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Re:Twilio Acquires Electric Imp by stevenjohns on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @05:05AM (#23842835)
Not really. Pleasantries are common all over the world.

If you've ever spent time in Latin America then you'd know it's rude not to ask anyone how they are before engaging in any sort of conversation. The Middle East (i.e East Asia) has very similar mannerisms.

Engaging in these pleasantries signals I view you as a person rather than you are just a means to an end.

It's the literal equivalent of foreplay before sex.

Re:Twilio Acquires Electric Imp by WJW on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @06:50AM (#23843478)
It's not the performing of pleasantries, but the level at which Americans perform them vs the norm in most of western Europe.

The average level of American "OMG so excited to meet you" is usually reserved for actual celebrities in Europe. When you have seen them talk like that to everyone in the room, the conclusion for the European is that the American is lying about being excited to meet you, which is much more offensive than if they just said "pleased to meet you".

Re:Twilio Acquires Electric Imp by dragonwriter on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @07:05AM (#23843576)
> The average level of American "OMG so excited to meet you" is usually reserved for actual celebrities in Europe

I've been an American all my life, and I've never seen anyone say they were excited to meet someone other than either an actual celebrity or someone who has been significantly talked up in advance to the level of being at a quasi-celebrity level in context (and even in the latter case, “I'm glad to finally meet you”, possibly followed by an explanation of the reason they've been looking forward to it, is much more common than expressions of excitement.)

Honestly, the behavior you seem to be describing is one which would strike most Americans as both unusual and deeply disingenuous.

Re:Twilio Acquires Electric Imp by bittercynic on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @10:58AM (#23846086)
Things are very different from one part of USA to another, and even from one social group to another. Though I haven't participated in any social situation where "OMG so excited..." is the norm, it is easy to imaging it exists.
Re:Twilio Acquires Electric Imp by secondaryditto on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @11:56AM (#23847070)
my experience (as us-born/bred) is that this exists, but is more a personality trait than anything else. And some personality traits can co-exist among others with the same trait more easily, and that 'so excited' outward expression can often get amplified in a group, but even individuals can be like that. I don't see it as uniquely American, but... it may be somewhat here. By comparison, traveling in Russia, public displays of enthusiasm/positivity/emotion were far less common at all (although in small groups of friends they came out).
Re:Twilio Acquires Electric Imp by thaumasiotes on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @06:50AM (#23843479)
> The Middle East (i.e East Asia)

You mean West Asia? East Asia is the Far East; that's the whole point of using the term "the Middle East" for what was originally just "the East".

Re:Twilio Acquires Electric Imp by stevenjohns on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @07:21AM (#23843676)
Yep, my bad.