‘I haven’t met a single bad northerner yet’: American living in the UK says the north-south divide ‘confuses’ him, claiming northerners are ‘down to earth’ while Londoners are ‘snobby’ and ‘see right through you’
An American living in the UK discovered the north-south divide and says it left him feeling unsettled.
Kobie Jordan, who has lived in the UK for three years, says in a thought-provoking TikTok video that it “needs to be talked about”.
Walking through the streets of London, Kobie explains to the camera that people in America are friendly in the south and reserved in the north, but he notes that in Britain it’s the other way around.
Kobie, known online as @kjordyyytells his 182,000 followers that ‘back home in the South everything is much quieter, people are much nicer and there is more of a sense of community’.
Meanwhile, according to him, people in the north are ‘rude and reserved’ and the environment is much ‘faster’ with ‘a lot of hustle and bustle’.
TikToker Kobie Jordan explains that people in America are friendly in the south and reserved in the north, but notes that in Britain it’s the other way around
Kobie says London (pictured) is the only place in the UK where ‘people see right through you’
He adds: ‘It could be that someone is lying dying on the side of the road and people are walking by.’
In the north of the UK, however, people are ‘much more down to earth’, he said.
Kobie claims that northerners, like in Newcastle or Liverpool, have the ‘craziest accents’ and says: ‘I honestly don’t think I’ve ever met a bad northerner.’
The content creator was particularly surprised by the difference in the north, during a trip to Manchester, where he said ‘everyone was so polite’.
He describes his visit as follows: ‘I went into Poundland and the cashier said, “Are you okay darling, how are you?” And you never get that in London.
“We had a 25 minute conversation. It was so great.”
In the south of the UK, he said, people are ‘much more reserved and distant’.
He adds: ‘Some people even describe them as snobbish. Their accents are much more posh and they are much ruder.’
Kobie says that in the south of the UK ‘people are much more reserved, much more distant’. Northerners, such as those from Newcastle or Liverpool, have ‘the most insane accents’, with Kobie adding: ‘I honestly don’t think I’ve met a bad northerner’
Kobie was particularly struck by the difference between north and south during a trip to Manchester (above), where he says ‘everyone was so polite’
Kobie points out that it is “not customary” to have “polite small talk” with southerners. He says: “They are completely in their own lane and their humor is dry.”
He has noticed, especially in London, that social contact is limited.
He adds, “You don’t really stop and say ‘hey.’ Instead, he says, ‘you keep your eyes ahead and walk past [people]’.
London is also the only place in the UK where, Kobie says, ‘people see right through you’.
His video has been viewed nearly 300,000 times and users filled the comments with their thoughts on the divisiveness.
User ‘purpleshark21’ said: ‘I’m a southerner now living in Liverpool. Best move I’ve ever made! I love it here. I’ve lived here for 10 years and [would] “Never go back to the south again.”
Others were quick to point out that London doesn’t represent the whole of the south of the UK. User ‘antontevola’ said: ‘I think you’re describing London more than the south.’
User ‘anchoredwunderlust’ agreed: ‘Very true. But try southwest too. Somerset, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon.’
To which the creator replied: ‘I used to live in Bristol… all I can say is “LUSH.”‘
