." Where I am from, a reasonable reply to this might be, "You're welcome."
But on many occasions here in the Pitt, in lieu of a respectful return nicety, I have been told, you guessed it, "uh huh."
Uh-huh, to the uninitiated, sounds dismissive. It is paramount to your saying aloud, "you owe me, bitch."
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9 comments:
Having grown up here and having traveled extensively and having lived in other cities, i agree that the Pittsburgh social graces leave a little to be desired. However, the laziness in some of our responses is not out of disrespect, it is a little more like apathy (not that that completely alleviates your accusations of rudeness). What i am trying to say is that generally speaking we don't feel it necessary to use the meaningless niceties that so many other areas of the country have adopted to simply feel better about themselves. I don't say how ya doin? or have a good one or make small talk with strangers, because it doesn't mean anything, it is just a waste of time. I do, on the other hand engage in real conversations with people when initiated. So, although i agree that we may seem rude, it is more of a well thought about type of honesty with ourselves and those that we interact with daily.
Do we live in the same city? Like the rest of the midwest, Pittsburgh's denizens love to make meaningless conversation.
The generalization of New England is that people are rude, because they are private and don't engage in insipid chatter. However, people are polite (in general). They respect your privacy in a way that the midwest and south do not.
"like the rest of the midwest"
"a way that the south and midwest do not", since we are making sweeping generalizations...ALL of the transplants to my beloved city find that it takes some time to fully appreciate the eccentricities.
I am so surprised that this post has spawned discussion. My own take is that the truth lies somewhere between Kevin's and Anonymous' perspective.
What I mean to say is: I stick to my allegations re how I feel. Oddly enough, it is no secret that I am from Boston, and I have no problem whatsoever with folks who are taciturn. In fact, I vastly prefer it. But what I have experienced here in Pittsburgh is quite the opposite - people talk SO MUCH MORE, as a whole (not that one can ever generalize and still be fair, I admit).
And as a whole, niceties are often meaningless, and I am not a fan of meaningless blather. But manners also function as a basic guideline to avoid offending or harming others - especially strangers.
I think it is entirely possible to be both short of words and polite.
it is a bit confusing to me, this "other" Pittsburgh. is there a hidden entrance on the backside of a pillar on the platform of the wood street "T" stop that i need to know about. i have spent more time with "real" Pittsburghers than anyone and these rude blathering idiots do not epitomize the people of my fair city (not to say that they don't exist, just go to the south side for three minutes).
i promote and celebrate my city nationally, and i am growing tired of the tourists without any perspective telling me how much cooler it was wherethefuckeverelse. if nothing else: enjoy your cheap rent, finish your degree, collect your trust fund and get the hell out of my town.
hmmm. kevin.
why be so angry? if the uh-huh thing seems wrong to you, fair enough. but if it is real, why defend it? it is reasonable enough to say nothing, as you, Anon. and Er all agree. but if you're going to say anything at all, why not make it something polite? otherwise, you might as well say, "ham sandwich." or whatever.
not to take sides, but I live in Pittsburgh, and I also think folks here, in public, are chatty. which is ok with me.
Oh how i love the Chef, he's the most social misanthrope i know other than myself and i will help clarify that the uh-huh is a form of lumpen prole communication used all over the midwest, basically cause inside those tiny, tiny brains we are thinking of lopping the heads of the bourgeois pigs in front of us and don't really deem in necessary to respond cuz the bourgeois are out shopping while we lumpen proles are working... as far as New England and particularly New York are concerned, who effing cares, the whole world knows it's way cool to be from New Shmuck or Bahstin or whatever other horrible old money cesspool you call home and if can get in to the generalization game i've never met anyone from either of those places who doesn't tell you that every chance they get, in NY's case they are usually some frustrated art star just about to hit it big in fashion, music, art etal, shit on them, i love the Rust Belt, our cities are dying, the children all leave and we are teh butt of many jokes but we are hard bastards that tend to love, work and play with every once of our beings, call us passionate in disturbed sort of way but do it to yourself cuz we really don't want to talk to you. xoxo kono
wow. I never would have thought this post would have conjured so much discussion. I was just exploring a culture difference. Not intended to inflame.
Kono, you seem to have a lot to say for someone who really doesn't want to talk to me. Which is fine either way. Or, are you speaking more to the greater "you" openly, and not aiming directly at my head?
A recent article in Dwell magazine explored the fact that Pittsburgh in amongst the American cities with the most rapid decline in population. Perhaps this "us" and "them" attitude is part of it.
Don't worry Er i don't really hate you (unless of course you're China Millman) i just enjoy discussing cultural theory on the netz, basically i disdain all of humanity equally yet am horribly fascinated with it at the same time, i qoute charles bukowski not once but twice, i like people i just like it better when they are not around and everything you need to know about the human condition can be learned on the front porch. and for the record i'm from Cleveland. i'm not even a native and i'm gonna tell that Sousa guy that one of these days i'm taking my trust fund and going home. Right after he makes me some weird shit called sauerkraut that doesn't have any sauerkraut in it and once i find a trust fund to lift.
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