Vancouver holds a stigma that may or may be reason for our current single population. We are said to be anti-social, standoffish even egotistical at times. Dare I say, the rumours and assumptions are true? Ask yourself, when is the last time I had a conversation with a stranger? Do I smile as I walk down the street or could it be my resting bitch face is almost always present? Of course we all want to deem our city friendly, warm, welcoming and all the other qualities true to Canadians but, for some reason, we just aren’t those things at all.
It isn’t you in particular, or me, or all the others who find conversing with strangers to be odd and unfamiliar. It’s us as a whole; somewhere between the Olympics and the rainbow painted sidewalks, we forgot how to be friendly. Sure it comes out on certain occasions but for the most part, smartphones, umbrellas and attitudes seem to get in that way.
This has all resulted in an extremely difficult struggle for those of us who are single. How are we supposed to meet someone when approaching a stranger makes them swiftly walk in the opposite direction? Men state that women aren’t approachable and women state that men aren’t approaching. That leads us to this article.
If we look at women as whole, we do, in fact, come across as unapproachable – whether that’s to an outsider or a resident of Vancouver is irrelevant. Then, of course, men seem to be allergic to women or the initial interaction. So on one side of the high school dance we have the boys, incapable of making their move. On the opposite side we have the young women, on their cell phones, rolling their eyes with their arms crossed looking very unfriendly while they complain about the men who aren’t approaching. What a tangled mess we have made!
Vancouver is a desirable city for so many reasons yet this “asocial” name we’ve made for ourselves devalues us! If we take a look at places like Europe or Australia, they seem to have no problem socially in fact they are a prime example of positive sociable places to live or travel.
Whether or not you would like to admit it, this city has a hard time coming across as warm. Fortunately, we have the ability to change that. You are allowed to make conversation while filling your coffee with cream in the morning. It’s ok to smile at someone you have never met before. You won’t be shunned if you say good morning or use some generic line about the weather. The reason we are anti-social is due to zero effort made to change that stigma.
Being single is actually a nice place to be. Although so many assume it’s sad and depressing, we are able to have conversations with new people, to socialize and put our phones aside for a moment- are we all doing this? No, but there’s still hope for society.
Next time someone asks you a question or attempts to make conversation, perhaps look at it from a different perspective – you don’t need a reason to socialize, you don’t have to be picking someone up or telling them there is something on their shirt – try saying hello, I dare you!