[Rhiannon]

I visited Israel recently, and I loved it. However, I was surprised at how aggressive Israelis were compared to Americans. By American standards, people are downright rude to each other: they don't stand in lines, they yell at each other in 'customer service' situations, and they are very abrupt. Why is this?

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Name : Rhiannon, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 29, City : Eden Prairie, State : MN Country : United States, Occupation : Professor, Social class : Middle class, 

[Jesse-N30798]

I'm an American residing in Israel (I've lived in Israel, on and off, for five years). Yes, everything you note is typical Israeli behavior, and you are not the first to notice it. Here are two theories on why this is so: First, history has taught Israel to be tough and aggressive. The country owes its continued existence to toughness and aggressiveness, and so individuals learn from this. True, this lesson is less true today than it was 20 years ago, but attitudes change very slowly. The other theory is that local attitudes teach individuals, as children, to not be suckers. Thus, everyone always pushes everyone to ensure that no one will take the slightest advantage.

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Name : Jesse-N30798, Gender : M, Religion : Jewish, Age : 41, City : Herzliya, State : NA Country : Israel, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Andrew]

I've marveled at the same thing when I've visited my brother, who lives in Israel, and watched Israelis locally (a good number of Israeli immigrants live around here). I think it's a reaction to being under constant attack as a nation, and it's also the result of a culture that prizes macho aggression. I love Israel and generally find Israelis charming, but after a while their in-your-face nature makes me want to have a powerful drink in a quiet room.

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Name : Andrew, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 35, City : Huntington, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Reporter, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Priscilla30291]

I haven't been to Israel, but I have to say that if they ARE rude by American standards, they must be extremely rude, because I think Americans are rude and crass.

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Name : Priscilla30291, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 23, City : Sydney, State : NA Country : Australia, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Andrew]

Would you characterize your response as polite or rude?

User Detail :  

Name : Andrew, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 35, City : Huntington, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Reporter, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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