Conversation

The tyranny of politeness

For car rides my partner uses Lyft in New York City, and when she travels for work in Texas she uses Uber because Lyft isn’t as prominent there. And while she has a spotless passenger record in Lyft, she has “only” an average of 4.3 stars in Uber, which is apparently enough in Texas to be rejected by drivers.

She wasn’t sure of the reason behind this discrepancy until it hit her: she never engages in small talk with her drivers. And while in New York it is expected, even welcomed by drivers, it might earn you a bad mark in Texas where the US Southern fake friendliness is an unspoken social rule that can get you in trouble if you don’t abide by it.

Do I need to point out that this fake friendliness reinforces the power dynamics already in favor of men, mostly white?

#WomensDay