I really have never understood this complaint. I've only been in Seattle for 4 years- but I moved here from a small town in Alaska where everyone knows everyone. I think Seattle is pretty friendly, as a whole. With more people come more jackasses, but I really don't think it's Seattle-specific. Or maybe you just need to get off the hill.

I'd answer you directly, but I'd rather avoid the confrontation... l-}

I love Seattle mostly for the city's geography, and topography, and the climate. I like the kind of institutions that have grown up around here, and the kind of people who migrate here from the rest of the country and the world. A lot of the Californians or Idahoans and Montanaists and Canadians who come here are the better sort of Californians or Idahos and so forth, if you ask me.

But native Seattleites? Some of them are OK. Some.

I don't know why they act like that. I can't stand it when they have the right of way and they yield and act all smug about it. If you have the right of way, you should go if it is safe to go.   If it is safe to go, yet you stop, WTF ?  Who taught them to drive like that?   Nobody. 

They're doing it for some other reason than any theory of how you ought to drive.  They're doing it to make a point. Dicks.

I feel your pain and let me tell you my experience. So, I have lived in Seattle for 3 years and before Seattle I lived in Hoboken New Jersey across from New York City and let me tell you. I have seen what your stating here. So in New York, when I ask one of my buds to hangout. The answer is either Yes I can or no not today.

New York(Agreeing to hangout): Me: Hey dude do you wanna hangout. My friend: Yeah where do you wanna meet? Me: Let's meet at Frank Sinatra Park in about an hour, hows that sound? My friend, that is perfect see you then.

See when you ask an east coaster

Now heres how a native Seattlite does it below.

Seattle(Agreeing to hangout): Me: Hey dude do you wanna hangout? My friend: well let me check my calendar and I'll get back to you in about an hour. Me: Well I kinda wanna hangout right now. My friend: Fine where should we meet? Me: How about at the sculpture park. My friend: That could work. Me: Well I need to know if it's actually going to happen. My friend: Alright lets meet there in a half hour.

New York(Not Agreeing to hangout): Me: Hey dude do you wanna hangout. My friend: No, I'm sorry, I have a guitar lesson today but tomorrow might work I'll text you later to see what we can work out. Me: ok sounds good. Have a good lesson.

Seattle(Not Agreeing to hangout): Me Hey dude do you wanna hangout? I busy all this week and next week. I'll let you know at some point soon when we can hangout. Me: ok thats fine.

New Yorkers actually give you a possible time for when there available.

Seattlites give you a huge lecture on why they can't an then say they'll tell you that they'll call you a some point soon and let you know. It gets on my fucking nerves all the god damn time. No body confronts anyone because there afraid of every little fucking detail of life that they can't talk to a random person.

It's really annoying sometimes to live in Seattle! Too many scared people. Way too many atheists.

I'm not a native, but I've lived here for over 8 years, and I think most of the frustration stems from *and* come froms Capitol Hill, mainly. Living in another neighborhood has spared me a lot of confrontations, period, so YMMV.

Passive aggressiveness is an easy thing to blame Seattle for, but passive aggressiveness exists all over the Western world. Seattle does convey a particular brand of passive aggressiveness, and it seems to be more based in insularity and over-politeness rather than sociopathy and manipulation.

The thing Seattle gets dinged for a lot is old-school pride -- people not acting the way "Seattleites used to act". But again, this brand of passive aggressiveness exists all over the Western half of the U.S., and to some degree the East Coast too. It definitely exists in the South.

So, while I understand the frustrations, I think people should be blaming America, or at least West Coast America, and not so much Seattle.