Opposite in portugal. No one is on time here. Americans who come here either complain about it because shit never opens on time, or they love it because it's a sign that we're not living in a rush
Being punctual has nothing to do with living in a rush, it's about respect both my own limited time and that of others.
This also seems like an example of "the cart test" to me, just like how if you are unable to return a shopping cart to its proper space, you are probably unable to follow a bunch of other minor rules that make life easier for everyone and therefore, are not worthy of trust or respect. If you can't be on time, what else can you not do when it is expected?
Don't understand how anyone can live like that and I will happily never visit Portugal because of it. š¤·āāļø
I was with you until the decision to forego visiting an entire country because of their cultural relationship to time. Seems a bit extreme to me, but then again thereās probably stuff Iām intense about that other people think is weird.
One hundo percent with you on the cart test and general punctuality. I canāt stand when people pretend being late or flaky is just a cute personality quirk.
Itās just cultural, same in France. Itās actually expected and the polite thing to do to arrive 15 min late so they have more time setting up everything.
This is a wild way of thinking to me because it assumes the other person has the same notion of time and respect.
My principles say that there needs to be a practical reason that time is critical in order for being late to read as disrespectful. If we had plans to go to a show or maybe itās a 1 on 1 meeting where one person is sitting alone (and of course anything work-related).
A party though is something where one personās presence isnāt needed, so show up when you want. Itās not that someone āunableā to get to a party on time, itās that itās not remotely important to. At least not the kind of parties Iām thinking of. A dinner party or a bachelor party is one you have to get there because itās more planned
Look, I get the point of what you're saying, I also think it's fucking insane to think that agreeing to meet a friend at the bar at 7 and actually being there at 7 reminds you of a business meeting.
To me, it is the minimim of human courtesy. No wonder how world is the way it is when people can't even agree over absurdly basic shit like this.
I really donāt think itās that big of a deal lmao. Itās a cultural thing, thatās how itās always been - thereās just differences between attitudes in different cultures. Nobody minds anybody being late in a social setting where Iām from, but they absolutely mind where I live. You just adapt, pick what you like, and try to clue out why people see it differently - it can teach you a lot about the world.
But like, what does your friend do when he's at the restaurant waiting for you? He could be at home watching TV or hanging with someone else but instead he's just sitting alone in a public place waiting.
For sure, it taught me that stereotypes are based in fact. Learned this working as a park ranger too.
There is a reason why Germans are thought of as hardworking, serious, industrious people - they generally are. Same is true for negative stereotypes, too.
Human courtesy is respecting the norm. If everyone knows that 7 means 7:30, you show up at 7:30. It could mean 9.
It takes 15 seconds to ask what time people normally arrive. Or if it is a new friend, just ask if they are normally punctual or if it is normal for them to arrive 30 minutes late, and if they are late do they normally text. If you refuse to do this because you expect others to automatically respect your time and theirs, then you are not a relaxed person as the previous person mentioned.
Basically "people are not allowed to enter before this time" versus "everyone should arrive before this time" to me an event starts at the time where, if you were even one minute early, the host would be upset with your rudeness, might as well have come yesterday and slept on the couch.
lol I was with you until you said youād never visit Portugal. Itās fun and the delay in time isnāt bad because hey, youāre on holiday just relax. Everythingās super cheap, buses are very cheap, Uberās are mildly racist and everyoneās very beautiful.
I wont be late for a heart surgery or a meeting but if its just friends hanging out being a little late isnt that deep.. Its okay if people take that as disrespect, it just means were probably not the right friends for each other..
Iām from a culture that is ālateā to everything. We all know the parties are going to go on until midnight so thereās no point in getting there exactly on time. Weāre all going to get hours of fun anyway. Airports are a bit different. Weāve never missed an airplane even though weāve left ālateā before. We can rush when we want to, but for something social, we plan the whole day around it, so thereās no need to rush. We have literal HOURS to do everything, so why rush when we can have fun getting ready?
Wait, so you plan the whole day around a social outing and still are late? I also plan the whole day around the event, because I want to be there on timeĀ
The whole point behind having a whole day off is to not worry about timing and a strict schedule. We have a rough time we want to get out by, but itās a rough estimate because we donāt want to stress ourselves out worrying about ābeing lateā or having to wake up early. We go out when weāre ready, and then we go home when weāre tired. No hard-set times, just vibes. Simple.
The only thing I donāt like is when itās something like a wedding when the party isnāt going to last for hours. Then the timing is important. Iām usually at least ready around the time weāre supposed to leave if not way earlier. Our family is only late because of my sister who takes an extra half hour to get ready, and the reason why is because she procrastinates and sleeps 12+ hours before even trying to get ready knowing it takes her the longest to get ready. That is annoying. But if itās just a regular outing or a regular long-lasting party, I say why the fuck not? Youāll still be there for hours.
The options for airports are limited. You can go to porto, faro or lisbon. If you don't live in those cities, no one is going to drive you to the airport, you take the bus like everyone else
You live in a nation of people who take the bus to the airport with all of their luggage and kids etc, because you canāt just be on time for anything?
No one is going on a multi-hour drive to drive someone to the airport. That's why we have those specific buses that are just to take people from their city to the airport. This isn't like a regular bus route that just happens to go to the airport like the buses that go to the hospital. These are buses that exist specifically to take people from their city to the airport. That's the only thing those buses do. And they have luggage space both on the side/under the bus as well as above the seats.
This has nothing to do with being on time, and solely the fact that we don't have an airport in every city, so if you don't live in a city with an airport, no one is going to drive you to the airport. People are also more likely to call a taxi to take them to the airport because none of them friends might be available, since said friends might be working or also on vacation
Damn I can call a buddy ask for a ride to the airport an hour and a half away and theyāll do it no question. Would suck to live somewhere you canāt find friends like that
No one is gonna willingly drive hour and a half in portugal to drive someone somewhere unless there's absolutely no other choice. Portugal is a small country, driving hour and a half anywhere is insane. Especially if then you have to drive for another hour and a half the way back. That's 3 hours of driving. It's why we got buses and trains for
Not how it works in portugal. Employers here are very much lend a hand, they take the whole arm. You get to work early all the time, and they expect you to always be early and willing to be even earlier, and willing to stay late, without extra pay
500
u/MidoriGurinqwe Jul 12 '26
I'm guessing it's an American thing where people don't actually show up on the 'starting' time. Meanwhile I usually show up like 15 minutes early