This question arose due to a topic in another forum - and I seem to be in a distinct minority in my reaction.

situation: a person walks up to another and greets them. The response is non-verbal.

QUESTION - leaving aside *what* the non-verbal response is - is it RUDE to not VERBALLY return a greeting?


Now - to understand where I am coming from - I grew up in a town where an effusive greeting could easily be the lifting of a single finger from the steering wheel as you drove by a close friend on the other side of the street. Or a slight lift of the head from across the room. (and I'm talking any size room up to a gymnasium here) Sometimes a greeting was verbal on both sides. Sometimes it was non-verbal on both sides. it could be mixed in either direction as far as intial greeting and response - and no one considered it to be rude to use non-verbal signals.