Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Night

In the VI, any time you make eye contact with someone, you say "Good morning/afternoon/night" It's just what we do. This is a topic that comes up a lot on the travel forums. People who live in the VI instruct visitors to use these greetings when they are here. It's not like a magic bullet that will instantly make things go well for you, it's just something that most locals like to hear before you utter anything else. Often times you will hear visitors complain about "having" to do this, or about how they did it and locals were still rude to them. Whatever....

You know what happens when you do this when you are in the states? People look at you funny, treat you like you are "special needs", or just off your rocker. Whenever I visit the states I have to constantly remind myself NOT to do this, avoid eye contact, ignore the people around me. This is one of the things that bothers me the most when I visit the states. I find it sad that people in the states are so disconnected from one another. It's a real bummer that extending a greeting in the states to people whom you don't know, but encounter, is so surprising that it tends to put statesiders off. I would much rather be in a place where a handful of people will still treat you rude if you use these greetings than in a place where only a handful of people appreciate the greetings.