You can disagree. But I live in reality. People have no respect because of a lack of consequences. Look at Tiktok, Instagram, etc. Everyone thinks they can do whatever they want.

People aren't going to be invested in a place they are just passing thru.

Japan is basically a single culture. So, I'm not even going to entertain that comparison.

Challenging people comes with consequences. That's life. You don't have to fear physical contact. Some people do, and some people don't. But you have to realize that a random person is not a friend or family member. You aren't entitled to them being civil because you approached them.

If it's a horrible way to live, you can move elsewhere. But this is what NYC is. You can make slight improvements and hope it goes in a positive direction. And that would be opinion based as well.