Dear Neighbor: Pete Prunkl: Hello! – Salisbury Post

By Pete Prunkl

dear neighbor,

It was a surprise to me that a custom that I considered perfectly normal caused confusion in another country. It’s greeting perfect strangers. My Lithuanian cousin Algis reprimanded me for saying hello to a couple I passed while hiking on the Lithuanian coast. “What was wrong with that?” I asked. “They’ll spend the rest of the day trying to figure out how they relate to you,” he replied.

After returning to the good ol’ USA, I resumed my habit of talking to strangers. In the United States, hello, hello, “morning or how are you” doesn’t seem to cause confusion.

Recently, one of those Facebook rolls reminded me of Algis and our meeting on the coast. The Mash Report, a British satirical comedy show, reported that a “Northern”, meaning a Scotsman, had been terrorizing commuters in London by walking around hailing them. The man was caught and apologized: “I didn’t mean to be happy,” he pleaded. The man was not arrested, a reporter said, because “being friendly to foreigners it’s not a crime in London until next year.” Yes, it was a comedy, but several Londoners commented that the gag hit a little too close to home.

One Brit thought strangers said “Hello” because “I’m a criminal and they’re trying to distract me while someone else robs me, mugs or pickpockets.”

A survey by travel service Expedia found that of several nationalities, the Japanese were the least likely to talk to foreigners on a plane. Their culture values ​​not bothering people, and foreigners may not want to be spoken to or even helped. This value does not seem to have taken root here.

In this age when Americans are politically polarized and looking for anything that shows we’re still neighbors, saying “Hello” can be a great unifier. Americans of all political persuasions seem open to “kindness” at the grocery store, at the movie theater, in restaurants, and even on the street. Many go so far as to have complete conversations with strangers. I wouldn’t be surprised if an invitation to dinner or an offer to buy your car followed a conversation in the Food Lion parking lot.

For those who have shied away from this uniquely American custom, I urge you to give in to your inner child and give it a try. You won’t be detained, arrested, reprimanded or forced to apologize for this simple but powerful greeting.

“Dear neighbor” the authors are united in the belief that civility and passion can coexist. We believe that curiosity and conversation make us a better community.