[perfectritone]

The last paragraph firmly places this story in America.

[hot_gril]

Sounds more like Bay Area specifically. Realized whenever I traveled outside that normal people actually make eye contact or otherwise acknowledge your presence, and now I'm living happily elsewhere in CA (though not just for that reason). Like a stereotypical old mother, I blame tech addiction.

[achates]

No one outside of America is rude.

[darthrupert]

We're they rude or afraid?

[notyourwork]

Maybe though I know a lot of foreigners in America that act like this. So is it an American problem of a societal problem?

[sebzim4500]

There are plenty of people outside of America that also act like this. It is a humanity problem.