Comments on: Let a smile be your umbrella. Or, you know, not.

By: Jenn Brasler

Jenn Brasler — Tue, 27 Jul 2004 12:30:36 +0000

And that’s the other thing – people in D.C. hate eye contact. I’ve always been taught that it’s polite to make eye contact with people, and now I have to squelch that urge.

By: Emily

Emily — Tue, 27 Jul 2004 11:54:03 +0000

I don’t think people mind if you smile at them, I think it’s more the manner in which you do it… If you’re already smiling, and you manage to make eye contact with someone, no big deal. If you make eye contact with someone, then break out into a smile, the person will think “WTF?” because that implies a familiarity between the smiler and the smiled-at, even though you might be complete strangers.

By: Michael Darpino

Michael Darpino — Tue, 27 Jul 2004 11:24:27 +0000

I used to smile at people the first few years I lived here. Got the same reaction. So I switched to a swift nod of acknowledgement which seems to work much better. Rather than run away screaming, people usually nod back out of reflex before even realizing they’ve done it.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Jul 2004 10:38:17 +0000

I had the same thought yesterday as I smiled, said “Hi,” and “No, thank you” to a person handing out pamphlets at the metro entrance. I’ll probably be reported for this.